Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Presentation of Basic Mixed Methods (Quantitative and Qualitative) Research

In SOCY1060 Gender, Sexuality and Society, students are asked to conduct a group research project . They are asked to choose a site to collect data. Some types of sites are suggested (e.g. an online platform such as Youtube, a magazine, a TV show, a sports event, a magazine, a store catalogue), but students can choose a site that is not listed as long as their choice is approved by their tutor (past students have chosen movies, a rack of birthday cards, ads in two different TV shows etc). Students are asked to provide a rationale for their choice. They may choose one fieldsite or two fieldsites in order to compare. In the past students have chosen as fieldsites such as: top 10 music videos, birthday cards for under 10 year olds, the ads in the Bachelor and the Footy Show, the movie 'Jurassic World', Men's and Women's Health magazines, children's books, Women's football. They are then asked to design a research question that relates to the themes of the course, and are guided through this process. Typically, the research questions fit into the following format: 'how does [insert fieldsite] construct gender and/or sexuality?' That is, they are asked to analyse how gender and/or sexuality are depicted in their fieldsite and what this means for the construction and negotiation of social boundaries. Students are then asked to collect some basic quantitative data (an example Excel spreadsheet is given to guide them) and some basic qualitative data. They are then asked to link their findings to some academic literature e.g. past research in this area and/or theory they could use to make sense of their findings, and present their findings and the links to the literature by way of a Powerpoint presentation in class. This assessment has been done in groups to lessen the burden on individuals, but could be done individually for a greater proportion of their final grade.