Course Title: Australian Society in a Global Context

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Australian Society in a Global Context

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HUSO1207	City Campus	Undergraduate	330H Social Science & Planning	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006
HUSO1207	City Campus	Undergraduate	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 1 2014, Sem 1 2015, Sem 1 2016, Sem 1 2018, Sem 1 2019, Sem 1 2020, Sem 2 2020, Sem 1 2021, Sem 2 2021, Sem 1 2022, Sem 2 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 2 2023, Sem 1 2024
HUSO1207	City Campus	Undergraduate	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	Sem 1 2017

Course Coordinator: Tuba Boz

Course Coordinator Phone: +(61 3) 9925

Course Coordinator Email: tuba.boz@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 8, Floor 10

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

This course will help students to understand and critically analyse Australian society and develop creative and forward-thinking responses to some of our biggest challenges. The course is separated into four parts:

• ‘The Good Life’,
• ‘Case studies in Australian society’
• ‘Conceptualising social change’
• ‘What future can we make?’

You will explore the concept of The Good Life and develop understanding of concepts such as quality of life and value, as well as merit, privilege, disadvantage and equality. These concepts will then be explored in relation to the experience of economic inequality, work, education, disability, gender and housing in Australia. Finally, the students will use this work to identify the type of society that we should aspire to become.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

Students enrolled in BH105 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and BHP315 Bachelor of Arts (Welfare and Society) will develop the following program learning outcomes:  

• Participate robustly in contemporary and changing ideological and political debates impacting on society, in an informed, flexible and grounded manner to evaluate policy and/or engage in policy debates 
• Apply a body of interdisciplinary knowledge, values and skills in working with and for society’s most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, families, groups and communities 
• Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on issues of social disadvantage, marginalisation and oppression in both local and international contexts, and proactively work to promote social justice and human rights 

Students enrolled in BH108 Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) will develop the following program learning outcomes:  

• Work with others in a range of roles and contexts, demonstrating cultural and social sensitivity, environmental stewardship and ethical and reflective practice. 
• Critically reflect on the interconnectedness of environmental, social, economic systems both locally and internationally and apply in your professional practice or further study. 
• Initiate positive contributions to the wider community through professional planning practice, establishing empathy, equity and shared understanding across diverse interest groups. 

Students enrolled in BP122 Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) will develop the following program learning outcomes:  

• Apply professional, theoretical and practical knowledge of the psychological and social sciences to your professional practice and further study 
• Critically analyse, synthesise and apply theoretical and professional insights from the psychological and social sciences to reflect on the challenges facing professional practice in a rapidly changing world 
• Apply logical, critical and creative thinking from the psychological and the social sciences to respond effectively to a range of issues associated with changing social, cultural and political contexts 
• Communicate effectively using appropriate formats, media and styles to a range of audiences including other professionals, the public and government agencies 

Students enrolled in BP322 Bachelor of Youth Work and Youth Studies will develop the following program learning outcomes:  

• Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect upon the factors, agencies and influences that shape the life-worlds, experiences and aspirations of young people to consider enabling models of practice and interventions 

 

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

1. Analyse and reflect on contemporary social issues relating to your own life and the role of your discipline and globalised Australia.
2. Compare and contrast Australian society’s development and current issues in relation to other nations and in the globalised world. 
3. Analyse key patterns of power, privilege and inequality in relation to identity and social action that characterises the way Australians live in the early twenty first century.
4. Analyse and critically reflect on course readings, and write in an intelligent, fluent and reflective way. 

Overview of Learning Activities

The learning activities for this course involve working in small groups in class, contributing to class discussion and analysing the key ideas which are highlighted in the course. Students will learn through sharing ideas, listening to (and respecting) others’ opinions, and in doing so, working together to develop understanding of the ideas and issues highlighted in this course.   

The learning activities for this course involve online lectures, tutorials and weekly readings. The tutorials will focus on the lecture content and course readings and will be essential in helping students to explore the ideas covered each week. This will be achieved through discussion – in small groups and as a whole class – and through learning activities designed to encourage students to think deeply and critically about the key concepts raised in this course. 

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

You will be able to access to a wide range of online learning tools and content for your course from Canvas, myRMIT, and RMIT Library resources. These resources may include book chapters, journal articles, media articles, lecture videos and notes, bibliographies for supplementary reading, and links to external websites. You will have the opportunity to contribute collectively to class resources by sharing your own research findings and sources with your peers.  

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.

Assessment Tasks:

Assessment 1: Argumentative Essay - 40%, CLO 1, 2, 3, 4

Assessment 2: Critical Reading and Analysis - 20%, a 5-8 minute informal presentation, plus discussion participation across 5 weeks of the course, CLO 1, 2, 3, 4

Assessment 3: Sociological Analysis - Making a Change - 40%, CLO 1, 2, 3, 4

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equity Learning Services if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.