Course Title: Work, Politics and Technology

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Work, Politics and Technology

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

In 2021 this course is titled: Social Applications of Communication: A Political Economy of the Workplace

From Semester 1 2022 this course will be titled: Work, Politics & Technology.


Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

COMM2407

City Campus

Undergraduate

345H Media and Communication

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 1 2016,
Sem 1 2017,
Sem 1 2018,
Sem 1 2019,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 1 2021,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 1 2023,
Sem 1 2024

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Cathy Greenfield

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 5038

Course Coordinator Email: cathy.greenfield@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

To be eligible to undertake this capstone course you must have completed: ● 36 credit points from the Contemporary Politics and Communication Minor Stream OR ● 36 credit points from the Politics Economies & Communication Contextual Stream OR ● a combination of 36 credit points from the Contemporary Politics and Communication Minor and/or the Politics Economies & Communication Contextual Stream.

Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course.  Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning. 


Course Description

In this course you will investigate the contemporary workplace and how to navigate it in a period of change, contestation, automation and concerns about sustainable work. You will analyse workplaces characteristic of knowledge economies from the perspective of an interdisciplinary, culturally informed, political economy approach. You will investigate workplaces as complex organisations, being shaped by digital, platform, and automated technologies and by the debates around them. You will explore the ethical forms and types of agency that are part of these workplaces.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes   In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:   ● Identify, evaluate and critically analyse cultural, historical and theoretical practices which contextualise your professional practice and further study


Course Learning Outcomes   Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:   1. Discuss current political, economic, business, cultural, social and technology issues and developments in relation to workplace practices. 2. Describe and assess debates around work and work futures in technologized economies 3. Analyse complex workplace environments in terms of their multiple components. 4. Reflect on and describe ethics and agency within workplaces


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities which may include project work, lectures, tutorials, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both.


Overview of Learning Resources

A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning.   RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.   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 may include written and oral reports, reflective papers, creative projects and presentations, individually and in groups.   Assessment Tasks Task 1: Description Task [Individual 25% Linked course learning outcome: 1] Task 2: Reading and Topic Responses [Individual 30% Linked course learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4] Task 3: Written Knowledge Artefact [Individual 45% Linked course learning outcome: 1 and 2]   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 Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.   Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.