Contesting Australia

Subject AUST10001 (2011)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2011.

Credit Points:

12.50

Level:

1 (Undergraduate)

Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

Semester 1, Parkville - Taught on campus.

Pre-teaching Period Start	not applicable
Teaching Period	not applicable
Assessment Period End	not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol	not applicable
Census Date	not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail	not applicable

On campus

Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.

Time Commitment:

Contact Hours: A 2-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week.
Total Time Commitment: 8 hours per week: total time commitment 96 hours

Prerequisites:

None

Corequisites:

None

Recommended Background Knowledge:

None

Non Allowed Subjects:

None

Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

 CoordinatorDr Graham Willett ContactDr Fay Anderson gwillett@unimelb.edu.au 

Subject Overview:	What kind of place is Australia? And what kind of place should it be? This introductory subject, taught by a team of experts, examines the issues that make the Australian nation a contested place. The subject challenges students to engage with some of the key debates that have shaped the nation, and equips students with the skills to examine, research and thus understand these issues in depth. Key issues and topics covered may include such matters as immigration and multiculturalism, Indigenous and race-based issues, gender and sexuality, class and social status, the environment and war.
Objectives:	Objectives Understanding of the key issues in Australian public life today Ability to work with a variety of disciplines to develop an understanding these key issues Comprehend how and why contested understandings of Australian issues arise and play out in public debates
Assessment:	1500 word essay 30% (due mid-semester), a 2500 word essay 60% (due during the examination period) and class presentation 10%. Hurdle requirement: students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day; after five days, no late assessment will be accepted. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.
Prescribed Texts:	A subject reader will be available.
Recommended Texts:	Prescribed and essential texts are listed above in the Handbook entry. The broader reading list will include: Steven Angelides and Barbara Baird, Histories of Sexualities. Larissa Behrendt, Achieving Social Justice: Indigenous Rights and Australia&amp.........amp.Acirc..&amp.........amp.rsquo..s Future. Judith Brett and Anthony Moran, Ordinary People&amp.........amp.Acirc..&amp.........amp.rsquo..s Politics. Susan Carruthers, The Media at War. David Carter, Dispossession, Dreams and Diversity. Inga Clendinnen, The History Question: Who Owns the Past?. Tim Flannery, Country. Patricia Grimshaw et al, Creating a Nation. Ghassan Hage, Against Paranoid Nationalism. Clive Hamilton, Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough. Peter A Jackson and Gerrard Sullivan, Multicultural Queer: Australian Perspectives. Phillip Knightley, The First Casualty. Mark Peel, The Lowest Rung. Richard White, Inventing Australia
Breadth Options:	This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses: Bachelor of Biomedicine Bachelor of Commerce Bachelor of Environments Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Engineering You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.
Fees Information:	Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:	Have developed critical thinking and analysis skills through reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion Have learned to think in theoretical terms through engagement in the methodologies of the humanities and social sciences Have gained knowledge of the role of social, ethical and cultural context in the construction of knowledge Have developed critical self-awareness and openness to new ideas and possibilities
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations:	Australian Studies Australian Studies Australian Studies Australian Studies Major History Major
Related Breadth Track(s):	Australia: People and Places Australia: Indigenous and Settler Contexts Australia in Writing Australia and the World

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