Australia Now

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

On campus

8.5 hours per week: 102 hours across the semester.

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Students who have passed 'Australia Now' with the codes 673-333 or 102-111 are not permitted to enrol in this subject.

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/

This subject introduces students to the key issues facing contemporary Australia. It is ideal for international students, for students whose main area of study lies outside the humanities, and for those who wish to gain a broad understanding of the complex challenges facing Australia today. We examine the historical and political foundations of the country and explore current issues and debates around Australian identity and how it is changing. Race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, the environment, sport and art and film cultures, Indigenous issues, the fair go and globalisation ... if it is happening in Australia it is happening in Australia Now.

Students who successfully complete this subject should have an:

• understanding of the social, political and environmental forces shaping Australian society
  
• understanding of the key issues in Australian public life today
• ability to synthesise a variety of issues and methodologies into a broader understanding of Australia’s past and present
  
  

Semester 1: Tutorial exercises: 20% (due weekly); Text analysis exercise of 1,000 words: 20% (due mid-semester); Take home exam of 3,000 words: 60% (due end of semester).

Semester 2: A tutorial presentation: 20% (due during the semester); Written assignment of 1500 words: 30% (due mid semester); Final written assignment of 2500 words 50% (due during the exam period).

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 working days, no late assessment will be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

A subject reader will be available.

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.

As a result of attendance at scheduled classes, participation in planned activities and discussion groups, and timely completion of essays and assignments, Arts graduates should acquire skills in the following areas:

• research: through competent use of the library and other information sources, and the definition of areas of inquiry and methods of research.
• critical thinking and analysis: through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument.
• thinking in theoretical terms: through lectures, tutorial discussion, essay writing and engagement in the methodologies of the humanities and social sciences.
• understanding of social, ethical and cultural context: through the contextualisation of judgments, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and possibilities and by constructing an argument.
• communicating knowledge intelligibly and economically: through essay writing and tutorial discussion.