Social Policy: Special Topics

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Intenisve

None

None

Public Policy or Sociology at Undergraduate level

Students who completed PPMN90003 in 2010 are not eligible to enrol in PPMNNEW Ageing, Society and Social Policy

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/

March 2012

Special Topic: Managing Diversity: Ethnicity, Immigration and Social Policy

Populations of visible ethnic minorities have steadily increased over the past few decades in numerous jurisdictions.While a complex calculus of push and pull factors has motivated this increase, one of the main impetuses for this migration has been the search for employment, better wages and a higher standard of living. It is therefore not surprising that the educational attainments of the first generation and beyond have achieved convergence with, or exceeded the non-ethnic minority cohort. These outcomes may suggest a greater propensity for visible ethnic minorities to attain labour market success and to fully integrate within the community. However, the lessons learned from recent studies suggest an uneasiness to boldly claim this as the most convincing conclusion at this juncture.This subject engages with this narrative by examining the occupational success of ethnic minorities during the job search, hiring and promotion process. Moreover, it discusses the potential interactive role of discrimination, an individual's social network, and a community's social trust in the integration process; whilst also critically assessing social policy practices, from a myriad of jurisdictions, to improve the integration, education delivery, and labour market outcomes of visible ethnic minorities.

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• • examine ethnic minorities’ life course experiences, particularly from formal education to the labour market, in a variety of traditionally and non-traditionally viewed multi-ethnic jurisdictions;
  • analyse the practises and outcomes of social policies for managing ethnic diversity in various international contexts;
  • be familiar with key social science and public policy approaches to understanding ethnicity and immigration.

1. A policy evaluation paper of 2000 words, worth 40% due Monday 26 March 2012;
2. A research paper of 3000 words, worth 60% due Tuesday 1 May 2012.

Hurdle Requirement: As this is an Intensively-taught subject, Lecture/Seminar attendance is compulsory on all 3 days.Students who fail to meet this hurdle requirement will be deemed ineligible to submit the final piece of assessment for this subject.Regular participation in class is required.

Assessment that is submitted after the due date and up to 10 working days late without an approved extension will be marked on a pass/fail basis only. Assessment that is submitted later than 10 working days will not be accepted or marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Hasmath, R. (2011) Managing Ethnic Diversity: Meanings and Practices from an International Perspective. Burlington, VT and Surrey, UK: Ashgate Publishing.

[ISBN:9781409411215]

Hasmath, R. (2010) A Comparative Study of Minority Development in China and Canada.New York and Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

[ISBN: 9780230100381]

A subject reader will also be available on LMS for students' convenience.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• be able to demonstrate competence in critical, creative and theoretical thinking through essay writing, seminar discussion and presentations, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgments and arguments from conflicting evidence, and by critical analysis.
• be able to demonstrate proficiency in the application of policy analysis skills to empirical problems.
• be able to demonstrate an understanding of the academic protocols of research and presentation.