Knowledge, Learning and Culture

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours total commitment

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs/online classes) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the 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 website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject will focus on the significance of cultural and contextual framings of knowledge and learning. Topics will include; a consideration of sociological, historical, political and cultural influences on knowledge; the analysis of knowledge and thinking from multiple cultural perspectives; novice versus expert representations of a topic; internationalisation and globalisation of knowledge. Students will be encouraged to examine the knowledge they are learning from these perspectives, and identify the implications for their understanding of the ideas.

The aim of this subject is to lead students to understand
• how knowledge, understanding and learning are constrained by a range of influences; and
• how an awareness of these influences can lead to enhanced understanding and knowledge.

A 2,000-word assignment in which students will select a topic they are studying and (i) identify the cultural and contextual influences on the knowledge they are acquiring and how these influence their understanding of it, and (ii) alternative interpretations of the knowledge from other influential perspectives, due mid-semester (50 per cent);

A 2,000-word assignment in which students will select a topic they are studying and identify (i) how multiple perspectives on a topic lead to a greater differentiation and elaboration; (ii) how the topic is shaped by particular constraints such as the culture and the point in history in which it is constructed; and (iii) how the knowledge might be or become culturally and/or historically obsolete, due in the examination period (50 per cent).

A book of readings will be produced.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• 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.

This subject will lead students to understand the processes involved in knowledge enhancement and transfer. Topics will include: the notion of creativity and innovation; the evaluation and critical analysis of ideas; the influence of sociological, historical and cultural influences on knowledge enhancement and creativity; novice versus expert representations of a topic; knowledge transfer and creativity. Students will be encouraged throughout to develop this understanding in the context of their tertiary learning and to understand themselves as knowledge enhancers.