Australia Now

This subject is not offered in 2014.

2.5 contact hours/week , 5 additional hours/week. Total of 8.5 hours per week.

Australia Now is recommended for incomming study abroad (SA-EX), exchange students (EX-UG) and international students with limited experience of Australian culture.

AUST20007

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject introduces students to key social, political and environmental issues which are shaping contemporary Australia. It is ideal for international students, for students whose main area of study lies outside the humanities, and for students who wish to gain a broad understanding of the complex challenges facing Australia today. The subject is responsive to current debates in Australia, and issues it covers include the arguments about social justice for Aborigines; immigration and asylum seekers; environmental concerns; social inequality; the relationships between men and women; Australia's identity and the impact of globalisation. Students are encouraged to develop their own analyses of contemporary Australia, using appropriate theoretical constructs, fieldwork, and a variety of sources. Lectures and tutorials draw on a range of materials including journal and newspaper articles, poetry and Australian films and documentaries.

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

An essay of 1500 words 25% (due mid-semester) and an essay of 2500 words 75% (due during the examination period). Hurdle requirement: students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to be pass this subject.

A subject reader will be available to purchase.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

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.

Formerly available as 102-111 Australian Now. Students who have completed 102-111 are not permitted to enrol in this subject.