Sociology of Youth

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

A total of 170 hours

Sociology at Level 1

SOCI30003 Sociology of Youth

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/

Youth is a period in which adult identities are shaped and through this society’s institutions and cultural beliefs are either reproduced or remade. For this reason young people and their attitudes and actions fascinate and create anxiety for broader society. The sociological study of youth is also the study of broader continuity and change. This subject introduces major classical and contemporary sociological approaches as they apply to the study of youth. It locates young people's experience in a context of social change, investigating the ways in which employment, education, family, gender, social class, youth culture and geographic location shape the meaning of youth in different ways in the early 21st Century than they did in the century past. It explores the new ways in which young people approach learning, work and relationships and examines the impact of the digital revolution, globalisation, and the coming ‘Asian Century’ on young lives. On completion of this subject students will have deepened their knowledge of the major sociological approaches to youth, including the study of transitions to adulthood, youth cultures and generational change.

On completion of this subject students should:

• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of sociology as an academic discipline in its social, historical and world context, including its principal concepts and theories as they apply to youth studies;

• Demonstrate an ability to apply sociological theories, concepts and evidence to sociological questions within complex and changing social contexts;

• Demonstrate a sociological understanding of the nature of social relationships and institutions, patterns of social diversity and inequality, and processes that underpin social change and stability as they impact on the experience of youth;

• Communicate sociological principles and knowledge effectively using written formats;

• Demonstrate an ability to develop arguments by using evidence, evaluating competing explanations, and drawing conclusions.

A research essay of 1000 words (25%) due mid-semester, a take-home test (25%) due at the end of semester, and a research essay of 2000 words (50%) due in the examination period.

Hurdle Requirement: This subject has a minimum Hurdle Requirement of 75% Tutorial attendance. Regular participation in tutorials is required.

Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Woodman, D. and Wyn, J. (2015) Youth and Generation: Rethinking Change and Inequality in the Lives of Young People. London: Sage

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.

Available as a Breadth subject to non-Bachelor of Arts students