Youth Leading Change

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Pre-teaching period:

During the pre-teaching period students will be required to complete reading that will be provided via LMS. There will be questions, attached to the readings that students will discuss in the tutorials.

170 hours

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 explores young people as change-makers and problem-solvers against a backdrop of social transformation in Australia and globally. It provides students with thinking tools for addressing local and global problems in everyday life and skills for leadership. The subject focuses particularly on the Asia-Pacific region, home for forty-five percent of the world’s youth and a geographical area experiencing dramatic social and economic transformations. Students will be supported to critically analyse the significant opportunities (including new mobilities, educational opportunities) and challenges (for example, increasing inequality, high rates of urbanisation and mental health problems) produced by these transformations in our region. The subject positions young people as part of the solution to challenges produced by social change and views young people as the initiators and managers of change, employing different leadership styles. Case studies will be identified and investigated in class, including those related to issues such as: education (formal and non-formal), employment, public policy, law, health, justice, mobilities and migration, and use of digital communication and popular culture.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• identify and understand the ways in which young people are and can be positioned to participate in social change
• critically analyse real-world case studies where young people are making change in the Asia-Pacific region
• become aware of places and niches where change is possible and needed
• identify the interests, knowledge base (for example, from their undergraduate degree), and skill set that they personally can contribute to making change in their world and the world around them
• critically reflect on their role as an educator or leader in communities

There are two assessment tasks:

• Group presentation (equivalent to 1000 words) during intensive teaching period, 25%
• 3000-word essay , due 4 weeks after intensive teaching period, 75%

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.

A set of readings will be provided via LMS

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

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 should enable students to

• articulate their role as active global citizens, who can contribute to their communities wherever they live and work
• engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs
• understand their role as leaders and educators in communities, able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, professions and workplaces
• be aware of their role in creating learning cultures and mentoring future generations of learners
• demonstrate a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication
• recognise their own skill set and the in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s)
• expand their analytical, cognitive and creative skills through learning experiences with other disciplines
• demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning