Australia Today

Aims of the unit

The purpose of this unit is to:

􀂃 Study current debates, issues and concerns in Australian society and culture

􀂃 Focus on the interests and needs of international students to assist in their work and study in Australia

􀂃 To provide tools, concepts and history of Australia that will facilitate understanding of this new environment

􀂃 Develop skills in cross cultural verbal and written communication

􀂃 Locate Australia into various global contexts; within the British Empire, in the West, in Asia, and in the global economy

􀂃 Offer an international perspective on diversity and difference in Australian culture and society, through studies of landscapes, people, cultures, myths and institutions

􀂃 Through a number of field experiences, allow exposure to and give the tools to analyse a number of iconic sites and groups – AFL football, the Immigration Museum, State Parliament House, the Chinese Museum, the National Sport Museum at the MCG and Indigenous peoples

􀂃 Introduce international students to the Arts, especially some of the disciplinary frameworks, conventions and languages used in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Australia

Learning objectives

On the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

􀂃 Articulate and understand some key issues in Australia Today

􀂃 Have an overview of Australian history, society, politics and culture

􀂃 Construct an essay, field report and summary of a reading in English to an acceptable academic standard, using scholarly conventions

􀂃 Utilise the skills and knowledges to interrogate current politics, landscapes and issues

Attributes of a Deakin Graduate Statement 2009

All Deakin programs will encourage students to develop attitudes of intellectual curiosity and motivation for independent thinking, autonomous learning and reflective professional and personal practice, and a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. Appropriate to its level of study and discipline composition, each program will be designed to ensure that students develop their knowledge and understanding as well as a range of generic skills. These are described below.

Knowledge and understanding

·         understanding of, and the ability to work with, a systematic body of knowledge, appropriate to the focus and level of the qualification based on the highest standards of scholarship and research; and where research is undertaken:

·         ability to initiate and formulate viable and relevant research questions

·         contribution to new knowledge, or an original interpretation and application of existing knowledge

·         understanding of the social, economic and cultural impact and application of their research, and its academic relevance and value

·         understanding of the professional, social, economic and cultural contexts of the discipline and related fields

·         awareness of ethical issues, social responsibility and cultural diversity

·         understanding and appreciation of international perspectives in a global environment.

Skills

·         critical analysis, problem solving, and creative thinking

·         identifying, gathering, evaluating and using information

·         communicating effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts

·         developing, planning and managing independent work

·         working effectively as part of a team

·         effectively using information and communication technologies

·         applying knowledge learned in the program to new situations

We have attempted to develop these various attributes through the assessment for this unit. Specifically:

Skills developed and assessed in the Field Report:

                        The ability to “read” popular culture, sites and the Australian landscape

                        The ability to connect field observations to relevant scholarship

                        The ability to read and contrast different interpretations of the same event or phenomena

                        Develop skills in formal presentation of research

Skills developed in the major Essay:

                        The ability to critically select and use appropriate material to answer a question

                        The ability to present an essay in a scholarly way using an appropriate referencing system

                        The ability to appropriately use computer based data bases and sources

                        Presentation of an argument in a logical, grammatical and coherent fashion

Skills developed in the Reading exercise:

                        Ability to critically read and summarise a key article

                        Verbal presentation in a way that is engaging and informative

                        The ability to connect empirical material to concepts on Australia

All of these skills and knowledges relate strongly to those which we see as vital to any Deakin graduate.

The materials for this unit include:

􀂃 This Unit Guide (available exclusively via DSO)

􀂃 AIX290/390 Australia Today: An introduction to Australia. Study guide and readings

􀂃 Other resources available via DSO

For on-campus students the above materials are available either online via the Deakin Studies Online (DSO) site for the unit, or in printed form from the Unitext Bookshop on your campus.

Prescribed texts

There is no one suitable text available for this unit. In fact, wide library reading on the topics you choose to follow up is expected and encouraged.

One book which offers a systematic discussion of many topics covered in this unit is:

Carter, D., Dispossession, dreams and diversity: Issues in Australian studies Frenchs Forest, NSW, Pearson Education, 2006

Further readings

Useful journals

Much of the recent material on Australia is to be found in journals and periodicals, and it is a good idea to browse through the most recent issues regularly. Relevant journals will depend on the subject of an essay. The list here includes a few relevant journals, mainly academic journals and cultural quarterlies.

􀂃 Aboriginal History

􀂃 Arena (Publishes on social, political and cultural topics)

􀂃 Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology

􀂃 Australian Cultural History

􀂃 Australian Feminist Studies

􀂃 Australian Geographical Studies

􀂃 Geographical Research

􀂃 Australian Historical Studies

􀂃 Australian Journal of Politics and History

􀂃 Australian Journal of Political Science

􀂃 Australian Journal of Social Issues

􀂃 Australian Quarterly

􀂃 Hecate (Women's history, literature and social issues)

􀂃 Journal of Australian Studies

Other useful general references

Alpin, G et al, (eds) Australians, A Historical Dictionary, Sydney, 1988.

Barker, A., When was that? Surrey Hills, NSW, 1988.

Bernard, J.R.L., The Penguin Macquarie Dictionary of People and Places, Ringwood, 1987.

Murphy, B., Dictionary of Australian History, Sydney, 1982.

Databases/Indexes/Abstracts

Indexing and abstracting services are essential if you want to find recent information in periodical articles. These can be consulted either in hard format or through the catalogue or through CD-ROM or on-line searches.

Deakin Studies Online (DSO)

DSO is Deakin University’s online teaching and learning environment which aims to enhance both on and off-campus learning. DSO delivers web-based course material and assessment tasks and facilitates communication and collaboration between staff and students. To log in to DSO open your browser and go to http://www.deakin.edu.au/dso/. From here you log on using your Deakin username and password.