HUMN 1007 Brave New World: Negotiating Social Change in the 21st Century

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Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 101886

Coordinator Lucy Nicholas Opens in new window

Description The discipline of Sociology has witnessed a transformation reflecting significant changes in society and social life. This unit re-examines the sociological dimensions of a variety of social concerns, for example: environmental issues, global migration, health, religion, indigeneity, gender, ethnic conflict and sub-cultural groups and asks: In the 'brave new world' of contemporary society we need to re-evaluate the conventional sociological concern of social structure and inequality in the face of these broad social changes. This unit will examine the social transformations which characterise contemporary social life; in particular the pace of social change and the implications of social media. In exploring these social concerns the links are drawn between more recent theoretical constructs and the more traditional focus on national social structures and inequalities. The unit will place special emphasis on concepts such as risk, individualism and uncertainty.

School Social Sciences

Discipline Sociology

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

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Level Undergraduate Level 1 subject

Learning Outcomes

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

Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of recent developments in sociological thought and the reasons behind them
Apply recent sociological perspectives to some of the key social problems and/or challenges presented globally and within contemporary Australian life
Demonstrate a reflexive stance on the various sociological perspectives presented
Analyse some specific examples of how global processes of change can impact people�fs everyday lives in local contexts
Discuss, through a sociological lens, various possible, probable and preferred social futures with reference to current social trends

Subject Content

Social Change
Rethinking social class in the age of uncertainty
Global poverty and the global economy
Family and social change
Mobility and globalisation
Ecology and risk
Youth subcultures in the face of social change
Identity and identity politics
Social change movements
Religion for generation x and y
Health in the face of the risk society
Social networks in the 21st century

Assessment

The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.

Item	Length	Percent	Threshold	Individual/Group Task
Online Debate	Online individual contribution to moderated discussion, (4 x 250 words online contributions)	30	Y	Individual
Essay	1500 words	40	Y	Individual
Final Exam – take home (online)	2 x 500 word essays	30	Y	Individual