Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 101898

Coordinator David Tait Opens in new window

Description The subject provides an overview of the 'dark side' of human society and culture - violence. It examines how violence shapes, threatens and informs aspects of everyday life at home, work, school, the sports field and the street. Through a series of structured learning activities students engage with a range of documents and images to explore practices and experiences of violence. The role of institutions like the state, churches and sporting bodies in regulating violence will be considered. Students will gain skills in understanding the cultural milieu of marginal groups, languages of power and the emotions of excitement, fear and terror produced by acts of violence, skills useful for effective functioning in the workplace and family. The subject provides skills for honours level research in social and cultural analysis, law and legal studies, criminology, and history and political thought.

School Humanities & Comm Arts

Discipline Sociology

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 3 subject

Restrictions

Successful completion of 60 credit points of study in currently enrolled program.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. critically read, evaluate and interpret texts about violence
2. integrate ideas and data from several different disciplinary traditions to develop an argument
3. work productively with peers to develop a shared research project
4. elaborate a research concept into a researchable question.

Subject Content

. Violence as 'ordinary' behaviour - human nature, social structure or individual deviance?
. Structural violence - slavery, racism and totalitarianism
. Religion and violence - crusades, conquistadores and coexistence
. Violence at home - conflict in intimate relationships
. Ritualised violence and sport - on and off the field
. Psychopaths in the workplace - creating safe environments
. Turf wars - gangs, neighbourhoods and community safety
. Cyberbullying and cybercrime
. Hoons and hooligans - young men, alcohol and thrill-seeking
. Violent education - shaping young minds, reproducing class inequalities
. Making violence routine: training killers in the military
. Developing peacful futures?