166-103 Australian Society: Class, Gender, Race and Sexuality

Credit Points

Coordinator

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

An introduction to the major theoretical approaches to the study of inequality, which invites students to think critically about the nature and significance of social divisions. With Australian society as its focus, the subject examines the major dimensions of inequality, notably class, gender, race or ethnicity, sexuality and age. It studies the principal ways in which inequality is experienced in the workplace and in the labour market, in the family, in local communities, in the health care system, in the housing market, in the education system, in systems of welfare. It considers the role of various agencies - political, social and cultural - in maintaining inequality, such as the state, the industrial relations system, dominant ideologies and the media. Students who complete this subject should be able to: understand the major theoretical approaches to the study of inequality; express familiarity with the empirical details of the extent and breadth of inequality in Australian society; think critically about the nature and significance of social divisions in the study of political science.

Assessment

Written work of 3000 words and a one-hour, open-notes class test.

Prescribed Texts

None. A reading pack will be provided.