166-003 Australian Society: Class, Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Sexuality

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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 and sexuality. 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 and in sporting activities. It considers the role of various agencies - political, social and cultural - in maintaining inequality, such as the state and the criminal justice system. 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 reflective essay of 1000 words.

Prescribed Texts

A subject reader will be available.

• M Sargent et al, The New Sociology for Australians. (4th ed) Longman 1997 or.
• C Stafford & B Furze, Society and Change: A Sociological Introduction. (2nd ed) Macmillan 1997.