166-004 Change & Conflict in Australian Society

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Semester

Subject Description

This subject forms an introduction to the theoretical approaches to the study of social movements and the general issues raised by the problem of social change and political conflict. How and why do political changes occur? If social movements did not exist, would societies need to invent them? Traditional avenues for expressing disagreement within Australian society, such as the Labor Party and the trade unions, the Coalition parties and employer associations will be discussed. However students should develop a historical, political and critical knowledge of the principal new Australian social movements in the past thirty years: the green movement; indigenous rights' movements; the women's movement; the homosexual liberation movements; the peace movement; multiculturalism. Recent debates such as the republic are also discussed.