102-111 Australia Now

Students are not permitted to undertake within a 12-month period more than two subjects offered by the Australian Centre. Students who have completed 100-201/301 are not eligible to enrol in this subject. This subject is recommended for students wishing to complete a major in Australian studies.

This interdisciplinary subject introduces students to key social, political and environmental issues which are shaping contemporary Australia. It is ideal for international students, for students whose main area of study lies outside the humanities, and for students who wish to gain a broad understanding of the complex challenges facing Australia today. The subject is responsive to current debates in Australia, and issues it covers include the arguments about social justice and land rights for Aborigines; immigration and multiculturalism; environmental concerns; the relationships between men and women; Australia's identity and the impact of globalisation; and the place of tourism, sport and the arts in Australian cultural and economic life. Students are encouraged to develop their own analyses of contemporary Australia, using appropriate theoretical constructs, fieldwork, and a variety of sources. Lectures and tutorials draw on a range of materials including journal and newspaper articles, poetry, novels and Australian films and documentaries. Students who complete this subject should be able to understand the ways in which Australia's environments have been influenced and been shaped by the exeriences of its non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal societies; how Australian cultural practices, notions of identity and how key economic and political institutions are shaped and how Australian environments and people are represented in a range of visual, cinematic and written texts.

Written work totalling 4000 words. A hurdle requirement for this subject is 50% attendance at tutorials.

A subject reader will be available.