102-512 From Cosmopolitanism to Transnationalism

Admission to a coursework masters program. Fourth-year honours or postgraduate diploma students may take this subject with permission from the postgraduate coordinator.

In this course, cosmopolitanism and transnationalism are terms employed to describe a range of effects resulting from the traffic across national boundaries of culture, capital, people and ideas. Unlike some programmes in transnational studies, which focus upon politics, economics and development, this subject focuses in particular on the development and operation of cosmopolitan and transnational social and cultural processes, practices and theories across a range of humanities disciplines. The course aims to encourage students to think outside of national frameworks in order to meet the challenges of an increasingly globalised world, but especially to think critically about the social and cultural implications for Australia. It aims to outline the bases and potential for forms of cosmopolitanism and transnationalism emerging in Australia today.

• be able to demonstrate that they can take responsibility for their own learning and academic endeavour; be able to think in theoretical and / or have strong foundation for empirical research;

• be able to demonstrate the time-management skills required for conducting a sustained and developmental piece of independent study;

• be able to demonstrate skills of information retrieval, management of ideas, and orchestration of diverse sources in the process of essay construction and presentation;

• be able to situate the significance of their research in the context of broader social, ethical and cultural contexts;

• be able to communicate their research findings in a clear and intelligible manner.

Each student will give a formal class presentation of a piece of original research based on either archival/textual analysis or oral history interviews. This will be of 1500 words and worth 35% (due during the semester), followed by an essay of 3500 words, worth 65% (due during the examination period). There is a hurdle requirement of 80% seminar attendance.

A subject reader will be available from the Bookroom at the beginning of semester