EDF1122

SOSE: Culture and Society

Dr J Edwards

6 points - Semester two - Peninsula campus.

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed knowledge and understandings about the way in which culture is shaped by the physical environment from which it emanated; have developed understandings about the way in which social, political, economic and physical events have shaped culture; developed knowledge and understanding about the origins of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies as evidenced by the Dreaming; be aware of the complexity and diversity of pre-invasion indigenous society; appreciate the impact and consequences of the European invasion on the lives of indigenous people in the past and present.; be able to identify the contemporary issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and initiatives developed by them and government to address these; appreciate the ways in which imported cultures have changed with transportation to Australia; appreciate the complexity and diversity of various cultural groups represented in Australian society; value the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and various ethnic communities and their historic and continuing contribution to Australian society.

Synopsis This subject provides students with crosscultural knowledge which will develop their understandings of the range of cultural experiences within the Australian community. Emphasis will be placed on the ways culture is shaped by the physical environment from which it emanated; how physical and historical events have helped shape culture; how Aboriginal culture and Torres Strait Islander culture have changed in response to the arrival of foreign cultures and people; and how imported cultures have been changed with transportation to Australia. Contemporary cultures in source countries will be compared with current cultural patterns in Australia.

Assessment Research Assignment (3000 words): 60%; Literature Review (1500 words): 40%.

Recommended text

Blomfield G Baal Belbora The End of the Dancing Alternative Publishing Co, 1986
Davidman L & Davidman P Teaching with a Multicultural Perspective Longman, 1997
Edgar D Earle L & Fopp R Introduction to Australian Society 2nd edition Prentice Hall, 1993
Edwards C & Read R (eds) The Lost Children Doubleday, 1989
Hartley R (ed) Families & Cultural Diversity in Australia Allen & Unwin & Australian Institute of Family Studies St. Leonards, 1995
Jupp J (ed) The Australian People Angus & Robertson, 1988
Reynolds H This Whispering in Our Hearts Allen & Unwin, 1998
Singe J The Torres Strait UQP, 1989
Storer D (ed) Ethnic Family Values in Australia Prentice Hall, 1985

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