Recommended Study Sequence

This unit introduces students to the foundational skills and knowledge required for professional practice in a range of social science related careers. With an emphasis on practical experience through fieldwork it introduces students to a range of community and organisational structures, professional value frameworks, and skills in interpersonal and written communication within these contexts. It enables students to identify issues of power within social networks, conflicting and collaborative interests, participation, representation, values, ethics, trust and collaboration; ways of working with others to achieve shared objectives; mechanisms for goal setting, issues identification, information and resource sharing that operate in everyday life.

Understanding Society is a core unit offered by the School of Social Sciences which will introduce students in the first year of their studies to key concepts and theories used in examination of and for understanding social action, social policy, social institutions, social structure and social change. Students enrolled in the unit will be introduced to factual information concerning contemporary societies and the methods of interpreting such information. At the conclusion of their studies in this unit students will have been presented with opportunities to develop skills in critical reading and sociological analysis.

This unit is a keystone in the Geography and Urban Studies major. It aims to introduce students to the major urban challenges that will shape our society in the future and to the major substantive concerns in the field of urban management and planning It will develop students’ understanding of how their own urban experiences are shaped by broader historical, cultural, economic, and social forces, and will enable students to compare the Australian urban context and issues with those in other world regions.

This unit focuses on the local experiences of cultural and socio-economic difference. This includes applied social science approaches to inequality, diversity, community, sense of place, and environmental sustainability in the urban setting. There is an emphasis upon spatial literacy for social scientists (fieldwork, mapping, data analysis and place description).

This unit introduces the main theoretical perspectives for understanding the ‘individual in society’, including biological, cognitive, behavioural and personality explanations of individual behaviour. Students are guided and encouraged to explore relevance to everyday life and contemporary issues. Once established, these theories are extended to understanding individuals in society using a bio-psycho-social framework. Theoretical stances related to ‘levels of explanation’, ‘individualism vs collectivism’, and ‘personality vs situation’ are explored as are topics such as social cognition; social influence, and social relations, for example, social identity, prejudice, aggression, pro-social behaviours, attitude formation and change and relationships.

The unit introduces the basic concepts relating to sustainability and development, and explores their relevance to real-world situation at the local, national, and global levels. The causes of unsustainability as well as their short-term and long-term effects on society and the environment will be evaluated. Students will analyse, using appropriate sustainability indicators and social change theories, a social change initiative (i.e., program, project, policy) designed to integrate the socio-economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability within the context of a specific developmental focus (e.g. poverty alleviation, gender equality, human/social development, heritage conservation, biodiversity, tourism, green accounting, sustainable livelihoods). Students will engage in problem-based learning skills in order to critically analyse and discuss current issues in development, and provide solutions to sustainability.

This unit introduces students to the nature of western ethics and moral discourse, to ethical methodology and to the possibilities and limits of ethical discourse and practice. It covers the history of the formalisation of ethics as well as its current philosophical and sociological dimensions. It also deals with various case studies of ethical issues and moral debates students may encounter in their everyday day and professional lives. Students will be invited to reflect on moral discourse(s) and on the use of ethics for social justice and fairness.

Examines the nexus between culture and place. Contemporary cultural planning issues include; local community relations, social planning, place management, place redefinitions, selling place, ethnic concentration, cultural precincts, and the spatial politics of gender and sexuality. The roles of cultural products in carrying spatial information and reinforcing identity are examined. Introduction to cultural and social geography, and developments in cognate fields of cultural studies and anthropology. Key theories of identity. Case studies range across religion, gender, sexuality, class and nationalism. The analysis and assessment advances a politics of difference, anti-racist, social justice perspective.

This unit version will commence from 2011. This unit will foster a reflexive view of the research process by examining rival interpretations of social science and debates about the strengths and limitations of various methods. This will be achieved via critical analysis of key examples of social research. The ethical and practical implications of the use of various qualitative and quantitative methods will also be discussed. Students will be required to complete a short assignment mixing different forms of information and sources of data.

“Economics of cities and regions” introduces the major economics-based approaches to urban policy making, such as cost-benefit analysis and input-output analysis. Class discussions investigate how economic forces shape the geography and environmental sustainability of cities and regions. Class activities enable students to apply economic principles to urban planning and policy decisions, and teach students to analyse the social and distributional impacts of policy and planning decisions.

The making and the use of maps. This unit involves the critical examination of the way geographical data is produced, analysed, mapped and used to inform both private and public decisions. Natural environment, health, accessibility and residential amenity are examples of phenomena that have an important geographical dimension. Policy responses to these phenomena need to be specific with regard to locations and places. Geographic information systems software and census will be used to produce maps based on the analysis and interpretation of data relating to the student’s field of interest.

This unit will develop more advanced research understanding and skills in students who have successfully completed Social Research Methods. Students are required to design and complete a developed research project that combines qualitative and quantitative techniques of information gathering and analysis and reporting. Contemporary developments in methods, research relationships with funding bodies, sponsors and community groups, and the social impacts of University-based research will be examined.

This unit aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the role of government and the political processes, focusing on the role and nature of planning across all levels of government from a variety of theoretical frameworks. It presents a critical examination of the urban development and planning processes, with particular attention given to the environmental and political issues associated with planning at the local government level. It looks at the changes and challenges confronting local government in view of the demands made on them by the changing social and economic conditions and societal values such as those relating to requirements for public participation, transparency and accountability. The unit also exams the role of private sector in planning and assessment processes.

This unit examines the equity and efficiency issues in the provision of transport in cities and regions from a critical social science perspective. Issues of transport disadvantage and policy and planning responses to improve access to urban services are examined. The social and environmental impact of transport systems are considered in the context of urban management.

This unit will provide students with the opportunity to engage with contemporary debates in the social sciences. Students will examine key concepts and structures in the social sciences such as place, work, community, family, power, diversity and globalisation within the context of current political and social events. This will encourage the student to critically analyse and understand current debates and contentious issues relevant to the social sciences. Students will use both theoretical and applied knowledge to develop an informed position on matters of continuing importance to the community and the polity.

An international and cross-institutional discussion of immigration and settlement. Covering the theory and experience of immigration. Considers the international and national regulation of immigration and settlement policies, as well as refugee policy. Case studies are from Australia and Canada, and Singapore. Within mixed tutorial groups (with students from Singapore, Vancouver & Sydney) students will exchange experiences and opinions of immigration.

Housing affordability and access are significant urban problems. This unit focuses on the past history and current challenges of housing markets and policy in Australia. Comparisons are drawn between rental and home ownership trends and supports, the roles of the public, social, and private sectors, and between Australian, European, and North American housing markets and policies. Discussions critically evaluate how policy and markets interact. Examining trends in local housing markets and in the structure of housing finance provides a basis for discussions about how housing policy could better respond to the evolving challenges of volatile markets.

The unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the nature, role and relevance of urban design. It will examine the issue of urban design at both the micro and macro scale. It also aims to promote awareness of, and sensitivity to, design considerations, and to enable students to critically evaluate urban spaces and places. A key feature of the course will be the development of the graphical communication skills of students.

The course provides opportunities for interaction and dialogue, emphasising morality and ethics. Development is examined from various perspectives, including the global and the local, and examines the interplay of globalisation, institutions and government, and grass roots approaches, the effects of past colonialisms and ongoing colonialism, and the space and possibilities for individual and collective action.

In this unit we will explore the questions ‘can we create a sustainable society? If so what would it look like and how could it be done; is it possible to live ethically with each other and the planet?’ While major contemporary theoretical concepts will be explored the emphasis is on developing sustainable alternatives to the way we now live both locally and globally. Particular attention will be paid to thinking ecologically, postcolonial development and issues of race, gender.

This unit replaces 101281 - Heritage Interpretation from 2010. This unit examines the theory and practice of heritage interpretation for visitors at natural and cultural heritage sites. It examines the development of heritage interpretation within national parks and museums and explores the various issues facing contemporary interpretation in the context of multicultural and postcolonial societies and the advent of digital media.

It is intended that this unit will give students a common understanding in the theory, practice, policy and planning framework of recreation development activities and facilities towards sustainable tourism. This will impart an empirical research project of the case study (Sydney Olympic Park) to practice various planning techniques for opportunity spectrum, conflict assessment and potential impact analysis. Students will learn how to present their ideas through integrated use of the quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques, both as teamwork and individual project.