Australia: Society and Culture, ONLINE (3cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

One week prior to each lecture, students are provided with the articles for pre-reading.

Objective

The course provides the student with an opportunity to familiarize him- or herself with various issues which are important for a comprehensive understanding of life in contemporary Australia and discuss them in an academic setting.

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be better able to
1) understand the social and political reality of life in Australia today
2) analyze political discourse critically, debate public issues, and express his/her opinions effectively.

Execution methods

Lectures and discussions, individual homework (reading), some pair work and small group activities, 36 h.

Accomplishment methods

Successful completion of the final exam/paper, active participation in group discussions, regular attendance.

Content

History and development, ethnic and racial issues, immigration, language, politics and government, culture (sport, music, food), natural environment, media, education, religion, comparisons with other English-speaking countries.

Location and time

The course is conducted wholly online using Microsoft Teams.

There are a total of eight live lectures that students must attend.

Each participant is required to have a working microphone and video connection for the live lectures, although the student's microphone and video are used for only a small section of the lecture.

Materials

The teacher provides the materials used in the live lectures.

Outside of the live lectures, the students conduct their own research using either suggestions and resources from the teacher or their own initiative.

Exam schedules

There is no formal exam for this course.

Completion alternatives

Participation in the live lectures is a mandatory part of the course. The lectures will be recorded, but this resource is only for study purposes and is not meant to replace real-time attendance.

Student workload

There are eight live lectures held throughout the course period.

Before each lecture, students are required to read one article, ranging in length from half a page to several pages long.

Within one week after each lecture, students are required to submit two SHORT pieces of writing based on the lecture's content (only a few hundred words).

After the conclusion of the final lecture, students are given a list of essay topics to choose from and are required to complete a longer essay as a final piece of work for the course. The time allotted for this final essay is two weeks.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

5-1/fail based on the final exam/paper and class participation.

Qualifications

Upper secondary school or equivalent.