Contemporary Culture and Social Change

Course aim

To build on students' knowledge of the sociological perspectives by exploring the political and economic significance of contemporary culture.

Course content

Students will consolidate an advanced understanding of sociology by examining contemporary culture from perspectives of cultural sociology and social change. Students will examine core debates about the role of culture and conflict in social life while reflecting on their own, and other, cultural worlds. Emphasising the centrality and complexity of culture in contemporary global society, students will investigate a broad range of competing perspectives in the field, the institutions that represent culture in particular ways, the interrelationship between culture and capitalism, culture as a site of domestic and international conflict, and culture as a facilitator of social change. The course will investigate societal shifts in relation to the rise of consumption, leisure, youth culture, media, secularisation and religion, nostalgia and history wars. The course will facilitate students obtaining a sophisticated understanding of society and culture in a collaborative, reflexive and systematic fashion.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

The listed prerequisites, and one Level 2 sociology course, or with approval from the Program Director. COURSE ALERT: Students who have previously completed WELF 2016 Contemporary Culture and Conflict may not enrol in this course.

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Continuous assessment, Essay

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4A)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.