1997 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

shown in entries for all psychology subjects.
Students should note that each psychology subject is worth
one semester subject.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of people in groups ranging from the
family to whole societies like Australia. It is about how
individual and group behaviour shapes groups and society,
and in turn, how behaviour is shaped by society and its
institutions. A group may be as diverse as a large firm, a
school, a rock band, the public service, or a voluntary
agency like a sporting club or community housing
association. Important to sociology is an appreciation of the
different ways social group behaviour can be explained, and
the various methods which can be used to get a better
understanding of the social world.
Understanding group behaviour, being familiar with
different explanations for this behaviour, and being able to
gather data to explore aspects of the social world are
important skills, both for employment purposes and for
being a knowledgeable and participating citizen of
Australian society.
The teaching of sociology is focused on applied skills
including problem identification, statistics, research
methods, the formation of life-long learning skills, policy
design and implementation. What differentiates sociology at
Swinburne from what is taught by sociology departments at
other tertiary institutions is our emphasis on comparing
Australia with other parts of the world, and in applying
sociology to solve practical problems.
There are four specific types of skills we try to develop.
First, we develop an awareness of core sociological concepts
such as class, gender and ethnicity. Second, we show the
different ways these concepts have been applied to specific
fields of study such as the family, the city, deviance, gender
and migration. Third, we explore how governments respond
to social problems through policy initiatives, and we explain
how these initiatives can be evaluated. Finally, we develop
an acute awareness of how to gather data about the social
world, and how these data can be used for policy purposes.
Few people who complete a major in sociology end up being
employed as sociologists. This is equally so for graduates of
many other disciplines in the social sciences. Sociology
graduates typically find careers in the areas of social
research, administration, planning, community
development, human resources, policy development, and
marketing. These positions all require the conceptual and
skill-based training that comes from undertaking a degree in
sociology.
Students undertaking the Sociology major can choose from
seven subjects but only six subjects are required for a major.
Minimum requirements for the major in the Sociology are
one stage one subject, two stage two subjects and three stage
three subjects.
Course structure
Students undertake a total of twenty-four subjects,
consisting of core subjects, majors and minors. Students are
required to complete at least four subjects at stage 3 and no
more than ten subjects at stage 1.
Satisfactory completion of the course will require the
inclusion of either:
one major and two minors; or
one major and one minor; or
two majors.
At least one major must be taken from either media,
psychology or sociology. In addition students may be
offered majors in accounting, computing and marketing.
Some combinations, for example both psychology and
accounting with professional recognition, will not be
possible in the 24 unit structure.
Minors are offered in accounting, business computing,
economics, economics/finance, business law, marketing,
media, psychology and sociology.
A major consists of six subjects post first stage, with at least
two subjects at stage 3. For professional recognition in
Accounting or Psychology, students must take subjects as
specified. A minor comprises four subjects post first stage
with at least one subject at stage3, except in the case of
Psychology.
Students are required to complete four core subjects in first
year. Some combinations of majors may require a variation
to these requirements. In addition students must complete
prerequisite subjects for chosen majors and minors.
The four core subjects are:
LC1100
LCLlOO
LCTlOO
LCRlOO
Psychology for Professional Recognition
Stage 1
LSYlOO Psychology 100
LSYlOl Psychology 101
Stage 2
LSY200
LSY20l
LSY202
LSY203
Stage 3
LSY300
LSY301
LSY302
LSY303
Information Technology
Learning and Communication Behaviour
Science, Technology and Society
Statistics and Research Methods
Cognition and Human Performance
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Design and Measurement 2
The Psychology of Personality
Psychological Measurement
Psychological Foundations of Counselling
Design and Measurement 3
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Swinburne University of Technology 1 997 Hand book 1 59