1997 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

AP314 Work in Australia
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: any two stage
two political studies subjects, or equivalent. AP207 is
recommended, but not compulsory Assessment: essay,
seminar paper and participation
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Objectives and Content
This subject provides a historical and thematic approach to the
study of work in Australia. The subject traces the evolution of
blue collar and white collar occupations from the 1880s
through to the Depression, the Second World War and the long
boom. It looks at the formation of unions, professions,
employer organisations, and the role of government in the
shaping of the industrial relations system. It gives attention to
the processes which have led to labour market inequalities on
the grounds of gender, ethnicity and age. Contemporary issues
such as technological change, labour market deregulation and
unemployment are also addressed.
Recommended reading
Fox, C. WorkingAustralia. Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1991
Probert, B. Working Life: A~rguents About Work in Australian
Society. Ringwood, Vic., McPhee Gribble, 1990
AS1 00 Sociology 1A (Families and Societies)
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: nil, but note
that AS100 and AS101 are normally taken in the one year
Assessment: one essay, examination and class participation
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Objectives and Content
Sociology 1A introduces the discipline of sociology through
a comparative study of the family. It begins by looking at
the family as a social institution, as opposed to a biological
formation. It then examines the history of the family, the
influence of the market and the state, kinship and
community, marriage and divorce, and children. The course
examines differences in family patterns according to social
class, gender and ethnicity. It also considers contemporary
issues and sociological debates, for example the rise of
divorce, the impact of commercial childcare, and the decline
of the welfare state. Families in Australia are compared with
family patterns in other societies, concentrating upon
Western Europe, North America and East Asia.
Recommended reading
de Vaus, D., Letting Go: Relationships between adults and their
parents, Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1994.
Gilding, M., The Making and Breaking of the Australian Family,
Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1991
AS1 01 Sociology 1 B (Economies, Governments
and Societies)
4 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: AS1 00
Assessment: essay, exercise and examination
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Obiedives and Content
Sociology 1B develops the comparative sociological
perspective by examining issues to do with economies,
aovernments and societies. It examines the sociological
Jimensions of recent economic restructuring in Australia,
and the debates of economic rationalists, conservatives,
social democrats and Marxists. It compares Australia with
other nation states, notably Sweden, Germany, the United
States and Japan. Finally, the subject provides an
introduction to data collection and analysis in social
research.
Recommended reading
Ginsberg, N., Divisions of Welfre. A Critical Introduction to
Social Policy, London, Sage Publications, 1992
Bell, S. and Head, B. (eds), State, Economy and Public Policy in
Australia, Sydney, Oxford University Press, 1994
AS204 Models of Sociological Analysis
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: AS100 and
ASIOI, and AP116 for students majoring in Australian
Studies Assessment: assignments and a test
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
Obiecives and Content
No application of sociological techniques can be productive
without an understand in^ of the theoretical issues which
inform social explanatioL This subject is designed to help
students consolidate and extend their knowledge of social
theory and to explore the ways in which social theory is
useful in addressing practical issues in social policy and
research.
This subject examines the most influential social theories,
their sources in nineteenth century thought and their
influence on present-day social thinking. The works of
Marx, Weber and Durkheim and contemporary writings
which build on their ideas are discussed. Feminist and postmodern
theories are also examined. Theories are analysed
for their core assumptions, ideological foundations and
approaches to knowledge. Class discussions are designed to
enable students to link these theoretical debates to current
social issues and to practical strategies of social research.
Recommended reading
Boyne, R. and Rattansi, A. (eds), . . Postmodernism and Society, NY,
~t..~artins Press, 1990
Farganis, J. (ed.) Readings in Social Theory, New York, McGraw-
Hill, 1993
Ritzer, G. Sociological Theo ry, 3rd edn, New York, McGraw-Hill,
1993
Thompson, K. and Tunstall, J. Sociological Perspectives.
Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1971
Zeitlin, I. Ideology and the Development of Sociologzcal Theory.
5th edn, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1994
AS205 Sociology of Deviance and Social
Control
3 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: AS1 00 and
AS101 Assessment: continuous
A subject in the Bachelor of Arts
(This subject cannot be taken by students who have passed
AS202 Sociology of Deviance)
Swinburne University of Technology 1997 Handbook 251