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Unit of Study SOY10108 - Advocacy and Change (2016)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    N/A

Unit description

Introduces students to key aspects of change and theories of power, resistance and agency. Various realms of change are explored including self, client and cause advocacy. Students are engaged in the development of basic change-related practice skills such as negotiation and the construction of a persuasive argument.

Unit content

Module 1: Situating advocacy - Context and theory
      Topic 1: What is advocacy?
      Topic 2: Values and ethics of advocacy
      Topic 3: Power and social change
      Topic 4: Advocacy, social action and social movements
      Topic 5: Advocacy - the Australian political context

Module 2: Doing advocacy - Practice
      Topic 6: Analysing the situation - goals, strategies and tactics
      Topic 7: Argument and rhetoric
      Topic 8: Forming alliances
      Topic 9: Lobbying activities - delegations, letters/emails, petitions, submissions
      Topic 10: Using the media

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Online Session 1 N/A

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 understand and locate advocacy within different theories about power and social change
2 discuss the relationship between human services advocacy, social action and social movements
3 Identify current trends and issues impacting upon advocacy in human services in contemporary Australia
4 demonstrate an understanding of basic practical advocacy skills including: analysis and goal setting, framing rhetoric and forming alliances, and lobbying and media skills
5 reflect on the values and ethics involved in advocacy and on their own engagement in change situations.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. understand and locate advocacy within different theories about power and social change
    • GA1:
  2. discuss the relationship between human services advocacy, social action and social movements
    • GA1:
  3. Identify current trends and issues impacting upon advocacy in human services in contemporary Australia
    • GA4:
  4. demonstrate an understanding of basic practical advocacy skills including: analysis and goal setting, framing rhetoric and forming alliances, and lobbying and media skills
    • GA4:
  5. reflect on the values and ethics involved in advocacy and on their own engagement in change situations.
    • GA3:
    • GA4:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.