Availabilities:

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour Session 2 Session 2
Gold Coast Session 2 Session 2
Lismore Session 2 Session 2
Online Session 1,  2 N/A

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

7

Level of learning

Introductory

Former School/College

Former School of Education

Unit aim

This discipline unit introduces students to studies of human society and its environment. The themes of change, interdependence, diversity, social justice, participatory citizenship, peace building, poverty and wealth, and sustainability are explored. Students are expected to develop skills in critical thinking, inquiry, analysis, judgement and justification.

Unit content

Overview

  • Broad and critical knowledge and understanding of the range of academic disciplines related to human society and its environment, including recent theory and practice
  • Nature and role of human society and its environment in relation to current and emerging concepts of change and continuity, cultures, environments, social systems and structures
  • Personal, local, national and global concepts in relation to human society and its environment
  • Skills of acquiring information, using inquiry processes and social and civic participation
  • Relationship between language and culture by using a language to communicate (optional)

Topics

Topic 1:   What is Human Society and its Environment?
Topic 2:   Human Rights as a Connective Framework for Social Understanding
Topic 3:   Historical Perspectives/Evidence/Significance
Topic 4:   Historical Terms and Concepts
Topic 5:   Critical Thinking Skills in Geography
Topic 6:   Global Violence, Terrorism and Peace
Topic 7:   Global Interdependence
Topic 8:   Sustainability and the Ecological Footprint
Topic 9:   Discrimination and Prejudice
Topic 10: Poverty and Hunger
Topic 11: Social Risk, Cyber-Ethics and Virtual Worlds

Learning outcomes

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.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 explain and discuss the range of academic disciplines covered in the social studies area
2 critically analyse current and emerging concepts of change and continuity, cultures, environments, social systems and structures
3 use a range of primary and secondary sources (including artefacts) to conduct historical research into the connections between people’s history, environment and culture (in particular local histories, and the history, culture and languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
4 demonstrate skills in personal, academic and disciplinary literacies

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

  1. explain and discuss the range of academic disciplines covered in the social studies area
    • GA1:
    • GA5:
  2. critically analyse current and emerging concepts of change and continuity, cultures, environments, social systems and structures
    • GA1:
    • GA5:
  3. use a range of primary and secondary sources (including artefacts) to conduct historical research into the connections between people’s history, environment and culture (in particular local histories, and the history, culture and languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
    • GA1:
    • GA5:
  4. demonstrate skills in personal, academic and disciplinary literacies
    • GA5:
    • GA6:

Prescribed texts

  • No prescribed texts.

  • No prescribed texts.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.