Handbook

Contemporary Australia and its Cultures: Peoples, Places, Identities introduces students to Australian society, politics and its diverse cultures. You will explore the historical forces that have shaped modern Australia. Drawing on experts from within their fields, you will examine Australian Indigenous cultures, the rise of identity politics and how the country’s ongoing anxieties towards Asia have impacted on national identity.

They will examine multicultural and refugee policies, and ask if they reflect Australia’s reputation as a welcoming and tolerant nation. The impact of climate change on the country’s diverse regions and cultures will be discussed; and how traditional national mythologies have shaped a predominantly white, masculine and developmentalist ethos. You will explore women’s places within this ethos and the wider culture, and their struggles for gender equality; as well as sport’s importance as an expression of Australian nationalism, and how it reflects regional and ethnic diversities, while reinforcing gender discrimination. From the unit, you will develop not only an understanding of the forces that have shaped contemporary Australian society and its cultures, but also the competencies required to negotiate the country’s cultural diversities and complexities.