Cultures and Diversity (11129.2)

This unit examines the cultural underpinnings of perceptions, values and norms across different cultures, and introduces students to different methods for analysing and understanding this diversity. The unit introduces students to the diverse ways culture is constructed as an object of study, in turn highlighting the particular historical and geographic relations of power that inform the ways culture comes to matter in our contemporary world. Whilst acknowledging that culture is fluid and constantly under-going processes of construction and adaption, students in this unit also grapple with culture as a site of knowledge, identification and power. Throughout this unit students are thus encouraged to both interrogate and reflect upon their own culture, exploring questions of power and privilege and their relation to intersecting systems of oppression.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Interrogate and analyse claims about cultural diversity and cultural identity;
2. Articulate an understanding of concepts of culture, and methods for the observation, description, and analysis of culture; and
3. Analyse diverse cultural influences on key contemporary global issues.

Graduate attributes

2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - use Indigenous histories and traditional ecological knowledge to develop and augment understanding of their discipline

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

8671 Cultures and Diversity

Assumed knowledge

None.