University of the Sunshine Coast

Bachelor of Arts (Sociology)

For a major in Sociology, students must successfully complete 8 courses:

Australian Society: How does(n't) it work? - An Introduction to Sociology

Australia is a changing society in a rapidly changing world. The benefits and disadvantages of social change are unevenly distributed. Australian society is characterised by significant inequalities of class, gender, ethnicity and power. Change and inequality affect all the institutions in which we live - education, healthcare, work, religion and government.

Introduction to Indigenous Australia

The course explores significant cultural and historical factors that shaped Australian Indigenous lives since colonial settlement and examines their effects in contemporary Indigenous communities and families. Local examples and contexts are used to enhance understanding of national issues and policies, with particular attention to Indigenous responses to government policies and practices, and their ongoing impact.

International Community Development and Global Justice

Although highly contested, the term 'development' suggests that poverty and oppression are not inevitable; that social justice and freedom for all in a sustainable society are possible. However, in a globalising world of multiple conflicts and extreme disparities between rich and poor, the prospects for achieving this possibility are challenging.

Understanding Society: An Introduction to Social Theory

To change society, or participate effectively in it, understanding how society works is essential. Social theory enables a critical understanding of social inequality, difference and change. Social theory guides social research and makes it intelligible within broader frameworks of understanding.

Social Justice, Welfare and the State

Debate about the appropriate role of the state in welfare has been heightened by contemporary neoliberal reforms, including privatisation, managerialism, competition policy and economic globalisation. These developments have impacted upon welfare provision, on economic policy and social equity and wellbeing.

Understanding Cultural Diversity

This course examines the construction and maintenance of cultural difference and identity in the context of Australian immigration and multiculturalism. It explores how the concepts of identity, cultural diversity, representation, and racism unfold in the public domain and how minorities are represented as the 'other'.

Industry Project 1: Social and Community Studies

This course is designed to provide you with experience in conducting a research project or participating in work integrated learning within an organisational environment. When the research project or work integrated learning is to be conducted at an outside agency, the course must be designed cooperatively between an academic staff member and the workplace supervisor.

Gender and Culture

How does society's understanding and construction of sex, gender and sexuality impact how you experience yourself? In this course, you will be critically examining a sociological understanding of gender and explore the connections between gender identity/expression, personal experience and social structures, and the changing social position of cisgender and transgender women and men in contemporary Australia.