Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Tobia Fattore
Contact via By email: tobia.fattore@mq.edu.au
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is based on an exploration of the concept of care and its meaning in a range of different human service developments such as mental health, childcare, child protection, disability services and aged care. A starting point for these discussions is an examination of the ideas of care. We explore the links between informal supports, typically, although not exclusively, provided by women within families and households, and formal supports as provided by professional, trained and untrained staff, through organisations and other, often newly emergent, systems of support. Drawing together the fields of social theory and applied research, this unit provides an opportunity to examine responses to changing concepts of human need for interpersonal support. You will be able to learn from policy makers and practitioners working in this field, and enjoy opportunities to analyse state of the art studies of care and human services in Australia and other comparable countries.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Assignment Submission
All written assignments will be submitted using the turnitin link for each assignment. These can be accessed via the iLearn page for the assignment.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement (http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic-statement-final.html). Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty policy.
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Special consideration
If, due to illness or unavoidable disruption, you miss a number of seminars or are unable to complete all assessment requirements satisfactorily; if you miss the final assessment item or your assessment performance is seriously prejudiced in some way, you must report the circumstances in writing to the Registrar through the Student Centre for your case to receive special consideration. Include a medical certificate, a letter from the University Counselling Service, or other documentary evidence. The Registrar's Office will advise the unit convenor you are enrolled in. You do not need to advise the unit convener directly, although it is a good idea to let us know if you are having problems. The link for application for Special consideration can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Human Services Briefing Paper | 30% | September 5 (End Week 5) |
Policy Analysis | 40% | October 24 (End Week 10) |
Participation | 20% | Weekly |
Short Answer Test | 10% | November 14 (End Week 13) |
Due: September 5 (End Week 5)
Weighting: 30%
Prepare a short briefing paper on the services (or programs), facilities, budget and numbers of clients in one human service sector in Australia. Focus on one of the following areas of service provision: aged care; disability support services; child care; child protection services; mental health care; or supported accommodation services. In your briefing paper, provide a critical overview of services across Australia and include as far as possible, a comparison of interstate variations. Use tables to present comparative data where applicable.
Due: October 24 (End Week 10)
Weighting: 40%
Students will undertake one of the following tasks:
Identify one recent innovation in human service delivery in Australia or one overseas country and critically examine its characteristics, the logic for its introduction, and its current or potential contribution to policy. The review should also discuss links between the service development and broader processes of social, demographic and political change. The review should be with reference to one (and only one) of the following fields of human services: aged care; disability services; mental health; child protection; child care; health care; or supported accommodation. Some of the innovations that could be considered include case management; consumer-directed care; service contracting arrangements; improvements in the coordination of services; or the development of innovative servicing arrangements for a particular client group.
OR
Undertake a critical review of one of the policy inquiries and evaluations listed below. Pay particular attention to the politics that lay behind the commissioning of the review; the methods of inquiry used; the nature of the evidence used; the conclusions or recommendations arising from the inquiry; and the impact of the review on current policy or practice.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%
For internal students, attendance at workshops and active participation is the basis for half the assessment. Additionally, students will be required to lead the discussion for one of the weeks. Students will be required to submit discussion notes in the week they lead the discussion.
External students will be assessed by their active engagement in external student discussions each week. Each week students will be required to provide a brief comment on at least one of the readings. Additionally, students will be assessed on their active engagement with other student postings.
Due: November 14 (End Week 13)
Weighting: 10%
Students will undertake a short, ten question multiple choice test undertaken at the end of Week 13. The examination will be undertaken on-line and cover topics in the lectures.
Unit Requirements and Expectations
The teaching program consists of:
As this is an advanced course in the uses and development of sociological analysis, it is vital for students to participate in all components of the unit. The lectures provide the conceptual basis of the course, examining the theory and much of the relevant evidence for each topic. The online discussions are designed to complement this by providing the opportunity to exchange and brainstorm ideas, discuss research, and develop a critical and collaborative approach.
Readings for each week’s topics are listed later in the course outline and you are expected to have read them before contributing to the online discussion. Active participation is a requirement of the course. If you are unable to contribute to the discussion board, please notify the course convenor.
Course Texts
The required text for this course is:
Students are required to use the following resources:
(This can be downloaded free from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129543825)
Other recommended texts for this unit include:
Palmer, G and S. Short (2010) Health Care and Public Policy. An Australian Analysis (4th Ed), Palgrave MacMillan, South Yarra
A number of other recommended readings and texts are listed in the weekly overview. You are also encouraged to seek out others through the electronic databases available through the library and from other sources.
The required text for this course is:
Students are required to use the following resources:
(This can be downloaded free from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129543825)
Other recommended texts for this unit include:
Palmer, G and S. Short (2010) Health Care and Public Policy. An Australian Analysis (4th Ed), Palgrave MacMillan, South Yarra
A number of other recommended readings and texts are listed in the weekly overview. You are also encouraged to seek out others through the electronic databases available through the library and from other sources.
Week |
Date |
Lecture |
Week 1 |
August 4 |
Introduction: Care and Human Services |
Week 2 |
August 11 |
Understanding care: Contested definitions and perspectives |
Week 3 |
August 18 |
Families or organisations: Paid and unpaid care |
Week 4 |
August 25 |
Services as organisations |
Week 5 |
September 1 |
Institutional models of care / Child protection and systems abuse |
Human Services Research assignment due September 5
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Week 6 |
September 8 |
Reinventing Human Services: Innovation, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Review |
Week 7 |
September 15 |
Ethics of care: Feminist interpretations of care / The Volunteer workforce |
Mid-Session Break
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Week 8 |
October 6 |
Public holiday - No classes this week |
Week 9 |
October 13 |
Human services site visit |
Week 10 |
October 20 |
New Organisational Logics and the Political Economy of Globalised Service Provision |
Policy Analysis assignment due October 24
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Week 11 |
October 27 |
New perspectives on human services: Individualisation, the body and risk |
Week 12 |
November 3 |
New directions in service provision: Privatisation, Contracting, Integration |
Week 13 |
November 10 |
Course wrap-up – Short answer test |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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