Students

POIR2010 – Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics: Race, Nation, Class and Gender

2024 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Lloyd Cox
lloyd.cox@mq.edu.au
Contact via 98504096
Room B246, Level 3, 25B Wally’s Walk
Tuesday 2-4
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above OR (10cp in POL or POIR or POIX units)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Australia confronts a number of persistent questions: does it live up to its reputation as an egalitarian country whose unofficial motto is a 'fair go for all!'? How have class relations been influenced by the mining boom and its aftermath? Are Australian women and men making progress toward greater equality? What are the prospects for ‘closing the gap’ between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and more recent arrivals? Taking as its central themes, race, nation, class, and gender, the course is structured into sections addressing race and nation; class politics; gender and sexuality.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate the ability to peer below the surface feature of Australian politics and its discourses to identify the underlying inequalities at play
  • ULO2: Understand and identify linkages between class, race, gender and Australian nationhood
  • ULO3: Critically analyse Australian politics and assess the ways in which it reinforces, reduces or normalises inequality/
  • ULO4: Demonstrate capacity to assess the extent that the media and new technologies impact – if at all – on the reproduction of existing social relations
  • ULO5: Demonstrate critical understanding of the interplay between discourse, ideology, structures and agency in shaping the makeup of Australian society in terms of race, nation, class and gender

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation 20% No Weekly, 2-12
Major essay 50% No 2024-09-15
Take-home exam 30% No 2024-10-27

Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weekly, 2-12
Weighting: 20%

 

Weekly online participation

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate the ability to peer below the surface feature of Australian politics and its discourses to identify the underlying inequalities at play
  • Critically analyse Australian politics and assess the ways in which it reinforces, reduces or normalises inequality/

Major essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 2024-09-15
Weighting: 50%

 

2500 word research essay

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate the ability to peer below the surface feature of Australian politics and its discourses to identify the underlying inequalities at play
  • Understand and identify linkages between class, race, gender and Australian nationhood
  • Critically analyse Australian politics and assess the ways in which it reinforces, reduces or normalises inequality/
  • Demonstrate capacity to assess the extent that the media and new technologies impact – if at all – on the reproduction of existing social relations
  • Demonstrate critical understanding of the interplay between discourse, ideology, structures and agency in shaping the makeup of Australian society in terms of race, nation, class and gender

Take-home exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 2024-10-27
Weighting: 30%

 

Online take-home exam

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and identify linkages between class, race, gender and Australian nationhood
  • Critically analyse Australian politics and assess the ways in which it reinforces, reduces or normalises inequality/
  • Demonstrate critical understanding of the interplay between discourse, ideology, structures and agency in shaping the makeup of Australian society in terms of race, nation, class and gender

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Welcome to Australian Politics: Race, Nation, Class and Gender. Australia has often been imagined as a nation where egalitarianism and a "fair-go" have shielded the general population from the inequalities and injustices faced in many other countries. This is a myth that is still pedaled in our politics and public discourse, but one that does not stand up to even the mildest of scrutiny. This unit will interrogate this myth through the lens of race and nation, and class and gender. We will explore the ways in which these categories have been constructed historically and how they manifest themselves in contemporary Australian politics. Unlike most other courses you will do at university, the unit will be tracing developments in its subject matter in real time, discussing new issues as they arise on a week-to-week basis. This will occur alongside and in conjunction with the main substantive themes that the unit deals with, which together will give students an immersive experience of contemporary Australian poilitics.

There is no set text for the unit. Instead, key weekly readings will be posted on ilearn, as well as any supplementary readings. In addition, the week's recorded lectures and power point slides can be found on ilearn, as will a variety of other resources. To do well in the unit it is essential that students engage with the lectures and the readings as well as with each other in the weekly tutorials (in-person cohort) or in the weekly online discussion forums (online and in-person cohort).

Unit Schedule

Week Date, Week beginning Lecture Tutorial Assessment
1 July 22 Introduction: Politics and Social Division in the Age of Covid-19 The political relevance of race, nation, class and gender in an era of global pandemic None
2 July 29 'Race' and the politics of reconciliation Indigenous voice to parliament None
3 August 5 The History Wars: Australian Multiculturalism in Question History Wars, Multiculturalism None
4 August 12 Immigration, Border Protection and Securitization Immigration, Borders and Exclusion None
5 August 19 Australian Nationalism: Whose National Identity? The Politics of Nationalism None
6 August 26 Citizenship and the Politics of Fear + Religion in Australian Politics Fear, Religion and Citizenship None
7 September 2 Class, Affluenza and the Environment Capitalism, Consumption, and Environmental Politics None
8 September 9 The Changing Face of Work and Industrial Relations The Politics of Workplace Change and Industrial Relations Major Essay due Sunday 15 September, 11.55pm
9 September 30 Mutual Obligation and the Welfare State + the Marketisation of Education Welfare and Education None
10 October 7 Feminism, Gender and Power Gender inequality and women in politics

None
11 October 14 Exam Preparation How to best prepare for the final online exam. None
12 October 21 Babies, the Family and Same-Sex Relationships in Australia Babies, the Family and Same-Sex Relationships in Australia Final Online Exam due on Sunday, 27 October 11.55pm
13 October 28 Concluding Remarks Conclusions

None

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.03 of the Handbook