Unit Outline

This unit considers how we can use sociology to make sense of our everyday experiences and to explain broader transformations in society that may alter and reshape our sense of self, identity, place, and community. The unit explores central sociological concepts and ideas with an emphasis on how we experience the world, and the ways in which these experiences are mediated or transformed through wider processes of social, cultural, and environmental change. In doing so, we consider how decolonising approaches can enrich a sociological understanding of contemporary life as well as perspectives that engage with possibilities for agency and positive change. As a core unit in the Sociology major, this unit develops your higher-level thinking by helping you to acquire the tools you need to develop a sociological imagination and the ability to see and interpret the world around you using different perspectives.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

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


1	Explain key sociological concepts and theories in relation to contemporary social experiences and transformations.
2	Apply relevant sociological concepts and theories, including decolonising approaches, to analyse contemporary social experiences and transformations.
3	Communicate sociological ideas clearly in written and/or verbal form.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	HGE102 AND HGA135 AND HGA100 AND HGA139

Alterations as a result of student feedback

As a result of student feedback, alterations have been made to the unit description, ILOs, assessment tasks, and unit content.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Article Analysis	Week 4	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Policy Brief	Week 9	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	AI-enhanced Essay	Week 13	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 4:	Student Engagement	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Article Analysis

Task Description:

In this assessment, you will select a recent news article and interpret it drawing upon concepts or theory covered in ONE of the first three weeks of the unit. Your analysis will demonstrate your ability to apply sociological concepts or theories to real-world issues and critically engage with media representations of social experiences. The assessment needs to be submitted as a written report (800-1000 words).

Task Length:

800-1000 words

Due Date:

Week 4 (13/Aug/2025)

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain sociological concepts and theory relevant to a contemporary media article.	LO1
2	Apply sociological concepts and theory to analyse the social experiences and/or transformations represented in the media article.	LO2
3	Communicate sociological ideas clearly in written form, providing a structured analysis supported by appropriate evidence.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Policy Brief

Task Description:

You are required to write a policy brief that addresses a pressing social issue relevant to one of the week 4-8 topics (e.g., work, health, education, kindness in Australian society, or deviance and crime). The goal of this policy brief is to propose evidence-based policy interventions that could be implemented to address the issue, drawing on sociological theories and concepts discussed in the unit.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 9 (24/Sep/2025)

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse your selected social issue applying relevant sociological concepts and theory.	LO1, LO2
2	Critically engage with your sociological analysis of the social issue to develop policy recommendations.	LO2
3	Communicate sociological ideas clearly to a non-specialist audience.	LO3

Assessment Task 3: AI-enhanced Essay

Task Description:

In this assessment, you will collaborate with AI to write an essay based on a sociological topic covered in weeks 9-12 of the unit. The goal is for the AI to act as the ‘student’, writing an initial essay that you will then analyse and improve using track changes.

Task Length:

1000 words (excluding the reference list)

Due Date:

Week 13 (22/Oct/2025)

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply key sociological concepts and theory from weeks 9-12 to the chosen topic.	LO2
2	Critically engage with the initial AI-generated essay, demonstrating improvements in structure, argumentation, use of sociological concepts and theory, and referencing.	LO1, LO2
3	Engage with a variety of evidence to support your argument and ensure appropriate citation of key resources.	LO1, LO3
4	Communicate sociological ideas clearly and structure the essay with logical linkages between points.	LO3

Assessment Task 4: Student Engagement

Task Description:

Student engagement with the unit is made up of two parts:

Part A (10%): Lead a discussion (in a tutorial class or online discussion) using a pop-culture prompt. Please sign-up via Groups on MyLO. Pop culture prompts begin in Week 3.

Part B (10%): Contribute to small group learning activities.

Task Length:

Not set.

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain sociological concepts and theory in relation to relevant social experiences or transformations.	LO1
2	Apply sociological concepts and theories to relevant social experiences or transformations.	LO2
3	Communicate your arguments clearly and succinctly.	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.