Unit Outline

This unit applies a sociological lens to the terrain of racial, religious and ethnic relations in Australia. Through a focus on inter-related themes of inequality and difference, it introduces theories of race, ethnicity, indigeneity and whiteness and applies these to historical and contemporary race and religious relations and the empirical research on Australian Indigenous, settler, migrant and refugee peoples. Specifically, the unit examines the history of Australia's relationship as a settler colonial society with Indigenous peoples, with a particular emphasis on citizenship rights and realities. The unit also critically examines the Australian post-war immigration programme, and the experiences of different migrant, religious and refugee groups in overcoming discrimination and living in Australian society. It addresses the processes of ethnic and religious identity construction, cultural diversity, multiculturalism and transnational communities in the context of globalisation. These are central social issues for Australians in their everyday lives and in political and social policy.

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 the history of racial, religious and ethnic relations in Australia from a sociological perspective.
2	Apply sociological perspectives to assess racial, religious and ethnic relations in Australia.
3	Evaluate the core debates and discourses in Australia and other settler nations on race, religion and ethnicity.
4	Communicate your ideas clearly and draw upon sociological data to support your arguments.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	25 points at introductory level in any discipline in any faculty

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	Essay	Week 8	40 %	LO1, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Tutorial Participation	Week 13	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Final exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO2, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Essay

Task Description:

Essay

Task Length:

Essay

Due Date:

Week 8 (18/Sep/2025)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates knowledge of a sociological perspective on racial, religious and ethnic relations in Australia	LO1
2	Responds critically to questions and evaluates evidence.	LO3
3	Strength of writing skills (written expression and clarity of ideas).	LO4
4	Advances a developed argument clearly, supported by evidence and appropriate citations and expressing your own position.	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Tutorial Participation

Task Description:

Tutorial exercises

Task Length:

Tutorial participation

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates knowledge of unit content (Lectures, videos and key readings)	LO1
2	Applies relevant sociological concepts and theories to analyse race, religious and ethnic relations	LO2
3	Demonstrates engagement with the unit content through evidence of critical thinking about relevant material	LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Final exam

Task Description:

Take-home exam

Task Length:

Final exam

Due Date:

Exam Period (07/Nov/2025)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates and applies knowledge from Weeks 1 - 13	LO2
2	Ability to adopt a critical sociological perspective when discussing racial, religious and ethnic relations in Australia	LO2
3	Clearly structured argument that addresses the question and draws on sound evidence	LO4
4	Clarity and effectiveness of written expression	LO4

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.