CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM #3

(limited to 65 characters)
 

15 Character Abbreviation:	AUSTRA STUDIES
25 Character Abbreviation:	INTRO AUSTRALIAN STUDIES

 
 

Sponsor:		Paul Adogamhe		E-mail Address:	Adogamhp@uwwvax.uww.edu
Department:		International Studies/ Political Science		College:	Letters & Sciences
Co-sponsor:		Bruce Wiegand		E-mail Address:	Weigandb@uwwvax.uww.edu
Department:		Sociology		College:	Letters & Sciences
	* You MUST verify course numbers with Registrar's Office prior to submitting (x1211)

 

Other Programs Affected:

Political Science

 

Check if course is to meet any of the following requirements:
__ None	__ Writing	__ Computer	__ Diversity	X General Ed and Area	Social Science

 
 

Credit/Contact Hours: (per semester)
Total lab hours:			Total lecture hours:	48-80*
Number of credits:	3-5*		Total contact hours:	48-80*

 
 

Check if course is repeatable:		X No	_ Yes		(if yes, answer the following questions)
No of times in major				No of credits in major
No of times in degree				No of credits in degree

 
 

Enter the appropriate titles if the course is required in any of the following:
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1. Course Justification

This course is designed to offer an introduction into Australian Studies with a particular emphasis on cultural, racial, and national identities. As such, no other course in the existing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater curriculum addresses this topic. Inherent in the new course is a comparative-international perspective, and throughout the semester students will be asked to draw parallels to the United States. Indeed, students taking this course will study a society and culture similar to the United States, but one that exhibits important differences. It is our contention that students who take this course will acquire not only a deeper understanding of Australia, but of their own society as well.

This course builds upon recent efforts in the College of Letters and Science to establish institutional ties to Australian universities, and grows out of a sociology department faculty exchange in 1998. Students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater are showing a keen interest in Australia, as evidenced by the popularity of recently-established exchange and internship programs with Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. The new course will serve to recruit and prepare students to participate in these study-abroad programs.

Australian Studies is a variable-credit course worth between three to five credits. Students who satisfy on-campus course requirements will earn the usual three credits. However, for those students wishing to exercise the travel-study option, an additional one or two credits will be earned depending on length of travel. The equation is this: One additional credit will be earned per week spent in Australia with the class.

During the fall semester, students exercising the travel-study option will be given a grade of "P" and will spend the Winterim period traveling to and studying in Australia, worth two credits. Final grades will be assigned upon their return, and upon completion of individual term papers. Unlike the term papers written by students who do go on our trip to Australia, these term papers will incorporate the student’s first-hand knowledge of Australia with the scholarly readings listed in the syllabus. During the spring semester, students will spend the spring break traveling to and studying in Australia, worth one credit. Logistical arrangements involving room and board, access to university staff and facilities, and travel-study itinerary are being made in conjunction with Deakin University’s School of Australian and International Studies and its School of Social Inquiry. The travel-study option is both feasible and attractive to UW-Whitewater students.

This option involves a wide range of group activities designed to achieve our stated learning objectives and to coincide with the various topics presented in our course syllabus. Students will use their time in the country to explore first-hand the history, culture and society of Victoria, Australia. The travel-study portion of the course will include activities such as: seminars and informal meetings with Deakin University faculty and students; viewing and discussing Australian films; visits to historical, cultural, and industrial sites throughout Victoria; informal meetings with Aboriginal Australians; tours of ethnic neighborhoods in Melbourne; and environmental excursions along the coast. (A more specific description of group activities are presented in the course syllabus.)

The new course is multi-disciplinary in focus and will be cross-listed by the Sociology Department and the International Studies Program. Professors Wiegand and Adogamhe are fellows (2000-2001) at the University of Wisconsin System’s Institute for Global Studies. They are funded by the Institute to develop teaching and research expertise in the area of Australian Studies, and will alternate semesters teaching the course.

2. General Education Elective

Australian Studies is proposed as a 200-level, General Education elective. It encompasses two main goals of the General Education Program -- that of enabling students to think critically and analytically (Goal 1) and to understand and appreciate the cultures of the United States and other countries (Goal 3). The student’s critical-thinking skills will be promoted through the required readings and video material, the required term paper and examinations, as well as through open classroom discussion of contemporary debates in Australian society. Throughout the semester, students will be asked to think about and discuss comparative differences and similarities between Australia and the United States. The new course complements certain Core Course Requirements, particularly Individual and Society, Global Perspectives, and the U.S. Experience in World Context.

3. Relationship to Program Objectives

This course contributes to the overall goals of the university and the College of Letters and Science in a variety of ways. It encourages critical thinking skills and an internationalization of the curriculum within a multi-disciplinary framework. The course also supports the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s stated goal (# 18) of "create[ing] international learning opportunities for ten percent of all students [within] five years." By virtue of the travel-study option, groups of students will find their scholarly perspectives enriched and broadened through their international learning experience in Australia. The new course also satisfies specific objectives of the International Studies Program and the Sociology Department. With the respect to the former, the new course will contribute "to mak[ing] students aware of and informed about international affairs, cultures and social systems," as stated in the International Studies Program Objectives (#2). It also satisfies two specific Sociology Department goals, as stated in the department’s 2000-2001 Strategic Plan. They are: (1) "to contribute to the General Education program by offering a selection of Sociology GS courses" (Goal #3); and (2) "To maintain and develop experiential learning opportunities for students" (Goal #6).
 
 

4. Budgetary Impact

The new course will have no direct budgetary impact. It will substitute for other general education offerings by the Sociology Department, and will be the first General Education course offered by the International Studies Program. Existing personnel in the Sociology Department and the International Studies Program can adequately staff the course by expanding the course rotational schedules for Professors Wiegand and Adogamhe [i.e., Social Change (880-385) and Politics of Development (820-340), respectively]. Moreover, the fact that the course will be taught alternately by Professors Wiegand and Adogamhe minimizes any impact it might have on their respective units (i.e., Sociology Department, International Studies Program).

Seed money for library acquisition of Australian Studies material, including books and video tapes, is funded in the amount of $500 through the University of Wisconsin System’s Institute for Global Studies. In addition, the School of Australian and International Studies at Deakin University has donated their video series "Out of Empire," which consists of 13 half-hour segments addressing key issues in Australian history, society and culture, for our classroom use in this course. The School of Australian and International Studies will also provide us with a video study guide and a set of slides highlighting Australian landscapes and population, for our use in class.

5. Programs Affected in Other Academic Units

This course will complement a number of other UW-Whitewater programs, including: Biology, Communication, Geography, History, International Business, Political Science, Race and Ethnic Cultures, and Women’s Studies. However, the course material is unique having little or no duplication with existing UW-Whitewater courses.
 
 

6. Course Description

This course will focus on Australia in the twentieth century and beyond. Five major themes will be examined: (1) Racial and National Identities, (2) Comparisons with the United States, (3) Australia-Asia Interdependencies, (4) the Impact of Globalization on Australia, and (5) Contemporary Debates in Australian Society.

7. Requisites

Prerequisite: Individual and Society (900-130) or Global Perspectives (900-140 ) or the U.S. Experience in World Context (900-120), or consent of instructor.

8. Tentative Course Syllabus*

(* Dr. David Walker, Professor of Australian and International Studies, Deakin University, assisted Professors Wiegand and Adogamhe in the development of the course syllabus. Funding from the UW’s Institute for Global Studies underwrote this collaboration.)

A. Course Description

The course will focus on Australia in the twentieth century and will explore five major themes. They are:
 
 

(1) Racial and National Identities. When the Australian nation was created on 1 January 1901, immigration control was a critical issue. British Australians were determined that Australia should remain a "white" society. Students will analyze how this historical legacy continues to impact indigenous and immigrant communities.

(2) Comparisons with the United States. Students will examine societal, cultural, and political-economic similarities and differences between Australia and the United States. Close attention will be given to the process of establishing and rekindling a national identity, involving the comparative symbolism of nationhood and federalism.

(3) Australia-Asia Interdependencies. Over the last thirty years, Australia's economic and cultural ties to Asia have intensified to the point where Australia is now commonly regarded as being "part of Asia." Students will examine the extent and effects of this "Asianization process."

(4) The Impacts of Globalization on Australia. As the corporate forces of globalization diminish national sovereignty, claims for national and cultural identity are called increasingly into question. Students will explore the impacts of globalization in the Australian context, including the rise of grassroots, anti-globalization movements in the country.

(5) Contemporary Debates. Several key issues define contemporary Australian society. Among them are the following: Aboriginal reconciliation, environmental management, federalism-republicanism, tax reform, immigration, trade and investment. By studying the terms of these debates, students will gain insight into the emergence of a successful, multicultural democracy in the world's driest continent. No discussion is complete without at least some mention of the Australian sense of humor that colorfully describes and summarizes these debates.

B. Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

(1) understand the basic social and cultural dynamics of Australian society.
 
 

(2) develop a capacity for comparative analysis and recognize social and cultural differences.

(3) understand the impacts of globalization and the rise of grassroots opposition.

(4) bring a comparative perspective to the analysis of national identity, indigenous populations and the environment.

(5) envision the possibilities and limits of foreign investment in Australia.

In the main, this course will be conducted through a lecture-discussion format.

Throughout the semester, however, students will view a variety of slides, videos, and films. They will also have library and electronic access to outside readings, Australian newspapers, and Australian Studies web-sites. Students will be required to attend all classes. Regular opportunities for consultation with the professor will be provided.

D. Grading

Student grades will be based on five factors. They are: a map quiz, two in-class examinations (a mid-term and final), a term paper, and student attendance and participation in class. Students having three or more unexcused absences will be penalized. In weighted terms, the factors are as follows:

Map Quiz 10% of Final Grade

Mid-term Examination 25

Final Examination 25

Term Paper* 30

Class Participation 10

Total 100%
 
 

(* Students exercising the travel-study option will be required to incorporate the international learning experience into their term paper. For these students, "P" grades will be changed after they have returned from Australia and have submitted their term papers.)

E. Required Texts (Available through Textbook Rental) ("+" indicates that the class materials have already been ordered for the UW-W Library.)

+1. Spillman, Lyn. 1997. Nation and Commemoration: Creating National Identities in the United States and Australia. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

+2. Walker, David. 1999. Anxious Nation: Australia and the Rise of Asia. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.

+3. Walker, David and Chambers, David (editors). 1993. Out of Empire Study Guide. Geelong: Deakin University Press.

Recommended Texts (On Reserve in UW-Whitewater Library) ("+" indicates that the class materials have already been ordered for the UW-W Library.)

+1. Out of Empire. 1997. Video tapes of 13 half-hour segments. Learning Resource Center: Deakin University.

+2. White, Richard. 1981. Inventing Australia: Images and Identity 1688-1980. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

+3. Special issue on Australia. National Geographic. July 2000.

+4. Bryson, Bill. 2000. The Sunburned Country. New York: Basic Books

F. Course Outline

Week 1

session 1: Introduction and Course Mechanics

session 2: Overview of the Subject Matter
 
 

Week 2

Theme: Racial and National Identities

session 1: Mapping Australia: Landscapes and Population (slide presentation)

session 2: "The British Empire" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion

Week 3

Theme: Racial and National Identities

session 1: The Ideology of a "White Australia"

session 2 "For King and Country" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion
 
 

Week 4

Theme: Racial and National Identities

session 1: "March to Nationhood" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion

session 2: A Nation of Immigrants
 
 

Week 5

Theme: Racial and National Identities

session 1: Map and Population Quiz

session 2: Toward a Multicultural Australia

Week 6

Theme: Comparisons with the United States

session 1: Comparing Political Symbols of Nationhood

session 2: Comparing Systems of Social Stratification
 
 

Week 7

Theme: Comparisons with the United States

session 1: Australia through American Eyes: Analyzing "Crocodile Dundee"

session 2: Australia in American Literature: Bill Bryson’s The Sunburned Country

Week 8

session 1: Mid-Term Examination

Theme: Australia-Asia Interdependencies

session 2: "Australian Empire and Asia" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion
 
 

Week 9

Theme: Australia-Asia Interdependencies

session 1: Australian Perceptions of Asia: 1901 to the Present

session 2: "Part of Asia": Ketting and Engagement Policy

Week 10

Theme: Australia-Asia Interdependencies

session 1: "Entering Asia" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion

session 2: Asian Communities in Australia

Week 110

Theme: Impacts of Globalization on Australia

session 1: Global Financial Capital and Australian Small Family Businesses

session 2: Australian Reactionary Politics: The "One Nation" Party

Week 121

Theme: Impacts of Globalization on Australia

session 1: National Identity and Globalization

session 2: "Towards a Republic" (30-minute video segment) and Discussion

Week 132

Theme: Contemporary Debates: Racial Justice

session 1: The Australian Debate Surrounding Aboriginal Reconciliation

session 2: The American Debate Surrounding Repatriations

Week 143

Theme: Contemporary Debates: The Environment

session 1: Analyzing Cane Toads (film)

session 2: Environment: The Driest Continent

Week 154

Theme: Contemporary Debates: Tax Reform

session 1: The Goods and Services Tax (GST)

session 2: The Global Political Economy of Tax Reform

Term Paper Due

Week 165

session 1: A Summary of Themes

session 2: Australian Studies as a Field of Inquiry

Week 176

session 1: A Semester’s Review

FINAL EXAMINATION

Travel-Study Week 1: (Sample Itinerary of Activities)

1. Orientation by Deakin University Head, School of Social Inquiry.

2. Seminars and informal meetings with Deakin University faculty from the School of Australian and Insternational Studies.

3. Seminars and informal meetings with Deakin University faculty from the School of Social Inquiry (including faculty from the Sociology Department and the Police Studies Department).

4. Orientation and tour of Deakin University’s Institute for Koorie Education, a facility dedicated to Aboriginal higher education.

5. Environmental excursion along the Great Ocean Road (from Geelong to Warrnambool).

6. Seminars and informal with Deakin University faculty at Warrnambool focusing on marine biology and environmental issues.

7. Opportunities to socialize with Deakin University students and faculty both on campus and at their homes.

Travel-Study Week 2:

1. Visit Geelong Historical Museum; the Geelong Art Museum; the Geelong Gaol Museum, and other attractions near campus.

2. Visit ethnic neighborhoods (e.g., Vietnamese, Italian) in Melbourne.

3. Environmental excursion to local sheep farms and national parks, guided by a Deakin University ecologist..

4. Guided tour of historical, government, and cultural attractions in Melbourne: Royal Botanic Gardens, Australia’s first parliament building, the historic Queen Victoria Market, the Old Mellbourne Gaol, the School of Mines and Industries, and other urban and industrial sites in and around Melbourne.

5. Discussion with local social service providers on the issue of multiculturalism and immigration.

6. View and discuss Australian films with Australian students and faculty from Deakin University.

+ABC (Australian broadcasting Corporation) International. 2000. Frontier: Stories from White Australia’s Forgotten War (Video).

+Alomes, Stephen. 1998. A Nation at Last ? London: Angus and Robertson.

+Attwood, Bain. 1989. The Making of the Aborigines. Sydney, Allen and Unwin.

+Attwood, Bain, and Andrew Markus. 1999. The Struggle for Aboriginal Rights. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

Bell, R., and P. Bell. 1993. Implicated: The United States in Australia. Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

+Bennett, S. 1999. White Politics and Black Australians. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

Bennett, T., (ed.). 1992. Celebrating the Nation. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

Brawley, Sean. (1995). The White Peril, Foreign Relations and Asian Immigration to Australasia and North America 1919-78. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.

Brett, Judith. 1992. Robert Menzies' Forgotten People. Sydney: Macmillan.

Broinowski, Alison. 1992. The Yellow Lady: Australian Impressions of Asia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

+Castles, F., (ed.). 1991. Australia Compared: People, Policies, Politics. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

Castles, Stephen, Mary Kalantzis, Bill Cope, and Michael Morrissey. 1988. Mistaken Identity: Multiculturalism and the Demise of Nationalism in Australia. Sydney: Pluto Press.

Conway, Jill Ker. 1992. The Road from Coorain, London: Minerva.

Damousi, J., and M. Lake, (eds.). 1995. Gender and War: Australians at War in the Twentieth Century. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Darien-Smith, Kate and Paula Hamilton, (eds.). 1994. Memory and History in Twentieth Century Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

+Freeman, Gary P., and James Jupp, (eds.). 1992. Nations of Immigrants: Australia, The United States, and International Migration. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Gammage, Bill. 1975. The Broken Years: Australian Soldiers in the Great War. Melbourne: Penguin.

Griffiths, Tom. 1996. Hunters and Collectors. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Grimshaw, P., M. Lake, A. McGrath and M. Quartly. 1994. Creating a Nation. Melbourne: McPhee Gribble.

Hirst, John. 1994. A Republican Manifesto. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

+Jordens, Ann-Mari. 1995. Redefining Australians: Immigration, Citizenship, and National Identity. Sydney: Hale and Iremonger.

+Jupp, James. 1991. Immigration. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

McGillivray, Mark and Gary Smith (eds.). 1997. Australia and Asia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

McQueen, Humphrey. 1991. Japan to the Rescue: Australian Security Around the Indonesian Archipelago During the American Century. Melbourne, Heinemann.

+Murphy, John and Judith Smart. 1997. The Forgotten Fifties: Aspects of Australian Society and Culture in the 1950s. Melbourne: Historical Studies.

+Reynolds, Henry. 1987. Frontier: Aborigines, Settlers, and Land. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.

+Schaffer, Kay. 1988. Women and the Bush: Forces of Desire in the Australian Cultural Tradition. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

+Spillman, Lyn. 1997. Nation and Commemoration: Creating National Identities in the United States and Australia. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

+Walker, David. 1999. Anxious Nation: Australia and the Rise of Asia, 1850 to 1939. Brisbane, Queensland University Press.

+Walter, James, (ed.). 1989. Australian Studies: A Survey. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Ward, Russel. 1966. The Australian Legend. 2nd ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Winston, George 1986. Monarchy to Republic: Australian Republican Government. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.