School Of Social Sciences And PsychologyNation, Power and DifferenceWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 102181.2
Discipline: STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY
Student Contribution Band: 1
Level: 7
Credit Points: 10
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
Students must be enrolled in a postgraduate course.
About this Unit
This unit examines the concepts of nation, power and difference as part of understanding and engaging with difference and diversity. It begins with an examination of different theoretical perspectives on nation from Benjamin Anderson’s Imagined Communities to the impact of current economic, technological and social changes such as the digital revolution in information technology, global financial crises and mass movement of peoples as a result of wars and other crises on the concept of the nation state. Building on this, the unit engages students in an exploration of differences and relations of power focussing on gender, sexuality, and race. Students will examine these relational concepts and the operation of power in the Australian context and have the opportunity within assignments to explore these differences in other nation states. The unit provides students with critical skills and knowledge to critique, engage and intervene in relations of difference in different social and political national contexts.