SOCIOL 210 : Colonisation, Globalisation and Social Justice

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Charts the political, economic, cultural and ecological consequences of imperialism, colonisation, globalisation, aid and development, up to and including the IMF/World Bank's neoliberalism and structural adjustment programme. It pays particular attention to violence (physical, psychological and ideological), environmental consequences and health impacts in these contexts.

Course Overview

Students in this course will be asked to begin with themselves. This will involve situating themselves within the webs of relationships they inhabit, naming and engaging with injustices that they feel responsibility towards and thinking about how their own study and practice might work towards addressing those injustices. 
 
Our inquiry is grounded in the concept of whakapapa, which is the philosophical framework of tikanga and the heart of mātauranga Māori. We understand our present experiences by tracing their whakapapa through history, to understand the relationships and interrelation between various entities and processes over time. 
 
We first survey some contemporary thinkers that describe forms of injustice, and then attempt to imagine some of the contours of what social justice might look like and how it might be reached. We then develop a detailed whakapapa of colonisation, of which globalisation is a recent aspect. In this process we pay particular attention to the arrival and continuation of colonisation in Aotearoa. We conclude by attempting to imagine what a fulsome social justice would look like here, in Aotearoa, in light of the history of colonisation.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage I in Sociology or 15 points at Stage I in Sociology with a minimum B+ pass or LATINAM 100 or SPANISH 103, or 30 points in Global Politics and Human Rights

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Think critically about colonial contexts from a range of perspectives. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 6.1)
  2. Situate themselves and the theory they encounter on the course in relation to the place of their thinking and learning. (Capability 6.2)
  3. Develop a detailed knowledge of the history and present of the colonisation of Aotearoa. (Capability 1.1)
  4. Better understand existing struggles for social justice and how they might act effectively within them. (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Essay 35% Individual Coursework
Test 15% Individual Test

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation per week.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 12/12/2019 12:19 p.m.