SCS110 Australian Society: How does(n't) it work? - An Introduction to Sociology

The purpose of this assignment is to test your understanding of the material presented in lectures, tutorials and tutorial readings in the course. This essay is worth 40 per cent of your assessment and is due on Sunday, Week 11 by Midnight. It is an expectation that students will consult and utilise at least eight scholarly sources in writing this particular assignment, which should be evident in the in-text referencing and reference list. In addressing any of the set questions, be sure to include a combination of appropriate theory, research data and critical insight in making your argument.

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1. “Health care outcomes are a social issue, not just an individual responsibility". Critically assess this statement in the light of relevant social research, accurate examples, and theory.
2. Australia is an egalitarian Society, in which wealth is distributed largely according to how hard an individual works. Critically discuss this statement in relation to the evidence available on income and wealth distribution in Australia over the past 120 years and the theoretical explanations of inequality.
3. Does education reproduce or reduce social inequality in Australia?  Refer to both the evidence and theoretical explanations offered in sociological studies on this question. Be sure to define which form of inequality you are examining, e.g. class, gender, and/or racialized inequality.
4. Discuss and critically evaluate two institutions (e.g. sport, the family, employment, law, education, religion, the media) in terms of whether these hinder or enhance women's social equality with men in Australian society? What sort of sociological theory is best suited for explaining the factors impacting on women’s status?
5. While men make up less than half of the Australian population, males have traditionally dominated positions of power in political and economic domains. Explain how hegemonic masculinity impacts on life-chances in Australia, and why social change movements that have advocated for gender equality over the past 30 years have not resulted in higher degrees of gender balance in political and corporate power in Australia. In answering this question you should refer to the relevant social theory and research.
6. Is technology contributing to alienation in the workplace in contemporary society? Critically discuss your response using the theories of Fordism, post-Fordism and the skilling/de-skilling sociological debate, appropriately exemplifying your response.
7. What does it mean to say that “race” is socially constructed? How does this construction allow social inequality to be created and maintained? Illustrate your answer with examples of how Indigenous Australians and/or other groups in Australia have experienced discrimination or prejudice on the basis of perceived “racial” characteristics.
8. Is the importance of religion declining in Australian society today, is it undergoing a resurgence, or is its significance merely changing? Evaluate the arguments for and against the “secularisation thesis” and come to a conclusion. Refer to sociological evidence, concepts and theories to help explain why the changes you identify are occurring.
9. In what ways are globalisation and the post-Fordist mode of production influencing and challenging the power of nation-state? Be sure to define your key theoretical terms and provide appropriate examples when answering this question.
10. Apart from “fast food” select, investigate, and analyse another example of a “McDonaldised” institution and show how the four dimensions identified by Ritzer can be used to make sense of it? In analysing these processes, consider the extent to which the impact of McDonaldisation has had positive or negative social consequences.
11. Compare and contrast Weber’s view of the modern “bureaucracy” as emblematic of “Legal-Rational Domination” with Foucault’s image of the “Panopticon” described in the “disciplinary power”. How do you think they help explain the way power is exercised by the Australian state? Illustrate your answer with examples of some aspect of the Australian state and its impact on citizens’ lives.
12. Contemporary social dynamics are highly influenced by the use of social media and smart technologies. What effects do you think changing forms of communication are having on Australian society? Illustrate your argument with examples and the key sociological concepts of globalisation, Foucault’s panopticon, and economy of attention to anchor your ideas.