SWB108 Australian Society, Systems and Policies

Social work and human service professionals practice from a social justice perspective to engage with people who experience disadvantage. This unit focuses on understanding the structural dimensions of Australian society influenced by the global neoliberal context that produces, reproduces and entrenches inequality, poverty and precarity through uneven resource distribution and major social problems. Critical theory with a sociological lens is used to examine the contested space of policy (e.g. health, education, and income support), diverse institutions and systems (such as parliament, social services, media) that underpin the political economy of Australia and the welfare state. The unit is located in the first year as it provides the foundation for developing a critical orientation to practice and aspiring to create a more democratic, egalitarian society by introducing students to the fundamentals of Australian society, social policy and social service provision.