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India: Politics, and Society (GEOG20018)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
Please refer to the return to campus page for more information on these delivery modes and students who can enrol in each mode based on their location.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
India contains a sixth of the world’s population. It has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and will be increasingly important in the future of Australia. Understanding the complex geographies of contemporary India – including economic, political, and social change - is important for young people in Australia, who are likely to have jobs linked to India in the future. Appreciation of Indian dynamics is also important in terms of building the Asia literacy of Australia’s population, enhancing multiculturalism, and countering racism. This subject will enable students to develop a profound understanding of India. Students will learn a range of key skills as part of their analyses of Indian literature, evaluating key ideas such as caste and gender, and appreciating the geographical and social diversity of the Indian subcontinent.
The subject is designed to develop students’ analytical and research skills in relation to (i) India’s changing economy, (ii) the politics of India since 1947, with a particular focus on developments since 2014, (iii) the changing nature of Indian society, including topics such as health, education, gender, environment, and regional difference. Students will engage with relevant disciplinary literature, drawn especially from geography, politics, sociology/anthropology, and Area Studies. They will also engage with films, podcasts, literature, magazines, and online materials so as to appreciate how persuasive arguments can be developed through analysis of multiple sources. A focus on engagement with government, practitioners, NGOs, and citizens in India will also be a feature of the subject.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Analyse the key literature, current debates and theoretical approaches to modern India's economy, politics, and society, with particular reference to India's complex geographies;
- Explain India's trajectory in terms of development and democratic change since 1947, and especially during the Twenty-First Century;
- Describe and evaluate key methodological approaches to understanding contemporary India, including geographical scholarship, political analysis, ethnography, and documentary film making;
- Synthesize how economic, political, and social processes interact to shape the lives of people in India;
- Evaluate how scholarly work in India can be applied and integrated into policy and practice in India.
Generic skills
- Reading, writing, and oral communication in theoretically aware and comparative ways;
- Digital literacy: conducting online and library searches for relevant, critical literatures;
- Ability to comprehend and critique some of the current debates in the field;
- Using geographical approaches to explore processes and problems situated in particular contexts;
- Work effectively in a teamwork situation;
- Essay-writing, data exploration, and presentation techniques;
- Interdisciplinary analysis and synthesis.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
GEOG10001 | Famine: The Geography of Scarcity | Semester 1 (Online) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
EVSC10001 - The Global Environment
Recommended background knowledge
EVSC10001: The Global Environment
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Reflective journal (5 entries of 320 words each, worth 8%), three entries covering Weeks 1-5 (due Week 6) and two entries covering Weeks 6-9 (due Week 10)
| From Week 6 to Week 10 | 40% |
Tutorial oral presentation
| From Week 3 to Week 11 | 15% |
Essay on different topic to oral presentation
| During the examination period | 40% |
Tutorial participation | Throughout the semester | 5% |
Additional details
Tutorial participation will be assessed through reference to each student’s capacity to upload in advance one question for each tutorial that emerges out of their reading for that tutorial and can help structure tutorial discussion.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Coordinator Craig Jeffrey Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 26 July 2021 to 24 October 2021 Last self-enrol date 6 August 2021 Census date 31 August 2021 Last date to withdraw without fail 24 September 2021 Assessment period ends 19 November 2021
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022