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India: Environment, Politics and Society (GEOG20018)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Not available in 2024
Overview
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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: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
GEOG10001 | Famine: The Geography of Scarcity | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
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: 31 January 2024
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: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
Not available in 2024
Time commitment details
The lectures will involve interactive activities, occasional small-group work (such as discussion in pairs), video, short multimedia presentations, and the use of vivid research case studies to exemplify key points. In tutorials, tutors will promote group-based learning through the discussion of carefully selected articles and other activities. Tutors will maximise student engagement and opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange through encouraging students to reflect on how their own backgrounds and experience shapes their interpretation of the subject material.
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- 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: 31 January 2024