Skip to Content

This is archived information!

Search current Handbook for current unit information.

unAustralian Studies - MECX321

In this unit we examine a range of embodied subjects that stand in a relation of crisis and/or dissent in the context of dominant Australian culture. We focus specifically on how such apparatuses of racialised punishment as the camp, prison, reserve and detention centre have been constitutive in founding and shaping the Australian nation. We examine: Aboriginal sovereignty and the colonial camp; the cultural politics of terrorism and state violence; the power of whiteness; the racialisation of criminality and the prison industry; histories of political internment; and Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. These topics are examined through the lens of social justice and are situated in the context of film, documentaries and contemporary news media. The unit brings into focus the manner in which targeted communities have mobilised activist networks and a range of media in order to work toward social change and a more just society.

All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

When Offered:

SP2 OUA - Study Period 2, offered through Open Universities Australia

SP4 OUA - Study Period 4, offered through Open Universities Australia

Staff Contact(s):
Assessed As: Graded
Offered By:

Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies

Faculty of Arts