UWA Handbooks 2010 - Units
Handbooks Home About Handbooks
 
 

UWA Handbooks 2010 - Units

Unit details


EURO1101 Europe Now: Cultures and Identities [UG]

Credit 6 points
Availability Semester 1
Old unit code 020.101
Outcomes Students (1) become familiar with the European landscape and the principal differences and similarities of the physical environment, political and social context and cultural values of the parts of Europe; (2) understand the complexities involved in the identification of 'Europe'; (3) gain an enriched understanding of the conceptualisations of 'Europe' in relation to the post-war and the contemporary periods, and of how the ethnic groups, nations, nation-states and supra-national entities of Europe identify in terms of histories, societies and cultures; (4) become familiar with the central economic and political trends in contemporary Europe and their effects on European life; (5) understand the social structures, mores, institutions, issues and problems of contemporary European society; (6) understand how social change has operated in different parts of Europe and of how change is linked to the idea of Europe; (7) understand the implications of Europe's pluralism in social and cultural terms in particular; (8) are able to identify major issues confronting Europe today; (9) are able to identify the problems related to issues of identity and nationalism in general and in relation to specific countries of Western, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe; and (10) understand and apply the principles of analytical thinking, clear writing and correct documentation in short assignments and essays.
Content Level 1 units in European Studies introduce students to central aspects of contemporary European societies and cultures. With the end of Soviet socialism and the fall of the Wall which divided Western and Eastern Europe in 1989, the face of Europe changed dramatically. Since 1989, and particularly since the formation of the European Union in 1993 and its expansion to include the formerly communist states of Central Europe in 2004, a new awareness of the sociopolitical, linguistic and cultural interrelationships has developed among European nations. These changes can only be understood in the context of Europe as a whole, not merely in terms of the individual nation-states, national cultures and ethnic groups.

This unit introduces students to the concept of 'Europe', the European Union, the European regions, and central topics of contemporary European society and culture, including the question of Turkey's place in Europe and the challenges of European integration. 'Cultural studies' is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of history, society and culture. The unit comprises lectures and tutorials based on the study of contemporary European film, literature and documentary from the areas of cultural studies, history and politics, sociology and social theory.
Assessment This comprises an assignment, essay, tutorial participation and examination.

Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's pass degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete their course.
Unit Co-ordinator(s) Dr Kati Tonkin
Location UWA (Crawley)
Mode on-campus
Unit Rules
Contact hours—lectures: 2 hrs per week for 13 weeks; tutorials: 1 hr per week for 12 weeks starting in week 2
Texts

Lists of texts are available from http://www.european.uwa.edu.au/for/students.



  • The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change.
  • Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423.
  • Books and other materials wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.
The University of Western Australia
University information CRICOS Code: 00126G
This Page
Last updated:
Wednesday, 3 September, 2008 at 9:15 AM
Printer Friendly Version
Page Information http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/page/14508