The following is a sample list of available courses and is subject to change. An updated list of all courses available for July - December 2009 and February - June 2010 is available from the AIFS Admissions Officer or at http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/units.php?edition=2009&level=ug. This will also include course descriptions and prerequisites. Students must make sure they have met all prerequisites for a course.
Macquarie course numbers are listed first with the American equivalent - one level higher - after. Recommended semester credits are in parentheses.
| July-December Semester | |
| Course Code and Credits: | ANTH 150/Anthropology 250 (4) |
| Course Title: | Introduction to Anthropology |
| Course Description: | |
| Similarities and differences in human experience. The interplay of culture, social relations, biology and environment. How fundamental patterns have developed in regard to diet, sex, reproduction and the life cycle, clothing and the presentation of the body, power and conflict, economic production and exchange, religion and ritual. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BIOL 347/Biology 447 (4) |
| Course Title: | Australia and World Vegetation |
| Course Description: | |
| Australian vegetation is examined in a world context, considering the southern hemisphere perspective. For biology and earth science majors with an interest in the natural environment, includes plant biology and ecophysiology components. Types of world vegetation, geographic distribution, origin, evolution and affinities of Australian flora, environmental factors affecting plant distribution, human impact, adaptation to extreme conditions—aridity, low temperatures, high and low light. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BIOL 350/Biology 450 (4) |
| Course Title: | Aboriginal Impact on Australian Ecosystems |
| Course Description: | |
| Impact of Aboriginal people on Australian environments past and present; the biological origins of Aboriginals, extinction of Australian megafarms, fire and Australian vegetation, Aboriginal conservation strategies, population increase and palaeo-environmental reconstructions. For students in ecology, environmental biology, plant and animal biology and Aboriginal studies. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BIOL 351/Biology 451 (1) |
| Course Title: | Aboriginal Bioresources Field Trip |
| Course Description: | |
| This 2-day field trip examines environments and resources available in the vicinity of one or more pre-historic Aboriginal sites. Ecological and archaeological methods are used to reconstruct bioresources used by Aboriginal people and to quantify their relative importance. This course involves identification of plants and animals and palaeo-ecological reconstructions. A field report is the basis of assessment. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BBA 102/Business Admin 202 (4) |
| Course Title: | Business Organization Principles |
| Course Description: | |
| Beginning with the premise that organizations bring people together to achieve what they could not achieve individually, this course examines organizations and their activities. Historical perspective of the management of organizations. The roles of structure, strategy and communication as foundations of organizations, as well as operations and human resource management. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BBA 216/Business 316 (4) |
| Course Title: | Business Communication Skills |
| Course Description: | |
| This course covers the principles of effective organization and presentation of ideas in written and oral contexts for a range of administrative applications. The course will be project based, working as far as possible with material from other units in the program. Assessment will take into account individual performance as well as group work. Students will be encouraged to explore the intricate relationship between text, technology and audience to maximise the impact of their business presentations. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BBA 280/Business 380 (4) |
| Course Title: | Models and Organization Structure |
| Course Description: | |
| An organization’s business model and structure substantially influence its short and long term profitability. This unit examines: various organization structure types and their application; business models (the set of activities which a firm performs, how it performs them, and when it performs them), their selection, costing and performance; and the compatibility between structure types and business models. Traditional and Internet organizations are considered. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | ECON 210/Economics 310 (4) |
| Course Title: | Economics of the Public Sector: Public Economics |
| Course Description: | |
| The role and functions of the public sector in the mixed economy. The nature of the public sector in Australia, the nature of the state, welfare economics and the role of government in the economy, theories of government behavior and regulation, cost-benefit analysis, privatization and corporations, public expenditure analysis in transportation, education and health, distributional policies of government, optimal size of the public sector and economic growth. For economics majors. Also useful to non-economics majors who expect to work in, or closely related to, the public sector. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | EDUC 106/Education 206 (4) |
| Course Title: | The Social and Historical Context |
| Course Description: | |
| This course presents a socio-cultural history of Australian education. This course is one of two foundation units offered by the School of Education. It is designed to complement EDUC 105/Education 205, the other foundation course, but has a different approach to the study of education and draws on different theoretical disciplines. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | HIST 109/History 209 (4) |
| Course Title: | The Making of Australia |
| Course Description: | |
| Settlement and development of the Australian continent. Emergence of the Australian community, creation of a distinct form of capitalism and development of a political culture. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | HIST 114/History 214 (4) |
| Course Title: | The World Since 1945: An Australian Perspective |
| Course Description: | |
| World developments influencing Australian history from 1945 to the present. Post-war European crisis and decline to current resurgence with Australian themes: migration, ideological trends, economic integration and decolonization. The U.S. as a world power with special attention to Cold War era politics, economics and the spread of American values. East Asia: principally Chinese and Japanese post-war settlement and economic transformation, acknowledging trade ties and ensuing Australian cultural adjustments. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | ABST 210/History 310 (4) |
| Course Title: | Aboriginal Pre-History |
| Course Description: | |
| Aboriginal pre-history begins with the biological and geographic origins of Aborigines and concludes with early contact in the Sydney area. Aboriginal perception of the past, initial colonization of Australia, adaptation of hunter-gatherers to the Australian environment, change in settlement patterns and interpretation of ethnographic data. Archaeological techniques are evaluated including site surveying, excavation and analysis of stone, bone, shell and art. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | HIST 243/History 343 (4) |
| Course Title: | History on Film |
| Course Description: | |
| Through lectures, film screenings and discussions, students explore how images are selected and arranged, whether it is possible for the filmmaker to tell a plausible historical story and show that historical ideas are open to debate, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of film as a medium for history. The role film can play in stimulating public debate about the past and identify ways to foster critical discussion. Films screened: Le Retour de Martin Guerre, Distant Voices, Still Lives, Rashomon, Saving Private Ryan, Shoah and Life is Beautiful. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | MKTG 101/Marketing 201 (4) |
| Course Title: | Marketing Fundamentals |
| Course Description: | |
| This course explores the proposition that marketing is based on an understanding of consumer value. The unit looks at the evolution of marketing from a production orientation to its current state. The unit covers gathering information on consumer needs and the marketing environment. It then looks at the tools the marketer uses to satisfy those needs—the marketing mix. Lectures include the latest developments in marketing theory, illustrated with examples of best marketing practice from Australia and major economies overseas. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 167/Politics 267 (4) |
| Course Title: | Thinking Politically |
| Course Description: | |
| Historical introduction to political thought comes from reading Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. The nature of politics and political science, the purpose of the state, forms of government, slavery, religion and politics, sovereignty, property, obedience and revolution. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 168/Politics 268 (4) |
| Course Title: | Introduction to Global Politics |
| Course Description: | |
| Australian foreign policy and leading issues in international relations, such as nuclear arms control and the North-South debate. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 250/Politics 350 (4) |
| Course Title: | Contemporary Australian Politics |
| Course Description: | |
| Political conflicts of the last decade are placed in a wider context. Part I concentrates on Australian government development since federation, with focus after World War II. The changing relationships between interest groups, political parties and government institutions and the shifting balance between the public and private sectors. Part II looks at main features of the Hawke-Keating period, particularly alternative ways of explaining Australian politics. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 264/Politics 364 (4) |
| Course Title: | Power and Legitimacy in Modern Political Thought |
| Course Description: | |
| Authors read include Hume, J.S. Mill, Marx, Weber and Rawls. Topics include political obligation, rights, liberty, free enterprise, property, democracy, capitalism, justice and philosophy of history as political philosophy. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | SOC 180/Sociology 280 (4) |
| Course Title: | Culture, Identity and Society |
| Course Description: | |
| As the study of social behavior and social processes, the discipline of sociology has always paid close attention to the theme of “everyday life.” In this unit students will be introduced to the analysis of everyday situations such as the home, the street, work, shopping, community, church and various sites of leisure and entertainment; as well as the many tools and “props” that we use to negotiate these everyday activities (clothes, mobile phones, automobiles, computers, furnishings, etc.). The central theme will be that our participation in these activities reveals a great deal about ourselves and the social forces that shape our everyday lives. | |
| February-July Semester | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BBA 103/Business Admin/Economics 203 (4) |
| Course Title: | Business Economics |
| Course Description: | |
| Economic analysis and methodology. The relevance of economics to business. External impacts of microeconomics on firms, their internal decision-making activities under alternative market structures and the impact of those decisions on the community. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | BBA 280/Business 380 (4) |
| Course Title: | Models and Organization Structure |
| Course Description: | |
| See description under July-November courses. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | ECON 110/Economics 210 (4) |
| Course Title: | Macroeconomic Principles |
| Course Description: | |
| Principles of modern economic analysis as well as major issues of economic policy, especially as they pertain to Australia. A history of economic thought, methodology in economics, macroeconomic analysis, the external sector, credit creation, government policy, inflation, unemployment, technology and growth. This course has a quota; students may not pre-register. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | EDUC 105/Education 205 (4) |
| Course Title: | The Psychological Context |
| Course Description: | |
| This course is primarily concerned with the psychology of the teaching and learning process. It includes the study of student characteristics such as cognitive and social-cultural development, and environmental factors such as the relationships between teachers and schools and their effect on student learning. The unit focuses on development among school-aged learners, but broader applications to lifelong learning are also considered. Students who have a general interest in human development and learning processes would benefit from this class. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | ENGL 238/Literature 338 (4) |
| Course Title: | 20th Century Drama in Context |
| Course Description: | |
| Significant drama texts from the late 19th and 20th centuries, in their social, intellectual and theatrical contexts, with specific focus on the relations between ideological factors and dramatic themes and forms. Debates about sexual roles, conscience, the uses and abuses of power; theater as polemic to influence social change; 20th century experiments in dramatic mode and form; aspects of staging and performance. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | MKTG 101/Marketing 201 (4) |
| Course Title: | Marketing Fundamentals |
| Course Description: | |
| See description under July-November courses. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 165/Politics 265 (4) |
| Course Title: | Australian Politics in Global Context |
| Course Description: | |
| An introduction to Australian politics. Key concepts: citizenship, representation and power, with contemporary issues such as the Republican debate, women’s representation and notions of political sovereignty. Issues are studied in the context of changing institutions: the Constitution, federalism and the states, the High Court, electoral systems, political parties, the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, mass media, pressure groups and public service. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | POL 270/Politics 370 (4) |
| Course Title: | International Relations |
| Course Description: | |
| Major theories of international relations and international political economy. Issues basic to understanding North-South relations such as foreign aid and trade, foreign debt and the role of the multinational corporations; and analysis of contemporary conflicts. | |
For a complete list of courses available during the July-December and February-June semester please see the Macquarie University handbook at http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/units.php?edition=2009&level=ug. It is important to keep in mind that the July-December semester is considered semester two and February-June semester is semester one. July-December courses are labelled E2 and D2, February-June courses are labelled E1 and D1.
