Culture, Meaning and Social Life
UndergraduateLTU-SOC3SOC2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 23 Feb 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Price from
- $2,124
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Culture, Meaning and Social Life
About this subject
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand theories and arguments in cultural sociology.
- Critically evaluate theories and arguments in cultural sociology.
- Demonstrate reflective thinking on the nature and role of culture and demonstrate a capacity to apply sociological concepts to everyday life.
- Present a complex sustained written argument in cultural sociology.
- Cultural Sociology
- Meaning Making
- Popular Culture
- Social Change
- Sociological Theory and Method
What is culture? How do individuals and societies make meaning? Does culture shape social life or does social life shape culture? In this subject you will be introduced to sociological engagements with culture. Our central concern is with culture as meaning-making. We begin by exploring popular cultural forms, such as art, literature, music and television, we examine the influence of traditional and new media, and analyse cultural production, consumption and content creation in the digital age. We then turn to cultural perspectives on meaning-making as embedded in every aspect of our lives. Through close up study of a range of topics, such as happiness, therapy talk, trauma, memory and love, we look at meaning as a central driving force for individuals, communities, and for societies more broadly.
- Online quizzes (800 word equivalent). (20%)
- Assignments (1,200 word equivalent in total). The first assessment is a journal worth 10%. This first journal assessment will be the early assessment task. (30%)
- 2,000 word essay (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
The third university established in Victoria, La Trobe University has a diverse community of more than 38,000 students and staff. Its commitment to excellence in teaching and research prepares students to make a bold and positive impact in today's global community. La Trobe provides Open Universities Australia with its core tenets, entrepreneurship and sustainability.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 17
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 18
Entry requirements
Others
Prerequisites: Students must have completed 30 credit points of Level two subjects.
Past La Trobe University students who have previously completed SOC2SOC (Sociology of Culture) are ineligible to enrol in this subject.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateLAT-CYS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-HSC-DEG
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Health Sciences
UndergraduateLAT-AHS-DEG
Bachelor of Psychological Science
UndergraduateLAT-PYS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-BUS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-ART-DEG
Bachelor of Information Technology
UndergraduateLAT-TEC-DEG
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