This unit contains mature or sensitive content and may not be suitable for some students.
Exploring Everyday Life and Culture
UndergraduateMAQ-SOCX30252025
Previously MAQ-SOCX315
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Become familiar with the sociology of intimacy. Unveil how people carve out space in their lives for friends, family and lovers. Touch on the real-world complexities that can sometimes affect these relationships. Explore the darker side of intimacy.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 20 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,160
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Exploring Everyday Life and Culture
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject, you will be able to
- understand key concepts, issues and contemporary debates in the sociology of everyday life and cultural sociology.
- analyse historical and contemporary practices of everyday life and culture.
- describe the social constraints and enabling mechanism of everyday life, such as class, gender and cultural background.
- demonstrate research skills in sourcing and analysing key arguments and debates in the sociology of everyday life and cultural sociology.
- conduct independent research.
- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.
This subject was previously known as
- SOCX315 The Intimate Sphere: Love, Friendship and Family
- SOCX3025 Sex, Love and Friendship
A rich sociological tradition as well as contemporary research highlight the extraordinariness of ‘ordinary’ life and culture. In all that we do social norms and cultural attitudes are entwined with structural conditions. But we are more than workers, economic actors, or citizens. We are also lovers and friends, children, siblings and parents. We spend time pursuing leisure activities, inhabit a range of private and public spaces, engage with a variety of media, find pleasure in eating and consuming. So, how do we negotiate our freedoms and constraints, individual agency and its limits, the tension between tradition and the new, the boundaries of self and other? This unit explores the extraordinary social accomplishment of ordinary life.
- Conceptual essay (30%)
- Research Essay (50%)
- Participation journal (20%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-intensive university in north-western Sydney offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With over 44,000 current students, Macquarie has a strong reputation for welcoming international students and embracing flexible and convenient study options, including its partnership with Open Universities Australia.
Learn more about Macquarie University.
Explore Macquarie courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 10
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 10
Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MAQ-SGY360 (Not currently available)
MAQ-SOCX315 (Not currently available)
Others
NCCW (pre-2020 units) SGY310, SOC322, SOC372, SOCX322
Pre-requisite 130cp at 1000 level or above
NCCW(pre-2020 units): SGY310, SOC322, SOC372, SOCX322
NCCW (2020 and onwards)
SOCI3025 Exploring Everyday Life and Culture
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.
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
UndergraduateMAQ-ART-DEG
Single subject FAQs
What’s a single subject?
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
How can I use single subjects to get into a full degree?
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Can anyone help me choose a subject?
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
How do I pay for my subjects?
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
How do I enrol?
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.
When is the cut-off date for enrolling?
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.