The Social and Cultural Life of Fijian Young People
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Program Overview
Unit Overview
The unit SOCS210 - The Social and Cultural Life of Fijian Young People is a Short-Term International Study Experience that aims to develop students' cultural competence and foster global citizenship. Through a combination of field trips, seminars, and lectures, students will immerse themselves in Fijian society and culture, observing and researching the dominant and evolving key issues impacting the lives of young people in Fiji.
Unit Rationale and Description
This unit is designed for sociology and/or youth worker professionals who require intercultural awareness, sensitivity, and communication competence to understand and respond to youth issues in Australia and the Pacific region. The unit addresses critical contemporary issues for young people in the Pacific region, with a particular emphasis on Fiji.
Learning Outcomes
The unit aims to enable students to accrue cultural competence and foster global citizenship through developing a global mindset and engaging in rigorous critical reflection on the learning abroad experience.
Unit Content
Students will be exposed to a diversity of social and cultural topics from both local and global perspectives, influencing the lives of Fijian youth. These topics may include:
- Youth-specific issues
- Youth participation and empowerment
- Global health and wellbeing for youth
- Global citizenship
- Cultural diversity and ethnicity
- Intersectionality
- Intercultural communication
- History of Fijian society and culture
- Contemporary society issues for youth
- Cultural and social interaction
Assessment Strategy and Rationale
A range of assessments will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. The assessments include:
- Analytical Task: Students will compile a demographic profile of Fijian society and culture from interdisciplinary perspectives.
- Investigation: Students will investigate the dominant and evolving key social issues impacting the lives of young people in Fiji, incorporating a human rights perspective.
- Critically Reflective Journal: Students will write a journal reflecting on their personal observations of the global, social, and cultural contexts and practices for youth development in Fiji.
Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale
The learning strategy is based on David Kolb's experiential learning cycle, which facilitates the development of new concepts for the learner through concrete new experiences from overseas cultural immersion study. The teaching model comprises compulsory pre-departure sessions, supervision of the overseas experience, and post-travel debrief sessions.
Representative Texts and References
A list of representative texts and references is provided, including books, articles, and reports related to youth, inequality, and social change in the global south, with a focus on Fiji.
Credit Points and Year
The unit is worth 10 credit points and is offered in 2026.
Campus Offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this unit.
Mode/Attendance Pattern
The unit includes pre-departure sessions, a mandatory overseas experience of two weeks, and compulsory online post-travel sessions.