Program Description

PREREQUISITES

The Seminar is open to students in any major at Carleton. Students must complete SOAN 110 and Math 115 or 215 prior to the start of the program. Ideally, students will have taken SOAN 215 (The American Social Welfare System), although this is not required. There is no special language requirement.

COURSE OF STUDY: 18 CREDITS

Students will enroll in four required courses: two taught courses totaling 12 credits, the internship for 4 additional credits, and a directed reading course for 2 more credits. 

REQUIRED COURSES

SOAN 276: COMPARATIVE WELFARE SYSTEMS: THREE CASE STUDIES (6 credits)

This course will focus on how sociological, economic, and historical forces affect the development of social policies seeking to reduce poverty, redistribute income, redress inequalities and promote equal opportunities. Across many advanced capitalist countries social forces have transformed welfare regimes that implement social policies. In this course, we will take the United States, Australia, and New Zealand as case studies of this phenomenon. We will compare and contrast each country’s social policies for single mothers, indigenous populations, immigrants, and the disabled.  By examining social policies for these vulnerable populations, we will learn much about each country’s welfare system, and acquire knowledge of the shared social forces shaping each one’s social policies and other forces making each one distinctly different. Instructor: Peter Brandon

SOAN 275: COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT EVALUATION (6 credits)

This course introduces students to different approaches assessing a community’s needs and of social program evaluation. The first half of the term will focus on four basic methods for discovering and prioritizing community needs. The second half of the term will concentrate on four leading techniques for evaluating social programs. Students will draw upon their internships and knowledge gained from the class to either: (a) submit a thorough literature review and critique of the evaluation studies conducted on a specific Australian social program; or, (b) present a report arguing for a community needs assessment in a local town in the Australian Capital Territory, or for the city of Canberra, or for one of its suburbs. Instructor: Peter Brandon

SOAN 393: POLICY INTERNSHIP (4 credits, S/CR/NC)

Students are expected to assist an agency or organization for seven hours once per week, for 10 weeks. Students are expected to integrate the internship experience into other seminar course work. At the end of the term, a report of their integrated experiences will be required. Placements will span government and non-governmental sectors and reflect some aspect of Australian life, e.g., health, education, social welfare, indigenous affairs, migration, or the environment. Coordinator: Peter Brandon

SOAN 290: DIRECTED READING (2 credits, S/CR/NC)

For this course students will use multimedia resources to learn about Australia’s history, culture, governance, and economy.  Films, poetry, novels, and academic works will offer students insights into Australia and its indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Students will be tested on the materials at the beginning of the term at ANU. Coordinator: Peter Brandon

HOUSING

Students will stay in well appointed, two- to four-person, furnished apartments on the ANU campus. Students can walk to class within 10 minutes.  City buses are available within minutes from the apartments. 

EXCURSIONS

Group excursions will include a three-day trip to Tasmania, a two-day trip to Kioloa and four day trip to Wellington, New Zealand. Students may, of course, travel on their own before or after the program and during weekends when group travel is not planned.