University of Sydney

This course examines a range of African American-authored texts, including films, from the 18th century to the present to consider the relationship of race and writing, and the ways African American cultural expression contributes to and interrogates American cultural history. Issues covered include enslavement and freedom, and segregation and Civil Rights.

Why are some books considered classics while others are hardly read at all? How is the idea of the classic linked to debates about history, representation, excellence, and taste? This course answers these questions through in-depth, guided readings of a small number of major texts that have, at one time or another, been celebrated for their classic status. It considers whether literary classics must be difficult, innovative, representative, or popular; how they shape our judgements about literary tradition and value; and why they remain implicated in debates about sexuality, race, national identity, and class.

This course examines creative writing. Exploring the theoretical and practical dimensions of developing a personal creative writing practice, the course emphases writing as a mode of intellectual, historical and aesthetic engagement with the contemporary.

This course examines the theory of systems of ordinary differential equations. The emphasis will not be on finding explicit solutions, but instead on the qualitative features of these systems, such as stability, instability and oscillatory behavior. The applications are from biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering, including population dynamics, epidemics, chemical reactions, and simple mechanical systems.

This course focuses on how to conceptualize and to practice sustainability in its broadest sense. Topics covered include the ethical aspects of management and organizational practice, corporate social responsibility, governance models in organizations and managing in diverse environments. 

What is the meaning of love? Is it the same for different individuals and cultures at different periods? What is its relationship to desire, language and death? Why do the Greeks have three words for love and the English one? This courses explores the theme of love in a variety of national literatures including Arabic, English, Greek, French and Italian.

This course examines the psychological principles behind persuasion to change behavior and then looking at how advertisers use each technique. It first discusses how to define and then understand the dynamics of behavior change, before looking at how to change behavior using a variety of techniques. 

How does gender organize lives, bodies, sexualities and desires? How does gender relate to sex and sexuality? Are there really only two genders? How and why is gender such an integral part of how we identify ourselves and others? This course introduces students to foundational concepts in the study of gender and critically engages with questions of identity, sexuality, family, the body, cultural practices and gender norms in light of contemporary gender theories.

Cultural studies explores everyday life, media and popular culture. It shows us how we can make sense of contemporary culture as producers, consumers, readers and viewers, in relation to our identities and communities. How do cultural texts and practices convey different kinds of meaning and value? Students will be introduced to some key thinkers and approaches in cultural studies and will learn how to analyze cultural forms such as advertising, television, film and popular music.

This course examines the legal framework and regulatory systems which underlie all business activity and the legal implications of commercial conduct. It covers the Australian legal system and key areas of substantive business law including contracts, torts (in particular negligence and privacy), property and securities, white collar crime, intellectual property, competition and consumer law (in particular advertising, product liability and unfair contracts), business structures and operations, misleading and unconscionable conduct and dispute resolution.