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Unit of study_
OLET2151: Understanding the USA
2025 unit information
This unit introduces students to the politics, culture, economy and society of the world's most powerful nation. This unit expands on five distinct facets of the USA: Regionalism, Politics, Culture, Society and Money. Students will learn what makes the United States different, what makes it rich, what makes it poor and what makes it weird. They will learn how race, religion, capitalism and celebrity culture shape American life. They will find out why the US has such influence in the world, and how it uses that influence. They will gain a greater understanding of the US-Australia relationship, from Australian gangsters in gold-rush San Francisco to American bases in the Northern Territory outback. This unit will be useful to students who want to visit the US, live in the US, do business with the US, or simply understand the US. It will give them what they need to know to further explore America, whether on their own or through future study.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
DVC (Research)
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | United States Studies Centre |
| Credit points | 2 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. demonstrate an understanding of the culture, politics, history, and society of the United States in both comparative and discrete perspective
- LO2. demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity in American society
- LO3. demonstrate an understanding of the US-Australia relationship
- LO4. demonstrate proficiency in the analysis of written, oral, visual, material, and digital texts
- LO5. demonstrate skills in constructing analytic arguments from multiple disciplinary perspectives
- LO6. analyse social, cultural, economic, political, and historical issues in the United States and begin to work independently
- LO7. respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts and communicate knowledge in discussion and scholarly writing.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Online | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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