Case-study Instructions A*
Case Study: The Voice, social inequality and social change
Later this year, Australia will hold a referendum on having an Indigenous Voice to Parliament written into the constitution. That is, Australian citizens will be required to vote Yes or No to the following proposed referendum question: -A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?-
The referendum, if successful, will see the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Voice – a body of ATSI people tasked with making representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Indigenous peoples. The full details of what Australians will be voting on in the referendum next year, can be found in the following article from ABC News:
What will Australians be voting on in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum? – ABC News
Indigenous Australians continue to experience poorer health, employment, and education outcomes than non- Indigenous Australians. They also continue to experience interpersonal and institutional forms of racism. Proponents of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament claim that the Voice will address these issues by ensuring Indigenous Australians are represented at the heart of policymaking. However, those against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, including some conservative politicians, argue that the Voice breaches discrimination laws and is essentially co-governance. While many Indigenous Australians support the Voice, some are sceptical that the referendum will address serious issues of racial inequality and systemic violence and will in fact threaten Indigenous Sovereignty. Controversial Indigenous commentators on the Voice, such as NT senator, Jacinta Price, argue that the Voice is divisive and are instead in support of symbolic constitutional recognition of ATSI peoples. In short, the Voice debate represents a variety of viewpoints, highlighting issues of power, agency, structure and inequality in society, and the potential for social change – concepts that you have been learning about in Understanding Society.
With this in mind, students are asked to access the following library resources on the referendum, which form the basis of The Voice case study7:
https://subjectguides.llbrary.westernsydney.edu.aU/c.ph p?g=957784&p=6952624
Students are encouraged to utilise the literature under the Uluru Statement, The Voice to Parliament and the Referendum tabs in the left hand navigation bar.
Having considered the arguments and issues raised in the library resources, which form the basis of the case study, and drawing on 3 ACADEMIC SOURCES, students will provide a 500-word response to the following question:
. vuws.westernsydney.edu.au
What are the key arguments for and against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Analyse the arguments sociologically to come to your own conclusion about the Voice to Parliament. You might want to draw on aspects of power, structure, agency, social inequality, and social change.
Detailed Instructions:
1. Access the library resources and identify the key arguments for and against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, h ttpsV/subjectguides,library.westernsydney.edu,au/c.php?g=957784&p=6952624
2. Review the sociological reading you have undertaken over the Subject, and the concepts and theories discussed therein, to help you to make sense of the arguments detailed in the case study resources (e.g., what are the key arguments being raised, what type of inequality is being discussed, how are issues of power and agency being considered, what social structures are being reflected upon), In other words, analyse the arguments sociologically, applying concepts such as power, agency, structure, inequality and social change to the case study materials.
3. When writing your response, be sure to define/explain these concepts with reference to relevant subject resources. You do not have to draw on all the sociological concepts highlighted in the question, but should utilise those concepts that are relevant to the points you want to make In your response, You may also apply relevant sociological concept besides those listed in the assessment question.
4. Ensure that your arguments or position on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament is informed by the scholarly literature and case study materials, not simply based on your opinion.
5. Your response should be written in an essay style, meaning it should contain an introduction, body and conclusion.
6. Your response should be referenced using Harvard referencing.
7. You must use 3 academic, sociological sources to support your discussion, which need to be cited in the body of your text and included in a reference list. For the purposes of this task, each chapter from the McCormack et. al (2018) te,xtbook will be considered as 1 academic source.
8. Any of the arguments or background issues from the case study materials that you refer to or draw upon should also be referenced appropriately.
Length of submission: 500 words (+/-10%)
Value: 25%
Learning Outcomes:
This assessment responds to unit learning outcomes 3, 4 and 5, which are to:
3. Identify relevant sources and assess approaches to and claims about social processes and Institutions in contemporary society.
4. Apply a sociological understanding of power, social Inequality and social change to case study materials.
5. Demonstrate reading, writing and referencing skills commensurate with university scholarship
