SOCL19065 Rural Sociology and Social Services

This course examines social structures and social processes within rural regions and how they impact on the delivery of social services, with particular reference to Australia. The course has two components, the first of which provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations for the second. The first part of the course focuses on the meaning of rurality, rural agricultural restructuring in the context of a global economic system, the sociology of contemporary agriculture, and relationships between ecological, economic and social sustainabiltiy. The second part of the course focuses on the implications of rurality for social service delivery and practice. This section considers the unique features of rural social service delivery in relation to the use of technology for human service delivery, rural practice models (Case Studies), and responses to natural disasters. This course will be of special interest to students planning to live and work in regional Australia, including social work and welfare practitioners, community development officers, nurses and teachers.