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Unit 4: Community, social movements and social change

10 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How has the Australian women's movement organised and what social change has it achieved?

one social movement in detail, the women's movement, including its origins, organisation, strategies and outcomes

A VCE Sociology Unit 4 detailed case study of the Australian women's movement, covering its waves, origins, strategies and outcomes in suffrage, equal pay, anti-discrimination law and cultural change.

8 min read →

How do power, inclusion and exclusion operate within communities?

the role of power, inclusion and exclusion in communities, and the factors that strengthen or weaken community

Power in communities: inclusion and exclusion, social capital, and the factors that build or erode a sense of community.

7 min read →

How do social movements bring about social change in Australia?

the role of social movements in achieving social change, using Australian examples such as land rights, environmental and marriage equality movements

How Australian social movements drive social change, with land rights, environmental and marriage equality case studies.

8 min read →

What are the different types of social movements and how do they vary in their aims?

the range of types of social movements, including reform, revolutionary, resistance and new social movements, and how they differ in scope and aim

Types of social movements, including reform, revolutionary, resistance and new social movements, with Australian examples and the distinction between old and new movements.

7 min read →

What are social capital and a sense of belonging, and how do they strengthen community?

the concepts of social capital and sense of belonging, and how they contribute to the strength of a community

Social capital and sense of belonging, bonding versus bridging capital, and how networks of trust and reciprocity build strong communities in Australia.

6 min read →

How does Tonnies explain the way communities have changed from traditional to modern society?

the theory of Ferdinand Tonnies, including Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, and the way communities change over time

Ferdinand Tonnies, the distinction between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, and how it explains the change from traditional to modern communities in Australia.

6 min read →

What is a social movement and what are its key features and types?

the sociological concept of social movements, including their characteristics, types and stages of development

Social movements: definitions, characteristics, types and the stages through which movements develop, with Australian examples.

7 min read →

How did the Aboriginal land rights movement organise and what social change did it achieve?

one social movement in detail, the Aboriginal land rights movement, including its origins, organisation, strategies and outcomes

A VCE Sociology Unit 4 detailed case study of the Aboriginal land rights movement, covering its origins, key events, strategies and outcomes including Wave Hill, the 1967 referendum, the Tent Embassy, Mabo and native title.

8 min read →

How has the Australian environmental movement organised and what social change has it achieved?

one social movement in detail, the environmental movement, including its origins, organisation, strategies and outcomes

A VCE Sociology Unit 4 detailed case study of the Australian environmental movement, covering its origins, the Franklin Dam campaign, strategies, and outcomes in policy, law and cultural values.

8 min read →

What is a community and what are its key sociological characteristics?

the sociological concept of community, including types of community and the characteristics that define them

Community: definitions, types (geographic, interest, virtual), and characteristics such as shared identity, belonging and social ties.

6 min read →