School of Social Sciences
HUMN2066 Investigating and Communicating Social Problems
Autumn 2023
Edition: Autumn 2023
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acknowledge that the teaching and learning currently delivered across our campuses is a continuance of the teaching
and learning that has occurred on these lands for tens of thousands of years.
Subject Details

Note: Students with any problems, concerns or doubts should discuss those with the Subject Coordinator as early as they can.
Subject Coordinator

Consultation Arrangement:
The lines of communication are always open (especially if you struggling). Never feel embarrassed to reach out.
All consultations (emails, phone calls, in-person chats, questions, etc.) are with the Subject coordinator (or assistant
subject coordinator). Tutors are not paid for consultation time.
Ways to get in contact
1. One-to-one meetings: either In person (Parramatta South) or on Zoom. I will travel to another campus if there
are accessibility issues. It is best to book ahead no matter what the mode. I will advise ofce/meeting times through
vUWS.
Please book through: https://outlook.ofce365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/
2. Discussion Seminar groups (drop-in): Every Monday and Friday there are drop-in discussion seminars that give
you a chance to ask questions about subject material and assessment. These sessions are recorded if more than 10
students are in attendance, and the discussion material is not sensitive.
Note: The relevant Learning Guide Companion supplements this document
Contents
1 About Investigating and Communicating Social Problems 2
1.1 An Introduction to this Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 What is Expected of You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Changes to Subject as a Result of Past Student Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 Assessment Information 5
2.1 Subject Learning Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Approach to Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3 Assessment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.4 Assessment Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4.1 Case Study: Data in the Real World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4.2 Reflection: Praxis Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4.3 Report: Community Strengths and Needs Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.5 General Submission Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3 Teaching and Learning Activities 13
4 Learning Resources 15
4.1 Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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1 About Investigating and Communicating Social Problems
1.1 An Introduction to this Subject
This subject builds interdisciplinary social science skills to investigate and engage with social challenges that impact
contemporary society. Students are introduced to the methods and principles of research for community consultation,
strengths assessment and capacity building. Data literacy skills will be developed, with a focus on understanding
and creating qualitative and quantitative data and how they are used within contemporary society. Students will
be asked to investigate and intervene in social challenges using ethical and evidence-based analyses. The subject is
aimed to suit students who are pursuing either a research or occupational trajectory and assessments are tailored to
discipline-appropriate learning.
1.2 What is Expected of You
Study Load
A student is expected to study an hour per credit point a week. For example a 10 credit point Subject would require
10 hours of study per week. This time includes the time spent within classes during lectures, tutorials or practicals.
Note for Summer Terms: As Summer subjects deliver the same content and classes over a shorter period of time,
the subjects are run in a more intensive mode. Regardless of the delivery mode, the study hours for each subject in
Summer will be around 30 hours.
Attendance
It is strongly recommended that students attend all scheduled learning activities to support their learning.
Online Learning Requirements
Subject materials will be made available on the Subject’s vUWS (E-Learning) site (https://vuws.westernsydney.
edu.au/). You are expected to consult vUWS at least twice a week, as all Subject announcements will be made via
vUWS. Teaching and learning materials will be regularly updated and posted online by the teaching team.
Special Requirements
Essential Equipment:
Not Applicable
Legislative Pre-Requisites:
Not Applicable
Policies Related to Teaching and Learning
The University has a number of policies that relate to teaching and learning. Important policies affecting students
include:
– Assessment Policy
– Bullying Prevention Policy and
– Guidelines
– Enrolment Policy
– Examinations Policy
– Review of Grade Policy
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– Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy
– Disruption to Studies Policy
– Student Misconduct Rule
– Teaching and Learning – Fundamental Code
– Student Code of Conduct
Academic Integrity and Student Misconduct Rule
Western cares about your success as a student and in your future career. Studying with academic integrity safeguards
your professional reputation and your degree. All Western students must:
– be familiar with the policies listed above;
– apply principles of academic integrity;
– act honestly and ethically in producing all academic work and assessment tasks; and
– submit work that is their own and acknowledge any sources used in their work.
Each time you submit an assessment, you will declare that you have completed it individually, unless it is a group
assignment. In the case of a group assignment, each group member should be ready to document their individual
contribution if needed. You will also declare that no part of your submission has been:
– copied from any other student’s work or from any other source except where appropriate acknowledgement is
made in the assignment;
– submitted by you in another (previous or current) assessment, except where appropriately acknowledged, and
with prior permission from the Subject Coordinator;
– made available to others in any form, where individual work is required;
– written/produced for you by any other person.
The Student Misconduct Rule applies to all students of Western Sydney University including Western Sydney University programs taught by other education providers. You must not engage in academic, research or general misconduct
as defned in the Rule or you may be subject to sanctions. The University considers submitting falsifed documentation
in support of requests to redo, resit or extend submissions, including sitting of deferred examinations, as instances of
general misconduct.
More information on studying with integrity is available on the Study with Integrity webpage. It is your responsibility
to apply these principles to all work you submit to the University.
Avoid using external ’support’ sites or other external help
To avoid the risk of your assignment being shared without your knowledge, do not upload your assignment to any
external sites for spelling, grammar or plagiarism checks. Your safest option is to use the free services provided by
Library Study Smart or Studiosity.
Avoid using any websites that:
– allow sharing of assignments or other material
– reward sharing of material with credits, tokens; or access to additional materials/features/services;
– provide answers to textbook or assignment/exam questions;
– provide free sample assignments; and/or include order buttons and prices; and/or
– invite you to submit your assignment for plagiarism or grammar or other checks.
Engagement with academic cheating sites will be regarded as misconduct. Academic cheating services often market
themselves as ’support’. Engagement with these sites includes:
– Sharing assignments or course material;
– Using online tools provided by these sites to check for plagiarism, grammar or spelling; and/or
– Purchasing writing services, or obtaining a copy of an assignment.
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Uploading your work to these sites may lead to your work being shared with others with or without your knowledge
and consent.
The Australian Government monitors current and past students’ use of academic cheating services, and may report
student material found on these sites or other forms of engagement to universities.
Current students with items found on academic cheating sites face sanctions under the Student Misconduct Rule.
Outcomes for graduates may include revocation of award. For more information see https://www.westernsydney.
edu.au/currentstudents/current_students/student_misconduct_rule.
More advice can be found on the Study with Integrity webpage.
Need help?
If you are having difculties with understanding or completing an assessment task, contact your Subject Coordinator
as soon as possible. Western also has a range of academic support services, including:
– Library Study Smart: book a one-to-one Zoom consultation with a literacy expert. You can discuss how
to develop your assignment writing and study skills or seek assistance to understand referencing and citation
requirements. Check the Library Study Smart website for how-to study guides and tools.
– Studiosity: Upload your assignment draft to Studiosity within vUWS to receive writing feedback within 24
hours.
– Online workshops, programs and resources: From maths and stats help to academic literacy and peer support
programs, the University has a range of resources to assist.
Please also remember that there is a range of wellbeing support available – from counselling and disability services to
welfare.
1.3 Changes to Subject as a Result of Past Student Feedback
The University values student feedback in order to improve the quality of its educational programs. The feedback
provided helps us improve teaching methods and Subjects of study. The survey results inform Subject content and
design, learning guides, teaching methods, assessment processes and teaching materials.
You are welcome to provide feedback that is related to the teaching of this Subject. At the end of the semester you
will be given the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on Subject (SFU) questionnaire to assess the Subject.
You may also have the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) questionnaire to provide
feedback for individual teaching staff.
As a result of student feedback, the following changes and improvements to this subject have recently been made:
– The order of the assessment tasks (1. report; 2. case study; 3. praxis journal) reflects previous requests to
have one of the 40% tasks earlier in the semester.
– Assessment instructions have been revised to address points of confusion in previous years. In particular, topics
for the case study have been updated to avoid some ambiguity, and instructions revised to ensure all students
are challenged by the task.
– Module content has been refned and updated
– Additional feedback will be collected from students at various points in semester to help us support your
development and empowerment as a social scientist.
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2 Assessment Information
2.1 Subject Learning Outcomes
The subject will help you to develop the skills, knowledge and confdence to be a stronger academic, professional, and
(most importantly) global citizen. This subject is concerned with cultivating your curiosity, to enable you to gives
you the tools to rise up to the challenges the world faces now and in the future. We will help you to understand the
role of data and information in contemporary society, how it is created, analysed, used, and abused. The subject will
give you space to develop ”life skills” in understanding texts, communicating with people, extracting information,
numeracy, problem-solving (and scientifc thinking), and critical and creative thinking. This subject is part of the
Social Science core. This means it is a required component of your degree, but does not specifcally address the
disciplinary knowledge of your major/ minor/area of interest. You will have the responsibility of drawing the links
between subject content/skills and the work that you are doing in your other subjects (e.g. in policing, social work,
planning, criminology, sociology, etc.)

2.2 Approach to Learning
In this subject we invite you to BE CURIOUS, and help to cultivate the innate curiosity that is within each of you.
’Investigating and Communicating Social Problems’ is about empowerment. We look beyond problems, to see
challenges and opportunities. In ICSP you will be exposed to the skills and knowledge to be active citizens in the
world you want to see. ICSP will help you to develop the tools and techniques to be inquisitive and engaged social
scientists. The world around us is full of concerns, challenges and desperation. Climate change, Covid-19, racism,
unemployment, malnutrition, socio-economic inequalities, war and violence: these problems lead us to worry about
both the present and future. This subject will not solve these problems, rather it gives you the tools to rise up to the
challenges before you. We will help you to:
– Think critically about the world around you;
– Identify and challenge misinformation, disinformation, and fake news;
– Collect and analyse data to understand real social problems, and;
– Communicate more effectively in both academic, professional, and academic contexts.
PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK: This subject is inspired by the work of Paolo Freire and bell hooks. It works
with a TAP Learning Framework:
– Theory (T) are the knowledge (ideas and thoughts) that come before you. What other people write, say,
think, about the ideas and topics we discuss. This is the traditional focus of your learning.
– Action (A) is knowledge creation through practical engagement with the world. Ideas about the world don’t
only come from books. universities, and ’educated experts’. Knowledge also come from engagement with the
world around you: you must be actively engaged in the world to know the world.
– Praxis (P): Praxis is about development and empowerment beyond the traditional structures of elite education.
It is a concept developed by Paulo Freire in his work ”Pedagogy of the Oppressed” . Praxis is concerned
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with how we put learning into ’informed practice’. Praxis uses reflection to consider the connections and
disconnections between theory and action. Reflections are always personal and individual. The conscious
awareness of Praxis makes knowledge creation more signifcant, and longer lasting, and helps you to become
an empowered academic, professional and/or citizen
DELIVERY MODE: This subject has 7 modules. Each module will address each of the TAP framework. To
complete this subject successfully, you need to engaged with all three elements.
– THEORY: this is delivered through interactive vUWS content. Guided by thought questions, you will have
choice and flexibility to make your learning relevant to your interests.
– ACTION : This is delivered through group-learning and independent-learning activities. Group-learning takes
place in 2-hour tutorials (online and/or on-campus) once a fortnight. You can switch between formats each
module. independent-learning is completed in your own time on vUWS. There is no direct personal feedback
from teaching staff when you choose to learn independently, though we do monitor your engagement. For
module 1, all students complete independent learning tasks. For modules 2-7, you must choose one form of
action engagement. Attendance and Engagement are monitored in a number of ways throughout the semester.
– PRAXIS: This is undertaken through interactive vUWS content. You also develop it through completion of
assessment tasks.
Requirements for participation in online tutorials: WEBCAM and MICROPHONE. We must be able to
see and hear you. Please make an alternative choice if this is not possible – or contact the subject
coordinator BEFORE the frst tutorial.
DISCUSSION SEMINARS – MASTERY ON MONDAYS AND FRIYAY!
Bi-Weekly OPTIONAL Drop-in Seminars will be held on Mondays and Fridays. These are completely optional and
will take place on ZOOM. We will endeavour to offer the occasional drop-in on-campus as well. These are NOT
lectures: they are interactive seminars
– Mastery on Mondays is designed to develop certain academic skills of inquiry and communication (two of
the core concepts for this subject). A schedule of topics will be posted on vUWS. Students who are new to
the university, returning after a long absence, or perhaps struggling to achieve credits in assessments, will get
beneft from participating in these sessions. These are NOT lectures: they are interactive seminars
– FriYAY Sessions! The Friday sessions are designed to help you build and develop a deeper understanding of
the module content. These are relaxed sessions, where students are encourage to join with a Friday afternoon
snack and perhaps a cup of tea or coffee (or other drink!). While I may come with conversation starting points,
these sessions will go where students want them to (though I will try and keep us to the content at hand).
I generally record these sessions and post to the ICSP youtube channel . However, I do hold the right to not release
the recording if i believe the content is sensitive in nature, and/or there were too few students to generate
adequate discussion of interest to the whole subject.
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2.3 Assessment Summary
The assessment items in this Subject are designed to enable you to demonstrate that you have achieved the Subject
learning outcomes. Completion and submission of all assessment items which have been designated as mandatory or
compulsory is essential to receive a passing grade.
To pass this Subject you must:
1. Attempt all assessment tasks. You don’t have to pass all of them, but you do have to attempt them.
2. Achieve a total mark for the subject of at least 50 out of 100
If you are feeling lost, helpless, hopeless, like you are drowning, : Please reach out sooner-rather -than-later
if you feel you are at risk of not passing. Communication is the key to saving yourself

Feedback on Assessment
Feedback is an important part of the learning process that can improve your progress towards achieving the learning
outcomes. Feedback is any written or spoken response made in relation to academic work such as an assessment
task, a performance or product. It can be given to you by a teacher, an external assessor or student peer, and may
be given individually or to a group of students. As a Western Sydney University student, it is your responsibility to
seek out and act on feedback that is provided to you as a resource to further your learning.
Feedback will be provided to students on all assessments. However, you will not receive the feedback/marks for
the Praxis Journal until after the release of your Final Grade. Each assessment task has a detailed marking rubric,
which will facilitate communication between you and the subject teaching staff. We also provide comments, where
appropriate, about satisfactory/unsatisfactory performance.
All assessments are randomly allocated for marking, and then moderated by the subject coordinator. With a large
subject, this takes time – and we aim to return assessments 3 weeks after the due date. We will openly communicate
with you if there is to be a delay (this is usually health-related so please be polite). Please do not enquire about
’getting marks’ in that time: it just annoys people and defnitely does not speed up the process.
Your numerical mark for an assessment will generally follow later than qualitative feedback (a 2-day delay): we
want you to think about the other feedback frst. We also provide general feedback about the performance of the
whole class (i.e. what lots of people did well or poorly in). This subject has one of the lowest fail rates in the
School. As with all subjects, we expect the overwhelming majority of students to complete the subject successfully
(i.e. receive a credit or a pass).
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2.4 Assessment Details
2.4.1 Case Study: Data in the Real World

REFER TO VUWS FOR DETAILED ALL INSTRUCTIONS
This case study will see you explore the concepts of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, through a Case
Study (example) that relates to your everyday life. There are specifc requirements to address so make sure you
engage with ALL instructions.
Resources:
See the CASE STUDY page on vUWS (under assessments) for detailed instructions.
Extensive instructions and support will be provided in weeks 9 AND 10 (Module 5). Materials will be available on
vUWS, through ZOOM Discussion Seminars, and in Synchronous/Asynchronous ACTION tasks.
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2.4.2 Reflection: Praxis Journal

REFER TO VUWS FOR DETAILED ALL INSTRUCTIONS
The praxis journal is a way documenting your development as an academic, professional and as an active citizen. You
have the flexibility to be creative in the way that it is presented, as long as you are addressing the key requirements.
The journal should be developed weekly (or module-to-module), and not left until the last week (as you are interested
in your development, not just the end point).
Resources:
See the PRAXIS JOURNAL page on vUWS (under assessments) for detailed instructions.
Extensive instructions and support will be provided in week 1, 13 and 14. Materials will be available on vUWS,
through ZOOM Discussion Seminars, and in Synchronous/Asynchronous ACTION tasks.
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2.4.3 Report: Community Strengths and Needs Assessment

REFER TO VUWS FOR ALL INSTRUCTIONS
This task is designed to introduce you to the social science research process through a real life research project. To
complete this task successfully, you are strongly encouraged to meet the recommended deadlines for each section.
You will need to act ethically, and come at the task with curiosity and the understanding the fnal results are unknown.
Resources:
See the REPORT page on vUWS (under assessments) for detailed instructions.
Extensive instructions and support will be provided in weeks 2-8. Materials will be available on vUWS, through
ZOOM Discussion Seminars, and in Synchronous/Asynchronous ACTION tasks
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2.5 General Submission Requirements
Submission
– All assignments must be submitted by the specifed due date and time.
– Complete your assignment and follow the individual assessment item instructions on how to submit. You must
keep a copy of all assignments submitted for marking.
Turnitin
– The Turnitin plagiarism prevention system may be used within this Subject. Turnitin is accessed via logging
into vUWS for the Subject. If Turnitin is being used with this Subject, this means that your assignments have
to be submitted through the Turnitin system. Turnitin is a web-based text-matching software that identifes
and reports on similarities between documents. It is also widely utilised as a tool to improve academic writing
skills. Turnitin compares electronically submitted papers against the following:
– Current and archived web: Turnitin currently contains over 24 billion web pages including archived pages
– Student papers: including Western Sydney University student submissions since 2007
– Scholarly literature: Turnitin has partnered with leading content publishers, including library databases,
text-book publishers, digital reference collections and subscription-based publications (e.g. Gale, Proquest,
Emerald and Sage)
– Turnitin is used by over 30 universities in Australia and is increasingly seen as an industry standard. It is
an important tool to assist students with their academic writing by promoting awareness of plagiarism. By
submitting your work using this link you are certifying that:
– You hold a copy of this submission if the original is lost or damaged.
– No part of this submission has been copied from any other student’s work or from any other source except
where due acknowledgement is made in the submission.
– No part of this submission has been submitted by you in another (previous or current) assessment, except where appropriately referenced, and with prior permission from the teacher/tutor/supervisor/Subject
Coordinator for this subject.
– No part of this submission has been written/produced for you by any other person except where collaboration has been authorised by the teacher/tutor/supervisor/Subject Coordinator concerned.
– You are aware that this submission will be reproduced and submitted to plagiarism detection software
programs for the purpose of detecting possible plagiarism (which may retain a copy on its database for
future plagiarism checking).
– You are aware that this submission may be de-identifed and reproduced in part or in full as an example
for future students.
– You will not make this submission available to any other person unless required by the University.
Self-Plagiarising
– You are to ensure that no part of any submitted assignment for this Subject or product has been submitted by
yourself in another (previous or current) assessment from any Subject, except where appropriately referenced,
and with prior permission from the Lecturer/Tutor/Subject Coordinator of this Subject.
Late Submission
– If you submit a late assessment, without receiving approval for an extension of time, (see next item), you will
be penalised by 10% per day for up to 10 days. In other words, marks equal to 10% of the assignment’s weight
will be deducted from the mark awarded.
– For example, if the highest mark possible is 50, 5 marks will be deducted from your awarded mark for each late
day.
– Saturday and Sunday are counted as one calendar day each.
– Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students.
– This is consistent with Western Sydney University’s Assessment Policy
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Extension of Due Date for Submission
A student may apply for an extension of the due date for an assessment task if extenuating circumstances outside their
control, and sufciently grave in nature or duration, cause signifcant disruption to their capacity to study effectively.
To apply for an extension of assessment, please go to https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/currentstudents/current_
students/forms for guidance on how to lodge a request for consideration by the Subject Coordinator/Convenor.
Extension requests can be lodged before, on or no later than 5.00pm two working days after the due date of the
assessment task.
Application forms must be submitted to the Subject Coordinator/Convenor. Requests for extension should be made
as early as possible and submitted within policy deadlines. Appropriate, supporting documentation must be submitted
with the application. An application for an extension does not automatically mean that an extension will be granted.
Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students.
Resubmission
Resubmission of assessment items will not normally be granted if requested.
Disruption to Studies
It is strongly recommended that you attend all scheduled learning activities to support your learning. The University
will provide students who have experienced a serious and unavoidable disruption to their studies a Disruption to
Studies provision, which is an opportunity to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes for the subject.
To be eligible for a Disruption to Studies Provision, the disruption must impact your studies for at least three
consecutive days. More information, including how to apply for a Disruption to Studies, can be found on the
University website https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/currentstudents/current_students/services_and_facilities/
special_consideration
Supplementary Assessments
A student may be eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment after the ofcial notifcation of fnal Subject
results. Please see the Procedures Section of the WSU Assessment Policyfor details of eligibility and the application
process.
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3 Teaching and Learning Activities

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The above timetable should be used as a guide only, as it is subject to change. Students will be advised of any changes as they become known on the Subject’s vUWS site.
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4 Learning Resources
4.1 Recommended Readings
Additional Reading
Bryman, A. (2022). Social research methods. New York, NY : Oxford University Press (any edition is fne)
Freire, P., 2000. Pedagogy of the oppressed 30th anniversary., New York: Continuum. (ANY EDITION IS FINE)
hooks, b. (1990). Choosing the margin as a space of radical openness. in hooks, b. Yearning : race, gender, and
cultural politics. Boston, South End Press: 145-153.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress : education as the practice of freedom. New York, Routledge.
hooks, b. (2009). Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, Taylor & Francis.
Rittel, H. W. J. and M. M. Webber (1973). ”Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning.” Policy Sciences 4(2):
155-169.
Verlie, B (2022) ’Learning to Live with Climate Change: From Anxiety to Transformation’ (online) Routledge 2022
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