Det universitet som jag skall åka till heter Macquarie University och ligger i norra Sydney. Det har blivit rankat som ett av de bästa universiteten  i Australien. När man läser om själva skolan så får jag bilden av att det är ett bra universitet att åka som utbytestudent till eftersom de verkar vara mycket internationella studenter som studerar där. För mig känns det som en säkerthet, det känns viktigt att veta att man kan få bra med information och hjälp med saker som rör skolan. Det är inte alltid så lätt att komma i stort sätt själv till ett helt nytt land på andra sidan jordklotet och förstå sig på hur saker och ting fungerar.

 

Själva universitetsområdet verkar vara enormt (http://www.mq.edu.au/on_campus/maps/campus_map/) där finns typ allt man behöver och lite till, till och med ett sjukhus.. Det verkar även ligga i ett grönt och fint område, av det jag har läst om det så får jag känslan av att det är lite som en oas i storstadslivet.. men det återstår att se!

Där finns även så man kan bo på själva campus, men det kostar nästan 2500 kr i veckan vilket jag tycker är lite väl mycket pengar då man även får dela kök med andra. Jag bor gärna i ett kollektiv eller dyligt men inte för 10000 kr i månaden..

 

Men i alla fall, de kurser som jag har blivit antagen till är;

States and nations "Why do we often think that the citizens of each state form, collectively, a nation? Why do we think that this nation speaks or makes its will known through elections? How are nations related to states? Since 1914 new states have been continuously created and their existence justified on the basis of the principle of national self-determination. This unit examines the history of the principle, its theoretical justifications and its application in practice. Among the questions discussed are: What makes a group of people a nation? How did the principle of self-determination become a principle of International Law? How was this principle used to justify decolonisation? Do the Indigenous peoples have a right to self-determination? Is there a right to secede and form a separate state? Will this principle be eventually abandoned within a united Europe?"

 

War and peace in world history "This unit looks at the ways in which issues of war and peace are shaped by specific cultural and historical conditions that can only be understood in broader international context. While war can be viewed purely in terms of military strategy and through the lens of advancing armies, it also has wider social, economic and cultural meanings that situate men and women as historical actors in the formation of cultures and societies and the construction of new world orders. By looking at the many situations in which wars have been fought across the world under the banner of political cause, national freedom, dynastic and religious crusade, we ponder the ways in which war is the arena in which national and imperial memory has been forged. Our travels will take us to Britain, India, Germany, the United States of America, South Africa, Japan, Algeria, Vietnam, New Zealand and Australia to look at the role of war in the construction of historical memory. We also pay particular attention to the experiences of women in war, to the colonial context of much international conflict and to the moral questions that arise from notions such as winning and losing."

 

Policy making in a Global era "The study of public policy has traditionally been focused on the nation-state, and policy-making activities at the domestic level. With the growing recognition of the impact and extent of globalisation, policy scholars are increasingly concerned about the apparently diminishing capacity of the nation-state to determine its own policy directions. This unit reflects critically on this debate around globalisation and the state, and explores the impact of international institutions, interests and ideas on domestic policy-making. The unit examines direct and indirect, coercive and voluntary mechanisms of policy transfer and policy diffusion, and intergovernmental cooperation and coordination"

 

Globalisation and Culture (verkar dock ha bytt namn till; Globalisation, religion, conflict)"Mass communications, technological advances and the emergence of mass tourism as a result of low cost transportation are powerful forces for cultural change in the contemporary world. For anthropology the globalisation thesis raises important questions about culture; how are we to understand cultures previously understood as bounded entities in a globalising world, and how might we theorise the relationship between the particular or local and the global? Some commentators argue that globalisation is nothing more than the spread of the West; that it is Americanisation or McDonalisation. Others argue that culture does not move only from the 'West to the rest' but flows freely and in multiple directions. History shows us that culture has always been dynamic and changing yet there are certain features that characterise the 'modern', 'late modern' or 'post-modern' world in which we live. In this unit we will draw on a variety of cultural phenomenon such as film, music, food and religion to examine critically some of the issues which are raised by the globalisation thesis. We will look at the 'speeding-up' of the world in terms of our experience of time and space. And we will consider the possibility of alternative or parallel modernities."

 

Development Studies; "The Antropology of international aid."Based on lessons from practical experience in development programs, this unit considers the question: why do aid programs designed to help people in the developing world often fall short of their intended goals? Students will come to understand donor-driven development as both a way of thinking and a set of practices that affect recipient populations in profound ways. We begin with theories of what makes 'development' take place and why some theorists believe development itself does more harm than good. We will examine different models for helping people in poor countries and show how the complexity of international and national relations at the macro-level and social relations at the micro-level makes this such a difficult process. We then explore specific themes in the contemporary practice of 'doing development' such as the changing rhetoric and practices of donor agencies, structural adjustment and China's increasing impact, debt crisis and poverty alleviation, NGOs and community empowerment, gender and social vulnerability, fair trade and sustainability, resettlement, and dealing with unforeseen circumstances."

 

Varje kurs är på 3 units, skall totalt läsa 12 units för att få mina motsvarande 30 hp (en termin) just nu har jag har 15 units så en av dessa kurserna kommer jag förmodligen inte läsa. Vilken återstår att se, har fått veta att egentligen vet man inte vad man kommer läsa för något förens man är på plats då scheman och sådant ändras hela tiden. Sen kommer ju alla kurserna gå parallelt och man tentar av allt den sista månaden. Detta tycker jag är lite skrämmande, det är ett studiesätt jag inte är van vid. Här i Sverige läser vi ju i block, det vill säga vi läser 7,5 poäng åt gången och tentar sedan av en kurs i taget. Men förhoppningsvis så anpassar man sig till det här systmet oxå.

 

Nu blev det ett väldigt långt inlägg, men det är i alla fall lite information om vad jag skall göra under mina fem månader i Australien.

Nästa inlägg blir nog om vad jag kommer göra mina första veckor, typ en liten resplan.

 

/ Sophie