Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Content

Topics and content may include (but are not limited to) the following themes, issues and questions in the arts, humanities, and social sciences: 

• Infamous scandals over truth, lies or imposture 
• Explorations of evidence, misinformation and deceit 
• What is a fact, and who produced the evidence behind it? 
• Situations when there’s not ‘one truth’ or the truth is contested or misremembered. 
• Moral panic or social hysteria: when people believe something to be true when it is not, or because its importance has been disproportionally exaggerated. 
• Investigating the use of propaganda and censorship 
• Controversies over technology, eg deepfakes and artificial intelligence 
• How do factors like cultural perspectives, social norms or forms of prejudice shape what individuals and societies accept to be true? 
• How do power relations influence the types of questions that might be asked or valued in particular societies? 

Skills developed in this unit include:  

• Inquiry skills in the arts, humanities and social science disciplines 
• Recognising and incorporating Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and global Indigenous perspectives to enhance the scope and quality of inquiry. 
• Creating a habit of asking the right questions about sources of information 
• Asking questions to elicit credible and authentic information 
• Finding online sources of information 
• Identifying fallacies of logic 
• Examining resources for news and media literacy 
• Acquiring information literacy 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit embraces active learning, including collaborative enquiry-based learning, delivered face-to-face with appropriate online components. Compulsory attendance is essential as the interactive nature of tutorials and collaborative activities cannot be replicated through independent study. In-person participation ensures students engage in real-time discussion, receive immediate feedback, and benefit from peer learning opportunities that are fundamental to developing critical thinking skills.

The unit develops foundational skills for effective investigation, critical analysis, evaluation and communication across the arts, humanities and social sciences through structured learning activities and formal assessments. Lectures provide core content and begin the process of exploring it, while tutorials follow-up with more detailed explanation and exploration of sources and case studies. Regular attendance ensures students experience the scaffolded progression of concepts and maintain engagement with evolving discussions.

The unit scaffolds skill development through three key areas. First, students build strategies for locating, interpreting and interrogating information sources across disciplinary contexts. Second, it introduces approaches to critically examining sources, asking productive questions, and detecting strengths and weaknesses of different data and evidence forms. Finally, students develop abilities to articulate and communicate findings for academic and other audiences by constructing coherent, engaging arguments in various formats.