LibGuides: Humanities: Civics and Citizenship

Creating references

Referencing or citing your sources is an important part of academic writing and research. It lets you acknowledge the ideas or words of others and helps avoid plagiarism.

Click on the Online reference generator image above to create reference citations for your bibliography.

Notetaking

One effective strategy for improving retention is note taking – not just because you’ll have a written record to refer to in the future, but also because the actual act of taking notes can help cement concepts in your mind. There is no single way of taking notes. Browse these resources to find what suits you.

Tips on how to organise the information you've read into a useful set of notes State Library of Victoria - Ergo

Once you've read this, watch the Cornell Method video. This is an excellent strategy.

Note-taking (University of Melbourne)

Fake News

Read the above infographic to check if a news article is fake or not. Click on the image for more comprehensive information about the many ways an article or website might present false or misleading information.

How is Fake News created?
This is another video in the series on digital literacy from Clickview which examines the many ways fake news is generated. A useful resource for when conducting research.

Democracy

Australian values

Australian values
Australian government website that provides an outline of Australian values as being part of our democracy with links to the Australian Values Statement.
Australian Values
A website that includes a series of videos of Australians from different backgrounds and culture talking about the work and activities they participate in and how these link to Australian values.

Explanation of Australian Values
A table explaining common Australian values such as freedom of speech and shared values.

Australian democracy

MoAD student resources
MoAD's classroom resources provides links to different methods used to influence change.
Be the change
This is an interactive about becoming an effective agent of change through civic action in a local community. Users learn a number of practical ways to take democratic action on issues. The context is an abandoned block of land located in an area with a range of issues, such as youth unemployment and environment concerns. ...

Passport to democracy
An interactive website that show you the steps to creating change in a democracy.

Justice in Australia

Federal Parliament
The Australian federal parliament website which outlines different forms of justice in Australian governments with information on the roles of the Senate, Lower House and the constitution.
Lady Justice
An explanation of the symbolism of Lady Justice and of how the statue relates to a court of law.

An explanation of the Uluru statement from the heart and the campaign for justice for indigenous representation in the Australian constitution.

Books in the library

Books that inspire change
There are many ways to inspire change.

Activism and protest
This is a multi-user e-book which means there's no limit to the number of people using it at the same time.

Choosing an issue

Username: clonardcollege; Password: issues

Use Echo to locate a range of media covering contemporary issues.

Issues in Society

Each book in the Issues in Society series targets a specific social issue and comprises a thoroughly researched compilation of the latest news, facts, statistics and commentary from trusted sources. Many titles cover a range of opinions on controversial topics, providing the perfect platform to provoke debate, stimulate critical analysis and encourage further research.

These are available as both print and ebooks.

Click here for access to the ebooks

Weblinks for students

Check out Spinney Press's hand-picked websites that have must-read information for your issue.

NewsBank’s Special Reports are news articles, images, maps and other useful content grouped for convenience under specific topics and themes. They enable users to quickly locate information while helping them gain better insight into current global issues and events. Tends to focus on the U.S.A.

Access to NewsBank:

Username: Clonard; Password: clonard

Planning a campaign for change

Direct action
Direct action can involve civil disobedience and civil resistance. It often includes marches and protests such as climate change protests.

A History of petitions
A history of some petitions in Australia and overseas which also includes information on how to create a petition.
Chang.org
Information from change.org on how to create an online petition.

Social media campaigns
more...less...
A useful resource on what to do and not do when creating a social media campaign,

Oxfam Poster resource
A resource from Oxfam on a history of campaign posters with suggestions of how to create your own campaign posters.

History of campaigns

ACF
Background information on the Franklin River blockade from the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Vaping in Australia
A useful resource on vaping in Australia, current legislation laws with a link to why young people are attracted to vaping.
Why the ban on nicotine vape fluid will do more harm than good.
An outline of arguments in reference to new legislation on vaping and why this strategy might not be successful.
John Safran and Puff Piece
A review of John Safran's book, Puff Piece and the role tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris plays in vaping.
A nationwide school uniform policy?
School uniform policies have been revised and updated over recent years. The debate has involved parents, students, school staff and a range of commentators. It is an example of an issue that continues to be relevant and which affects a range of people.
Why do schools want students to look the same?
An article outlining the limitations of a school uniform on diversity and cultural background as well as encouraging conformity.
Slip, slop, slap
Information about the hugely successful slip,slop,slap campaign from the 1970s to combat skin cancers in Australia.