Outline

Overview

The unit introduces students to debates about the nature and limits of Australian democracy, to the major institutions of Australian politics, and to the distribution of power in Australian society. Major institutions and forces such as parliament, executive government, the federal system, political parties and the media are examined as arenas of power, conflict and consensus. Who rules How Which groups are excluded

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Government and International Relations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	GOVT1101
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Stewart Jackson, stewart.jackson@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Tutorial quiz	Quiz Short quiz on critical knowledge of topic #earlyfeedbacktask	5%	Week 03 Due date: 16 Aug 2024 at 23:59	175wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz Short quiz on critical knowledge of topic	5%	Week 04 Due date: 23 Aug 2024 at 23:59	175wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz Short quiz on critical knowledge of topic	5%	Week 06 Due date: 06 Sep 2024 at 23:59	175wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical Essay Critical analysis on specific topic (subject as provided)	30%	Week 08 Due date: 20 Sep 2024 at 23:59	1400wds
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz Short quiz on critical knowledge of topic	5%	Week 10 Due date: 11 Oct 2024 at 23:59	175wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final Essay Critical research essay assessing key arguments to a specific topic	50%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2024 at 23:59	2400wds
Outcomes assessed:

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Short Quiz: short quiz to test critical knowledge (x4)

Critical Analysis: provide a critical analysis of a specific topic in Australian politics

Final Research Essay: Use the previous task to research and critically analyse an specific argument (as presented by political leaders) on a specific topic in Australian politics

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the assessment at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.
Absent fail	0 - 49	When you haven’t completed all assessment tasks or met the attendance requirements.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: Pre-history and invasion Brief intro to unit. Setting the scene - what came before and how this changed post-invasion.	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 02	The Colonial framework - governing firstly a colonial outpost, and then an early liberal democracy	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 03	Federalism and state politics: what role do states play in a federated structure, and why this is still important	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 04	Prime Ministers & the Executive: the role of ministers and the Prime Minister - but not a President?!	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 05	Australia's parliament's: how did they emerge and how have they changed - and why change happens	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 06	Elections: why we have them and why they are important (and what happens!)	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 07	Parties: how they evolved and what they are now - a system or a clique?	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 08	Issues that test federalism: a case study of COVID	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 09	State responses to non-state actors: social movements in Australlia	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 10	The Australian media and its role in Australian politics	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 11	Australian politics in the 21st century - more of the same?	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 12	Australia in the world: being a middling power in an uncertain world	Block teaching (3 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion and review	Block teaching (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences requires 90% attendance at their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold. If you have reasons for extended or repeated class absences, you should talk to your tutor so they can get supporting evidence from you and assist you with supplementary material.
Lecture recording: Lectures will be recorded and made available to students on Canvas. Unless you cannot attend lectures in person, you should not rely on lecture recordings as a substitute for your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Undertaking the prescribed readings each week is an essential part of the learning process for this unit of study, particularly in preparation for the tutorials and the assessment tasks.

Further details of the weekly readings can be found on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Identify different approaches to defining the nature and scope of politics in Australia
LO2. Apply foundational political concepts and theories to specific examples of Australian politics
LO3. Apply critical reading skills to sources in political theory and recognise their application in an Australian context
LO4. Find and draw information from a range of sources, including digital sources, to develop political analysis
LO5. Discuss fundamental issues in Australian politics with others in a constructive and analytical way

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Information provided following the running of the unit in 2023 has led to a change in types of assessment, particularly the inclusion of quizzes and changes to the second assessment task to improve clarity of purpose.

Additional information

UNIT SCHEDULE

Week	Week beginning	Lecture [content]	Tutorial
1	29 July	Introduction: Pre-history and invasion
2	05 August	The colonial framework for governing	Governing a liberal democracy?
3	12 August	Federalism and State Politics	Role of states
4	19 August	Prime Ministers & power	Yes Prime Minister
5	26 August	Australia’s Parliaments	Experimentation and change
6	02 September	Elections	Elections
7	09 September	Political parties – now and then	Political parties
8	16 September	A case in point: issues that test federalism	Case Study: COVID
9	23 September	Pressure from below and state responses	Social Movements & state resistance
BREAK	30 Sept. – 4 Oct.	MID-SEMESTER BREAK
10	07 October	Australian Media	Australian media
11	14 October	Australian politics in the 21st century	More of the same?
12	21 October	Australia in the world	Australia in the world
13	28 October	Conclusion and Course Review	Course review
STUVAC	4 - 8 November	STUVAC
EXAMS	11 - 23 November	EXAM PERIOD

* NB: Public holiday on Monday 7 October.

TUTORIAL AND ASSESSMENTS SCHEDULE

Week beginning	Tutorial Topic	Assessment
29 July	No tutorials
05 August	Governing a liberal democracy?	Early Feedback Task (Quiz)
12 August	Role of states
19 August	Yes Prime Minister	Quiz
26 August	Experimentation and change
02 September	Elections	Quiz
09 September	Political parties
30 Sept. – 4 Oct.	MID-SEMESTER BREAK
16 September	Case study: COVID	Critical Essay Due
23 September	Social movements and state resistance
07 October	Australian media	Quiz
14 October	More of the same?
21 October	Australia in the world
28 October	Course Review	Final Essay Due
4 - 8 November	STUVAC
11 - 23 November	EXAM PERIOD

READING SCHEDULE

Week beginning	Readings (Chapters from Chen etal 2021)
29 July
05 August	A short political history of Australia
12 August	Commonwealth-State relations
19 August	Executive government Political leadership
26 August	Parliaments of Australia
02 September	Electoral systems Voter behaviour
09 September	The Australian party system
16 September	Crisis governance and COVID 19
23 September	Pressure groups Social movements
30 Sept. – 4 Oct.	Mid-Semester Break
07 October	Media and democracy
14 October	Indigenous politics Young people and politics
21 October
28 October
4 - 8 November	Stu-Vac
11 - 23 November	Exam Period

Readings taken from: Perche, D., Barry, N., Fenna, A., Ghazarian, Z & Haigh, Y. (eds) (2024). Australian Politics and Policy. Sydney: Sydney University Press.

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Week beginning	Readings
29 July
05 August	Edmonds, P. and Carey, J. (2016). Australian settler colonialism over the long nineteenth century. In E. Cavanagh & L Veracini (eds). The Routledge handbook of the history of settler colonialism. London: Routledge (pp. 397-416).
12 August
19 August	Saunders, B. (2020). Responsible government, statutory authorities and the Australian constitution. Federal Law Review, 48(1), 4-29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0067205X19890445
26 August
02 September	Liñeira, R., & Riera, P. (2024). Why do majoritarian systems benefit the right? Income groups and vote choice across different electoral systems. Political Science Research and Methods, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2024.18
09 September
30 Sept. – 4 Oct.	Mid-Semester Break
16 September	Fenna, A. (2022). Australian federalism and the COVID-19 crisis. In R. Chattopadhyay, F. Knüpling, D. Chebenova, L. Whittington, P. Gonzalez (eds). Federalism and the response to COVID-19. Abingdon UK: Routledge (pp. 17-29).
23 September
07 October	Lidberg, J. (2019). The distortion of the Australian public sphere: Media ownership concentration in Australia. AQ-Australian Quarterly, 90(1), 12-20.
14 October	Moreton-Robinson, A. (2020). Incommensurable sovereignties: Indigenous ontology matters. In B. Hokowhitu, A, Moreton-Robinson, L. Tuhiwai-Smith, C. Andersen, & S. Larkin (eds). Routledge handbook of critical indigenous studies. (pp. 257-268). London: Routledge. (pp. 257-268).
21 October
28 October
4 - 8 November	Stu-Vac
11 - 23 November	Exam Period

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

GOVT1102: Introduction to Australian Politics

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

UNIT SCHEDULE

TUTORIAL AND ASSESSMENTS SCHEDULE

READING SCHEDULE

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Disclaimer

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