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Unit outline_

GOVT3653: The Australian Political Party System

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The unit examines the Australian party system, including colonial-era pre-party politics, the development of major parties (Labor, Liberal and National) and minor parties (Greens, One Nation etc), parties and ideology, parties and social movements, internal party politics, parties and the law, parties and elections, parties and parliamentary politics, and parties and public policy. Emphasis is placed on how theoretical and comparative models of political parties help to explain Australian party politics.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Government and International Relations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in International Relations or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Politics or 12 senior credit points from Government and International Relations
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
GOVT2114 or GOVT2104
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Sarah Cameron, sarah.cameron@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Sarah Cameron, sarah.cameron@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Jordan McSwiney, jordan.mcswiney@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Participation Participation
n/a
10% - Whole semester
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Final exam Take-home exam
1500 words
30% Formal exam period 2.5+ hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Digital review
n/a
20% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2020 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Assignment Essay
n/a
40% Week 11
Due date: 13 May 2020 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Assessment summary

  • Digital review:  You will be required to develop a detailed critical evaluation of how one political party operates in the federal arena – in the digital space.
  • Essay: You will be required to choose between writing a briefing paper for a political party or answering a provided essay question.  
  • Tutorial participation: Students are expected to attend a tutorial each week, have read all the required readings and then actively participate in the discussion and exercises set by your tutor.
  • Exam: The exam will contain short and medium answer questions, designed to test students’ knowledge of theoretical and empirical issues surrounding Australian political parties.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction: Political parties in Australia Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 02 The Australian Labor Party Lecture (2 hr)  
Introduction: Political parties in Australia Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 03 The Liberal-National Coalition Lecture (2 hr)  
The two major parties Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 04 The Greens / Far-right parties Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 05 Micro-parties and independents / The relevance of parties today Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 06 Campaigns Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 07 Leaders and representatives Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 08 Documentary week 'The Killing Season' Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 09 Voter behaviour (I) Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 10 Voter behaviour (II) Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 11 Party government Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 12 Party reform Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  
Week 13 Review and conclusions Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of 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.
  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute 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

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

  • Required textbook: Miragliotta, N., Gauja, A. & Smith, R. (Eds). (2015). Contemporary Australian Political Party Organisations. Melbourne: Monash University Press.

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.

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

  • LO1. Develop an understanding of the political party system in Australia, including major and minor parties, how they developed over time, and their relevance for Australian politics today.
  • LO2. Develop an understanding of the role of political parties in the Australian political system including the selection of leaders and candidates, election campaigns, what explains voting for the different parties, and what parties do in government.
  • LO3. Develop an understanding of challenges to Australia's party system, potential reforms, and how Australia's party system compares to other democracies.
  • LO4. Develop skills to critically analyse political parties in Australia, including demonstrating an understanding of key concepts and being able to situate Australia in a broader cross-national context.
  • LO5. Develop written and oral communication skills through completion of assignments and participation in tutorials.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

New content has been integrated on party leaders, and voter behaviour.

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.