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Unit of study_
MECO6913: Public Opinion, Policy and Public Sphere
2025 unit information
This unit analyses the relationship between professional communication and public opinion. It focuses on theories of influence and persuasion in the context of the development of policy, and how these are reflected in the public sphere. It develops the notion of the public sphere as represented by Habermas, Fraser, Schudson and others, focusing in particular on the transformation of the public sphere in terms of postmodern public relations.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Media and Communications |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. research and analyse the roles of various stakeholders, including states, NGOs and other civil society actors in the formation of public policy
- LO2. critically assess the communication approaches, strategies and tactics these stakeholders employ
- LO3. reflect on the role of the professional communicator in influencing public opinion and legitimating policy
- LO4. interrogate theoretical positions and assumptions regarding the concept of the public sphere and processes of public opinion formation in a postmodern context
- LO5. employ theoretical frameworks to analyse political communication
- LO6. collaborate in discussion, debate and role-play on issues of global policy governance.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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