POLIS 1101 - Introduction to Australian Politics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

Politics affect you everyday - the conditions you live and work under, your identity, your security, the values and fears you possess, and ultimately your expectations as a citizen and your place in the world. This course will provide an introduction to the Australian political system in its social and economic context. Students will also be introduced to relevant theoretical debates in a range of areas. Topics covered include: power, national identity, political parties, interest groups, environmental issues, the media, class, gender, race, ethnicity, technology, the impact of economic globalisation, political institutions, democracy and elections. The course will address the major forces that are influencing and shaping the Australian political environment.

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Course Details

Course Code	POLIS 1101
Course	Introduction to Australian Politics
Coordinating Unit	Politics and International Relations
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	POLI 1101
Assessment	Minor Essay (15%) 800 words, Major Essay (40%) 1800 Words, Tutorial Participation (15%), Tests totalling (30%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Wayne Errington

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Weekly lectures consist of one online lecture (via MyUni) and one face to face lecture (see the timetable).

Course Learning Outcomes

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	Critically analyse some of the key concepts in Australian political science
2	Participate in group discussions about contested concepts with confidence and with tolerance for other points of view
3	Evaluate subjective claims about Australian politics
4	Write and argue about these claims using the basic terminology of social science
5	Navigate the large amounts of research material available in this subject through both traditional academic sources and through the use of information technology

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,2,3,4
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,3,4
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	2
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	2
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2,3
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	2

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Students need to purchase a textbook and access additional set reading via MyUni.

The textbook is available from Unibooks:
Miragliotta, Narelle, Wayne Errington and Nicholas Barry. 2013. The Australian Political System in Action. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Recommended Resources

The following texts will help you revise the key concepts across the course:

Eccleston, Richard, Paul Williams and Robyn Hollander. 2006. Foundations of Australian Politics, Pearson Longman, Melbourne.

Smith, Rodney, Ariadne Vromen and Ian Cook 2006. Keywords in Australian Politics,
Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.

Lists of further reading for each topic will be available on the MyUni site for POLIS 1101.

Awareness of contemporary Australian politics is an essential part of the course. Keep up with state and national politics by reading a daily newspaper, and watching/listening to current affairs programs.

Online Learning

The POLIS 1101 MyUni site contains announcements, copies of many course materials such as lecture material, a further reading list, a discussion forum, and links to useful web sites. You should check this site regularly.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The online lectures outline the material to be discussed in each week’s tutorials. The tutorials are your opportunity to ensure that you understand the key concepts as we move through the course.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

2 x 1-hour lectures (or equivalent) per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week	12 hours per semester
6 hours reading per week	72 hours per semester
2 hours research per week	24 hours per semester
2 hours assignment preparation per week	24 hours per semester
TOTAL WORKLOAD	156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Introduction: Liberalism and Democracy
Week 2	Elections: Electoral Systems
Week 3	Parties and the Party System: - The Australian Labor Party - The Liberal Party of Australia
Week 4	Parties and the Party System: - The Greens - Minor Parties and Independents
Week 5	Social Movements: Power
Week 6	Responsible Government: The Constitution
Week 7	Parliament: 1975
Week 8	Executive Power: Accountability
Week 9	Public Policy
Week 10	Media Power: Media and Accountability
Week 11	Nationalism and Religion
Week 12	Review and test preparation

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Small Group Discovery	Formative and Summative	25%	1,2,4
Weekly online quizzes	Formative and Summative	10%	1,3,4,5
Major essay	Formative and Summative	40%	1,3,4,5
Key concepts test	Summative	25%	1,3,4,5

Assessment Detail

Information on enrolment.

Submission

Information on enrolment.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator