POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Politics is about people and the way we interact with and influence one another. It’s also about the fundamental principles and beliefs we all hold, and the way these determine our behaviour and decision-making. All of us experience politics in our personal and professional lives. When we study Politics we look at how these relationships and beliefs actually play out in society and how they determine the way our government operates. Students at Notre Dame will find a close connection between our Politics and Social Justice units because we believe that it is essential to take the time to consider what politics should seek to achieve. Notre Dame’s Politics program also has a strong focus on International Relations.  Global events today affect us much more directly than ever before. We can no longer understand our political system in Australia without appreciating how international events shape our daily lives. Our Politics and International Relations units are designed to give students a practical and insightful understanding of the theoretical and actual basis of our system of government and where we stand internationally.		Back to Arts and Sciences Fremantle | Sydney
		Units eligible
		Unit descriptions
		Degree Planner
		Internships
		Study Abroad
		Experience the World
		Honours
		Double Degrees available
		Postgraduate Study

Graduates of the Politics and International Relations program will be able to apply the skills they learn in a whole range of areas, including politics, diplomacy, government, business, and the non-government sector.  The Politics and International Relations program also provides an excellent pathway to postgraduate research opportunities, including a Diploma of Education (DipEd), Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Students of Notre Dame’s Politics and International Relations program also have an opportunity to engage in exciting and unique opportunities which extend their learning experience and equip them with additional professional and life skills.  A key component of the Politics and International Relations program is an Internship in an area relevant to the student’s interests, which may see them placed in a parliamentary office, museum or library, or see them research and write for an interest group.

There are also wonderful opportunities for students to travel while taking this course.  These include Study Abroad opportunities in which Politics and International Relations students may seek to take a Congressional Internship in Washington DC, or which may take them on an intensive overseas study tour with other History and Politics students of the University.

POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS UNITS

Politics and International Relations units are run on a two-year rotation and are streamed into the key areas of

• Australian Politics;
• International Relations; and
• Political Theories and Ideas.

Eight approved units are required for a major in Politics and International Relations; six approved units are required for a minor.

The following units can be counted towards a Politics and International Relations major or minor.

Required Units
All students undertaking a Major, Minor or Specialisation in Politics and International Relations are required to complete the following foundation units:

PL1000	Introduction to World Politics
PL1001	Politics, Governance and Democracy in Australia

Elective Units
A wide range of units are available for students to choose from to complete their Major or Minor in Politics and International Relations.  These units can also be completed by students who wish to undertake just a few units in Politics or International Relations within their degrees.

Popular Politics and International Relations electives include the following:

JS315	Inside the Politics of Global Development
JS319	The Social Implications of Globalism
LS306	Managing the Environment: Political, Social and Legal Issues
PL 3021	History and Politics of South-East Asia
PL 3022	The Modern Middle East
PL 3023	Strategy, Security and Diplomacy
PL3003	Setting the Agenda: The media and politics
PL3006	Public Policy and Practice: The business of Government
PL3007	Home and Away: Comparative political systems
PL3012	The Politics and History of Genocide
PL3014	Terrorism and Intelligence
PL3017	Screening History and the politics of moving pictures
PL3024	USA Foreign Policy since 1945

For a full list of all Politics and International Relations units and for the full requirements of your Major or Minor, please see the Majors and Minors lists published by the School of Arts and Sciences on its homepage, and our Units on Offer.

SPECIAL INTEREST UNITS

The Politics and International Relations Major and Minor offer unique opportunities for students to engage in work integrated learning and learning abroad.  Such units available to students in the Politics program include the following:

PL3008	Politics Internship
AL301	Experience the World overseas study tours
AL302	Experience the World Caritas and Kimberley immersions
JS317	Social Justice, Service Learning and Community Engagement

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS, UNITS ON OFFER and DEGREE PLANNERS

The following resources are published on the School’s homepage and provide information regarding unit availability, unit content and program requirements:

• Units on Offer
• Majors, Minors and Specialisations lists
• Degree Planners
• Unit Descriptions

INTERNSHIPS

Students of a range of Arts majors, including Politics and International Relations, History, Communications, Legal Studies and Theatre Studies, may be eligible to conduct an Internship as part of their degree.  Offered in Semester Two each year, the Internship takes the place of one unit and places the student on location within government or private industry. Students can hope to acquire helpful professional skills as part of the Internship, apply the learning they have so far gained in their discipline area at University, and develop personal and professional networks which may assist them in future employment. It is recommended that you undertake your internship in a workplace environment which is related to your major.

Contact the Internships coordinator in your school for more information.

STUDY ABROAD

The Study Abroad program allows Notre Dame’s Politics and International Relations students to spend one semester of their degree at an overseas university in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe or Asia while gaining full credit in their degree at home.  Some students may be eligible for a Student Exchange Scholarship to help reduce the cost of airfares, accommodation and other expenses.

History and Politics and International Relations students may be particularly interested in Boston College, considered to be one of the United States’ forty best universities; or the Catholic University of America in Washington, at which Notre Dame students may participate in a Congressional internship program.

For more information please contact Notre Dame’s Study Abroad office.

EXPERIENCE THE WORLD

A variety of opportunities for extended scholarly and service learning exist for those students conducting a degree in Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences.  Participation in these programs will provide students with additional professional and life skills that will not only enrich their learning experience at University, but will make their degree more marketable and attractive on completion.

History and Politics overseas study tours
Students of History and Politics and International Relations can take advantage of Notre Dame’s overseas study tours and count the unit directly towards their degree major or minor. 

Notre Dame’s own lecturers take students to such overseas locations as New York, Spain and Washington for up to four weeks where an intensive study program is conducted regarding the History and Politics of the city or country being visited.  This program is often done in partnership with overseas universities and provides an amazing opportunity to combine study and travel.

East Kimberley Community Immersion
Students of such Arts and Sciences majors as Social Justice, Politics, History, Communications, English Literature, Legal Studies, Sociology and Theatre Studies may be eligible to participate in our East Kimberley immersion program.  This unique and often life-changing educational experience sees small teams of students travel to remote communities of Australia’s north-west twice a year.  In such towns as Wyndham and communities as Oombulgurri, Notre Dame students spend four weeks living and working with local young people in a project designed to achieve meaningful reconciliation and greater engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

This program is normally available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be eligible to be counted towards a major or minor.

Caritas Australia development program
We believe that university education should be about more than training for a profession.  Rather, we want Notre Dame students to be ready to change the world.

Students of Arts and Sciences at Notre Dame are eligible to participate in an overseas program we conduct each year in partnership with the aid organisation, Caritas Australia.  Teams of Notre Dame staff and students visit an overseas location such as Cambodia, Uganda or India. In an immersion experience of up to four weeks, the team explores the development work conducted by Caritas and studies, among other things, the intersection of poverty, development, politics and globalisation.

The Caritas program may be available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be counted towards a major or minor.

HONOURS

Students who have completed an Arts, Behavioural Science, Communications or Science degree, with at least a distinction average in their major, may be eligible to undertake a fourth year in the School’s Honours program.

Honours in Politics and International Relations provides a professional finish to your undergraduate degree and should make your educational qualifications more competitive in the industry in which you hope to building your career.  Honours in Politics and International Relations is also the normal pathway for higher degree research, including a Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Because of the unique nature of Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences, students completing an Honours degree in Politics and International Relations have the opportunity to develop an inter-disciplinary research project which may combine their work with such other disciplines as History, Archaeology, Social Justice and English Literature.

Students completing an Honours program in Politics and International Relations will undertake a major research project under supervision, complete coursework in Politics and International Relations or related units, participate in a regular interdisciplinary seminar series and contribute to a conference program regarding their research activities.

For further information on Honours please speak with any academic member of staff or contact the Honours coordinators.

INTEGRATED BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA) & DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION (DipEd, Secondary)

Students of Politics and International Relations may be interested in a combined Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Diploma of Education in Secondary Education (DipEd), now available at Notre Dame.  This four year double degree program provides a double major in two Arts disciplines and integrates training in Education, including practical placements, throughout the four years of study.

This is a highly professional and demanding degree which offers the best of both worlds: thorough grounding in two key disciplines of study as well as extensive training in Educational philosophies and practices.

The integrated BA/DipEd provides those studying such disciplines as History, Politics, English Literature and Theatre Studies with an opportunity to seek employment in government, private industry or the education sector, and provides students with even greater options for employment upon graduation.  Better still, students enrolled in the integrated BA/DipEd may be eligible to receive a Commonwealth Support Place.

DOUBLE DEGREES

Politics and International Relations combines well with the study of other degrees at Notre Dame.  A Bachelor of Arts, Arts (Politics and Journalism), Behavioural Science or Communications is often studied in combination with such professional degrees as Law, Education or Business.

Adding a Politics and International Relations major, or other Arts and Sciences discipline areas, to your professional degree will add to your graduate employment opportunities, increase your learning experience at university and provide you with enhanced writing and research skills.

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES

History, Politics, International Relations, Social Justice, Archaeology, English Literature and a range of other discipline areas are available for postgraduate study at Notre Dame.  A Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) are available as postgraduate research degrees by thesis and are completed under supervision by an academic member of staff.