Units: PL Politics

PL1000 Contemporary Politics: International Issues and Ideology
No prerequisite: Essential for Major
This unit looks at international issues and ideologies, and how they shape our increasingly 'globalised' political world. As such, the unit seeks to unravel contemporary international relations, examining the importance of the USA as a global superpower in a 'uni-polar' world, European integration, the United Nations and the plight of the ' Third World'. Using an issue based approach students look at the impact of war, HIV/AIDS, ethnic conflict, environmental crisis and regional economic competition on world politics. What ideas are used to explain these processes? And what does it all mean for the political future of our planet?

PL1001 Australian Politics: issues and Ideologies No prerequisite: Essential for Major
The aim of this unit is to give students an understanding of Australian politics at both an institutional and social level. By discussing contemporary issues, the unit leads into an examination of the key concepts, institutions and ideologies which have shaped the Australian political system. Important contemporary debates, like those over Aboriginal land rights, the republic, immigration restrictions and labour relations are used to test political theories on the nature and practice of government and society in Australia. Throughout the unit, students are expected to utilise a range of media resources including the press, radio and current affairs programmes.

PL266 US Foreign Policy since 1945 Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit briefly looks at major developments in the foreign policy of the United States since 1945. Following the emergence of the USA as a global superpower in the aftermath of World War Two, this unit examines the United States' engagement with the rest of the world. The particular, and in the context of the Cold War, the United States' decades long global struggle against Communism is examined in considerable detail. We will also look at the 'New World Order' proclaimed by President Bush in 1991 during the Gulf War. 9/11 and US Foreign policy in relation to the 'War on Terror' are also analysed.

 

PL3009 Australian Foreign Policy Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit looks at the changing nature of Australian foreign policy. Originally established as an outpost of the British Empire, Australian foreign policy has altered dramatically over the last two centuries as the nation has constantly redefined its 'national interests'. Australia's diplomatic relations with Britain, Europe, the United States and Asia are examined in some detail. This unit also examines controversial aspects of past and present Australian Foreign policy; including the Cold War, the White Australia Policy, military alliances and conflict, East Timor, the United Nations, etc. Fundamentally the unit examines how Australia perceives itself, and what this means for our relations with the rest of the world.

PL3014 War and Terrorism: Causes and Consequences Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit is a response to the claimed ‘global crisis’ of terrorism. We will examine this most pressing of political/historical/sociological problems and provide students with the analytical tools to make assessments of the complex situations that we all face. This unit will focus on Terrorism and will analyse the variety of forms it has taken especially in the post WWII era and the post-Cold War era.

PL3015 Nationalism, Ethnicity & Race Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit will offer the students the opportunity to analyse one of the most powerful political and ideological forces of the contemporary world. Such a unit is essential to any social science degree purporting to exam the world in which we live. The politics of nationalism addresses one of the major problems of the late 20th Century. In the face of globalism/globalisation, the decline of centralised soviet structures, nationalism remains as a central form of political and cultural identity. Nationalism and the category of ethnicity are contested concepts, to the point where they were recently considered 'dead'. Throughout the 1990's, however, the revival of nationalism as a political force has had a profound influence on international politics and has affected the domestic politics of all nation-states. Much of which leads to the rethinking of the category of identity, both politically and anthropologically.

PL3016 Security and Strategy in Southeast Asia Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit will introduce students to an analysis of security issues in the region. We are examining the use of organised force by militaries in their respective spheres of influence. The complexity of understanding capabilities as well as their limitations will be addressed with particular relevance for Australia and its relationship with other Asia-Pacific countries. The importance of the Asia Pacific region to the future security of Western countries during the 'War on Terror' is also considered.

PL3003 Setting the Agenda: The Media and Politics Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
The media is often represented as the 'Fourth Estate' - independent and impartial watchdogs on governments and other powerful interests. But to what extent is the media confined to reporting the news and to what extent does it set the political agenda? How do political players relate to its activities? What should be the role of a 'free media' in a democratic society? This unit is a practical investigation of the role the media plays within the political process in Australia and compares this to experiences abroad. Students examine: the way that news is made; the interests that are represented by different media groups and the essentials of developing media strategies. Students develop case studies and acquire a practical knowledge of the operation of the media in Australia.

PL3006 Public & Social Policy Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
This unit is designed the familiarise students with the theories, models and processes of public and social policy making. It is intended to provide an understanding of the role of the public sector, it’s management and the ways in which policy is devised, implemented and evaluated. The unit also examines some key policy areas.

PL3007 Home and Away: Comparing Political Systems Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year
An understanding of Australian politics is enriched by comparing and contrasting it with politics and political systems in other countries. This course examines a selection of similar polities, such as those in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, along with a selection of very different systems in Asia and Africa. The focus is on constitutional politics, divergences in political culture, models of political economy and ideas about political representation.

PL3008 Politics & History Internship
In their second or third year, students can undertake an internship as part of a Politics major, where they gain practical experience through working in such environments as a parliamentary or electoral office, or with a trade union or lobby group.