Dr Frank Lewins BA McM, PhD LaT
The School of Social Sciences brings together the disciplines of Political Science and Sociology. Both disciplines involve the study of human relationships and societies. The broad aims of the School are
Political Science studies human relationships involving power, rule and authority. It is about how societies govern themselves and understanding different ways of thinking about how societies ought to be governed. It focuses on how nations relate to each other in a global polity, and the political behaviour of individuals and groups that occurs in all societies. It is about those who exercise political power in society and those who do not.
Sociology in general is the study of collective human action, social relationships, and individual human behaviour insofar as social forces influence these. Answers to sociological questions are sought via the systematic observation of social forces that shape human action, the fundamental assumptions being that much human behaviour is socially produced and many of the relations between social forces and human action are recurrent.
Political Science and Sociology are broadly-based disciplines and the School offers courses that span several sub-fields within the disciplines.
For beginners the School offers courses that are designed to provide an introduction to the study of politics and/or courses on the relation of the individual to the wider society and the nature of contemporary society.
Later-year courses in Political Science enable students to take more specialised courses in areas like
Later-year courses in Sociology enable students to take specialised courses in
The School of Social Sciences offers numerous courses in several majors in the Faculty of Arts, particularly in the following programs and degrees: Contemporary Europe; Development Studies; European Studies; Gender, Sexuality and Culture; International Relations; Policy Studies; Political Science; Population Studies; Social Research Methods and Sociology. The School also plays an active part in the Australian National Internships Program.
For general enquiries contact the School Administrators:
Mrs Sharon Merten 02 612 54420 (telephone); 02 612 52222 (fax); Sharon.Merten@anu.edu.au
Ms Helen Felton 02 612 54521 (telephone); 02 612 52222 (fax); Helen.Felton@anu.edu.au
Further details about the School can be found at: http://arts.anu.edu.au/sss
Contemporary Europe: Professor Elim Papadakis
<Elim.Papadakis@anu.edu.au>
International Relations: Dr Jim George
<Jim.George@anu.edu.au>
Political Communication: Dr Marian Simms
<Marian.Simms@anu.edu.au>
Political Science: Dr Michael McKinley
<Michael.McKinley@anu.edu.au>
Population Studies: Dr Don Rowland
<Donald.Rowland@anu.edu.au>
Social Research Methods: Dr Don Rowland
<Donald.Rowland@anu.edu.au> and
Dr Owen Dent <Owen.Dent@anu.edu.au>
Convener: Professor Elim Papadakis, BA Kent, PhD Lond.
The value of studying Europe arises both from its history, recent events and prospects for change. Following the end of the Cold War and the expansion of the European Union, new possibilities have emerged for cooperation and unity as well as for reasserting traditions and diversity. Apart from gaining an understanding of the foundations of modern Europe, the program focuses on contemporary European society. An important consideration is that Australia has in common with many European countries similar social and economic concerns, high levels of education, and relatively affluent societies. Europe, which represents the biggest trading bloc in the world, is also the largest trading partner of Australia.
This major is taken by students enrolled in the BA (European Studies) and is available to students enrolled in the BA.
The major consists of a minimum of 42 units consisting of the following courses:
(a) 12 units at first year level. This must include EURO1004 Europe in the Modern Era: Foundations of International Relations and any one of the following:
Introduction to Politics POLS1002;
Introduction to Australian & International Political Economy POLS1004
Introduction to International Relations POLS1005
Contemporary Society SOCY1003;
Ends of Empire: British Colonial Rule and its Outcomes HIST1015;
Contemporary Issues in Philosophy PHIL1003;
Fundamental Ideas in Philosophy: an Historical Introduction PHIL1004.
(b) Plus a minimum of 30 units (usually equivalent to five courses). Four of these courses must include either European Society and Politics EURO2008; The European Union: Policies, Institutions and Challenges EURO2003; Contemporary Issues in Historical Perspective EURO2005; Citizens, the State and Democracy SOCY2052; Green Governance POLS2087; and Fascism and Antifascism POLS2092
One other course can be drawn from the wide selection of designated courses listed below.
Art and Architecture of the Italian Renaissance ARTH2019
Charlemagne to Chartres ARTH2096
Deconstruction A Users' Guide PHIL2002
Early Medieval Europe: Art and Architecture ARTH2095
European Cinema, European Societies FILM2003
European Philosophy A PHIL2087
European Philosophy B PHIL2097
Frankfurt School and Habermas POLS2076
Germany and Austria in Europe POLS2071
High Renaissance in Rome and Venice ARTH2094
Ideas, Causality and Culture PHIL2099
Ideological Issues under the Fifth Republic FREN2014
Love, Death and Freedom (20th C French Phenomenology) PHIL2059
Modern European Theatre DRAM2001
Modernism and Postmodernism: Architecture in our Century ARTH2092
Modernism in 20th Century Art and Design ARTH2043
19th and 20th Century Poetry ENGL2008
Philosophy and Gender PHIL2070
Philosophy of the Enlightenment PHIL2092
Politics, Culture and Society in Postwar Italy ITAL3010
Postwar British Drama DRAM2009
Postwar Italian Cinema ITAL3009
Postwar European Cinema: Films and Directors FILM2004
Postwar German Society GERM2020
Power and Subjectivity PHIL2089
Theories of Literature and Criticism ENGL2009
Women in Italian Society ITAL3014
World at War, 1939-1945 HIST2136
Any later-year course in German, French or Italian not primarily language based (see entries under School of Language Studies).
26 hours of lectures and 12 tutorials
Coordinator: Dr Forth and Professor Papadakis
Syllabus: This course develops perspectives on the concept of Europe from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It considers political, social and cultural forces at work on European countries both with respect to elements of unity and diversity, to traditions and innovations and to the significance of notions like democracy, authoritarianism, the nation state, social class and citizenship.
Among the core themes are the idea of European unity, the shifting boundaries of European culture and identity, the development of political, social and economic theory, the impact of encounters with cultures outside of Europe, the consequences of transformations like the political and the industrial revolutions of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the development of a welfare state and models of unifying Europe today.
The course provides access to perspectives on modern Europe, which are critical of prevailing orthodoxies, constructive in attempting to understand the benefits of particular courses of action and offer explanations and interpretations of social, political and cultural forces at work in Europe.
22 hours of lectures and 11 tutorials
Coordinator: Professor Papadakis
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses if undertaking the Sociology major or two first-year Arts courses.
Syllabus: This course draws on sociological theory and political thought to understand changes in citizenship, development of the state and understandings of democracy. It focuses on questions of power and trust in considering the role of politicians, the state, and citizen involvement in the political system, including conventional and unconventional political action, and links between citizens and political associations. These issues are explored in the context of social changes in Europe and support among political elites and ordinary citizens for nation states and the European Union. The key themes in the course are citizenship and the state; public opinion and political persuasion; citizen involvement in decision-making as a form of manipulation and social control; and the possibility of democracy. The approach adopted in this course allows for appraisal of prevailing theories about citizens and the state and analysis of case studies.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, essay and an examination
22 hours of lectures and 11 tutorials
Coordinator: Mr J Gage, Faculty of Economics and Commerce
Syllabus: The course will identify significant issues in the life of contemporary Europe and trace the development of these issues over the recent past; that is principally since the Second World War. Strong emphasis will be placed on the emergence of a European consciousness over the last fifty years, especially on the political, economic and social elements of that consciousness. An examination of the origins, evolution and present state of institutions of European coursey will also form a core component of the course.
The description and analysis of these particular aspects of European experience will be placed within the wider framework of examination of the ideological and cultural trends that have characterised the European continent since 1945.
Proposed assessment: One class paper, one essay and a two-hour examination
24 hours of lectures and 12 tutorials
Coordinator: Professor Papadakis
Syllabus: This course identifies continuity and change in the organisation of European societies, beginning with the conception of Europe after World War II and appraising political and social structures and institutions.
Among the key themes are those pertaining to notions of economic reconstruction and development, challenges by social movements to aspects of the postwar settlement, shifts in values and attitudes, questions of race and ethnicity, religion, the status of women, employment and social policies, and national identities and cultures. The course considers the position of Europe and European nations in the context of changes in power relationships around the globe.
The course explores critical and constructive perspectives on contemporary European societies. It also aims to develop thinking skills and conceive alternative paths for action to those advocated by wellestablished practitioners or commentators.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, essay and examination
22 hours of lectures and 11 tutorials
Coordinator: Dr Muller and Professor Papadakis
Syllabus: The syllabus reflects the shifting challenges confronting the European Union and Europe. It includes an analysis of the institutions of the European Union in the context of questions of subsidiarity, the democratic deficit and likely reforms. The course also covers the nature, history and evolution of major policies and their impact on member states as well as the wider debate over the evolution of the European Union as it confronts `globalisation'.
Other considerations include the perspective of member states on issues like defence, social policy, culture and enlargement; and the European Union in the world, as an expanding regional bloc, as an aid donor to developing countries and as a partner of Australia. Students will be encouraged to explore the relationship between the institutions of the European Community as well as the particular issues of concern to present or prospective member states by means of workshops or simulations.
Proposed assessment: An essay, simulations and an examination
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, Sociology, History or Anthropology, or with the permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: Fascism is not simply a matter of history. There are large fascist movements in several European countries, India and other parts of the world. Smaller fascist groups are very widespread from Australia to Russia, Japan to the Courseed States. In many countries large populist and racist parties have emerged with the potential to develop in a fascist direction. This course examines the emergence of fascism as a distinct form of social movement since the late 19th century, the circumstances under which fascist organisations have expanded and even taken power. It will also explore struggles against fascism and the strategies and theories which guided them, in order to encourage students to develop their own systematic understanding of fascism and effective ways to prevent or combat fascist movements. In addition, the course will consider how governments have treated antifascist movements.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, tutorial paper and essay
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science if undertaking a Political Science major or any two first year Arts or Geography courses or one later year EURO course.
Syllabus: Though most people agree the environment matters, they disagree over why it is significant as well as the urgency and best approaches to achieving environmental objectives. This course explores the capacity of governments (mainly in Europe and Australia) to respond to these challenges, and has three components.
First, it considers how different ways of thinking about the environment influence actors and institutions. These ways of thinking include opposing ideas about potential catastrophes; beliefs that experts will solve all problems; ecologically sustainable development; and green radicalism and participatory democracy.
Second, it explores the obstacles to, and potential for, effective policy implementation in terms of governments' capacity to interact with non-state actors (green movements and interest groups; industry and green enterprises; the media; public opinion; transnational organisations). We consider the kinds of pressure they exert on the state to take action.
Third, the course focusses on specific issues (like air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and depletion of the ozone layer) in evaluating explanations for the logic and performance of national governments and transnational institutions like the European Union.
Proposed assessment: Participation in tutorials; an essay; and an examination
Convener: Professor Elim Papadakis
The single Honours in Contemporary Europe enables either BA students or BA (European Studies) students to focus on Contemporary Europe in their fourth year.
The normal requirements for entry into fourth year single Honours in Contemporary Europe are --
(i) completion of ten courses from the Contemporary Europe major comprising 7 courses/42 units and 3 courses/18 units from either designated courses of the Contemporary Europe major or European language courses with a Credit level average
(ii) completion of other courses which, when taken together with (i) above, are sufficient to meet the requirements for a BA degree.
Students who have completed the BA (European Studies) will have a major in a language. Students enrolling in the single Honours in Contemporary Europe but who have not been enrolled in the BA (European Studies) are not required to have a language major, though competence in a language is desirable.
The fourth year program will comprise --
The thesis will count for 50% of the grade and the two seminar courses for 25% each.
Students wishing to do the Honours in Contemporary Europe should consult the Convener about their choice of seminar and about other seminars that may be available.
Students can do a fourth (honours) year in the BA (European Studies) by combining honours in an affiliated honours school with work at honours level in European Languages (see School of Language Studies entries in this Handbook).
Convener: Dr Jim George, BA WAust., PhD ANU
The study of International Relations has traditionally been focused upon the (often hostile) engagements between nation-states and/or their diplomatic elites seeking to advance the national interest by means other than warfare. These are still important and relevant themes on the contemporary IR agenda. But at the beginning of the 21st century analysts and policymakers require a broader, more comprehensive body of knowledge and understanding in their dealings with the complex and volatile era beyond the Cold War. This major is designed to provide students with such knowledge and understanding in regard to both traditional and more recent agendas.
Students wishing to undertake the International Relations major plus a Political Science major would be required to complete the two first year IR courses and 5 x 6 unit IR later year courses for the IR major plus 7 x 6 unit POLS later year courses to complete the Political Science major.
The International Relations major consists of a minimum of 42 units comprising a maximum of 12 units (2 courses) at first year level followed by a minimum of 30 units (5 courses) at later year level.
Either POLS1002 Introduction to Politics; or POLS1003 Ideas in Politics; or POLS1004 Introduction to Australian and International Political Economy; plus POLS1005 Introduction to International Relations (core course)
Students must choose a minimum of 5 courses which must include the core course POLS3001 Australian Foreign Policy: The Search for Security and Prosperity plus 2 courses from List A and the remaining 2 courses from either List A or List B:
Diplomacy and International Conflict POLS2056
Gender, Globalisation and Development POLS2086
International Relations Theory POLS3017
Development and Change POLS2011
Gendered Politics of War POLS2085
Globalism and the Politics of Identity POLS2075
Identity Difference and Ethnicity SOCY3022
International Politics POLS2015
Japanese Foreign Policy and Asia-Pacific Region POLS2082
Politics in the Middle East POLS2031
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Syllabus: This course provides a broad ranging introduction to the study of international relations. It concentrates primarily on the major events (eg The World Wars, The Nuclear age, The Cold War); ideas (realism, liberalism, communism) and strategic practices (eg balance of power, collective security, deterrence) that have shaped the traditional international relations agenda, before engaging the new agenda of the post-Cold War era, particularly the new international political economy of the globalisation era which it explores in a variety of contexts, including its impact upon Australian foreign policy.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an end-of-semester examination. An assessment proposal will be discussed in the classes of the first weeks of the course.
Two lectures, (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: Australia's international history in the twentieth century is frequently marked by conflict: right through to the early 1990s, decisions to wage war of one type or another punctuated national life. More recently, however, the political-military dimension has been joined by a resurgent emphasis on the political-economic dimension of foreign policy. Increasingly, national survival is seen to reside more in Australia's economic competitiveness and less exclusively in its military preparedness. This course will examine the record (including the transition to the present period) in terms of the implications it has for, and the insights it gives into, the country's role as a political actor. Accordingly, in the first instance, the focus will be on Australian policy with respect to major wars -- the First World War, Second World War, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War of 1990-91.
Within this perspective, particular attention will be paid to both Australia's alliance relationship with the United States of America, and its concepts of peace -- in which name, presumably, the former are established, and ultimately, the wars were fought. Attention will then turn to what many see is the principal pre-occupation of Australian foreign policy in the post-Cold war era -- namely, the attempts by successive Australian governments since the early 1980s to embrace the globalising world economy in an effort to secure the country's prosperity. A question running through this analysis is whether, for Australia, economic cooperation and conflict has assumed the traditional status of war and alliance relationships.
Proposed assessment: One 2,5000 word essay, and either a take-home exam of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
Incompatability: POLS3020 Governance, Identity and Silenced Discourse
This course can be counted towards the Political Science or International Relations majors.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Anthropology, or Geography, or Economics, or Economic History, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course is about development and change in Third World societies. It surveys the impact of colonialism and examines theoretical approaches to development. Against this background the course takes up some key issues facing Third World countries, including trade, investment, globalisation, debt, aid, food, the environment, governance, human rights, the military and democratisation. Development strategies are reviewed and agents of change are considered.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and an examination.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science if undertaking a Political Science or International Relations major, or two first-year GEND courses if undertaking a Gender, Sexuality and Culture or Women's Studies major with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course analyses the making of political identities in the contemporary world, beginning with 'the world' itself, the West and its Others, and international processes of colonisation, migration, decolonisation and globalisation. It utilises critical and feminist accounts to interrogate particular political identities: of state, citizen and nationalism, and post-colonial and post-migratory identities. Within this global frame, it pursues contemporary debate around region, and 'Asia'. It concludes with a brief consideration of how international identity politics might figure in determining Australia's place in the world.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, written work and a course review.
This course can be counted towards a Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture Studies or Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year units in Political Science or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course provides a broad ranging introduction to the study of international politics. Its aim is to familiarise students with the basic concepts, issues, themes and historical events integral to an understanding of the contemporary world scene.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an end-of-semester examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures, (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will present an inquiry into significant developments in Global Politics, some originating in World War II, from perspectives which the mainstream effectively excludes, marginalises, repressively tolerates, or silences in the interests of maintaining its own privileged position in explaining, prescribing, and legitimating the world and its various orders. It examines, in turn, the current state of the world, (in particular the phenomenon known as 'globalisation' and its consequences), and the proximate origins of these conditions in both theory and practice. At each turn the purpose is to juxtapose the accepted and acceptable record, and declared values of the West's victories since 1945 with the empirical record, and to disturb certain conventional truths from their comfortable repose. Accordingly, this course is a critical reflection on the conventional wisdom, the powers, which sustain it, and the purposes that it serves.
The extended schedule of subjects will include: secret government and secret wars conducted by intelligence agencies; genocide, terror, and mass murder; 'black propaganda' operations (including those of a sexual nature) against out-of favour political leaders such as Indonesia's Sukarno; violence; racism; support of dictators; organised crime and drug cartels; and the development and extension of Third World conditions in the name of economic progress. Throughout, extensive use will be made of documentary videotapes.
Proposed assessment: One 2,5000 word essay, and either a take-home exam of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
Incompatibility: Governance, Identity, and Silenced Discourse POLS3020
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week and eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Anthropology, or Geography, or Economics, or Economic History, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course is about development and politics in the island countries of the Pacific. It outlines the vulnerability of these countries and surveys colonial impacts and forms of government. Tensions between `tradition' and modernity are then examined through a consideration of culture and ideology, political participation, state and civil society, the situation of Pacific women, and the indigenous question. The last part of the course is concerned with the Pacific Islands in the global context. It examines key economic issues, regional cooperation and the process of reform in the 1990s.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and an examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or Development Studies major.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course provides an introduction to the politics of Russia. It traces the evolution of Russian politics through both Tsarist and Soviet periods. While it primarily focuses on the rise and fall of communist ideology and institutions, it also examines in detail the ongoing development of political structures in post-communist Russia and the forces -- both domestic and international -- which play a role in shaping those structures, and for that matter Russian politics and society.
Proposed assessment: One 3,000 word essay and either a two-hour examination or a 2,000 word essay.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: The course concentrates on the contemporary politics of the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, with some reference to Afghanistan. It examines the political development and dynamics of the major countries involved at national and regional levels. This is done in the context of four major variables -- Islam, oil, the Arab-Israeli conflict and other regional disputes, and major power rivalry -- and the consequences of the interaction of these variables for the region's importance in world politics.
Proposed assessment: One 3,000 word essay and either a two-hour examination or a 2,000 word essay.
22 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks.
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses of Sociology or Anthropology or Political Science or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course surveys various sociological perspectives on global change and development. The course is divided into three components: theories of development; resistance and development; and globalisation and development. The first section charts the history of the concept of development. Using a variety of case studies from Russia to Central America, the second section examines resistance to social and political inequalities and their relationship to social change and development.
The final section draws upon contemporary critiques of development and progress and examines the concept of globalisation. These approaches will be assessed through examining a range of contemporary issues, ranging from the advent of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICs), global consumerism and global institutions.
Students will be encouraged to take these issues and apply them to their own specific fields of interest in any aspect of global development.
Proposed assessment: Details will be discussed with students.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies or Environmental Studies major.
Offered in 2001, first semester, and in 2002
One lecture, a 2 hour film or documentary screening, and one tutorial a week. Lectures will be taped.
Prerequisite: Any first year History courses to the value of twelve units, or with the permission of the Convener.
Syllabus: The Second World War was the greatest conflict in history. An estimated 50 million men, women and children died in a war that engulfed the globe and shaped the world in which we live; it is the defining event in the history of the twentieth century. This comparative history course will focus on political, social and cultural aspects of World War Two. It will encompass the war in Europe, and the war in Asia and the Pacific. Topics and themes will include: Hitler and Japan's war aims; Blitzkrieg in Poland and France; the uses of propaganda; civilian mobilisation and total war; the effects of mass bombing; allied leadership, cooperation and division (Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin); civilians under Nazi occupation (collaboration and resistance); racial policies and genocide; wartime espionage; science at war; Japan's occupation of South East Asia; anti-colonialism and the war in Asia; planning for peace and the liberation of Europe; the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
Honours Convener: Dr Jim George
Intending Honours students should first read the general statement "The degree with Honours" in the introductory section of the Faculty of Arts entry.
There will be a series of meetings for students hoping to advance to International Relations IV. Further information can also be obtained from the School of Social Science Administration Office or through the School of Social Sciences web page. Students with particular enquiries should consult the Honours Adviser.
To be eligible for entry into Fourth Year Honours, students must have completed the requirements for the pass degree.
The degree with honours in International Relations normally comprises:
(a) Two first-year courses consisting of either POLS1002 or POLS1003 or POLS1004 plus POLS1005; and
(b) Eight later-year level courses from the International Relations major to the value of 48 units, including the core course POLS3001 and a minimum of 12 units from List A. At least 24 of these 48 later year courses must be completed with a grade of Distinction or above, with the remainder to be completed with grades of Credit or above. If students obtain one or more High Distinction grades in later-year courses in addition to the 24 units required at Distinction level, then later-year courses completed at Pass level to the same value will be counted at Credit level.
(a) A thesis on a topic approved by the Head of School.
(b) Participation in seminar courses.
Final honours results are determined on the basis of a student's overall performance in International Relations IV.
Students may combine honours in International Relations with honours in certain other disciplines, the overall workload being equivalent to honours in a single discipline.
Three courses from the International Relations major (18 units) at later-year level are to be completed with grades of Distinction or above. The remaining three courses (18 units) should be completed with grades of Credit or above.
When planning such a degree students should take account of the honours requirements in both disciplines. Those interested should consult the Honours Convener as early as possible.
Convener: Dr Marian Simms, BA ANU, PhD LaT.
Communication can be studied as an adjunct to political and electoral studies, analyses of the public sphere & citizenship and international politics and globalisation.
The major includes a small number of core courses in Political Science and a larger group of electives, drawn largely from Film Studies, History and Gender Studies. It is intended that students will gain key basic ideas and material from the core courses and then enrich their studies with elective courses. Electives enable students to make choices to study different disciplinary and theoretical approaches to communication.
Most of the courses adopt multi-media approaches to their subject matter. Some also focus on the impact of the new media, especially the internet. There is no dedicated introductory course, however, students may find GEND1002 Reading Popular Culture particularly useful as part of their first year studies in Arts.
A range of other majors would be complementary, including Political Science, Sociology, History, Gender, Sexuality and Culture, Philosophy and Film Studies.
An Honours year is currently available through the Political Science Honours School with a research topic in Political Communication possible.
Political communication provides knowledge useful for careers in the political and bureaucratic arenas, as well as skills in critical thinking and writing.
The requirements of the Political Communication major are a minimum of 42 units comprising:
(a) 12 units from any first-year Arts courses (usually 2 courses); and
(b) 12 later-year units of core courses from the list below; plus
(c) 18 later-year units from the list of designated courses
Note: Students may count a maximum of four Political Science 6 unit courses towards this major
|
Cross-Cultural Communication LING2021 |
Australian Foreign Policy: The Search for Security and Prosperity POLS3001 |
Australian Foreign Policy: The Search for Security and Prosperity POLS3001 #
Cross-Cultural Communication LING2021
Culture Matters: An Interdisciplinary Approach GEND2000
Diplomacy and International Conflict POLS2056
European Cinemas, European Societies FILM2003
Frankfurt School and Habermas POLS2076
Popular Culture, Gender and Modernity HIST2122
Postwar European Cinema: Films and Directors FILM2004
Pressure Groups and Political Lobbying POLS2043
Strategy: Paths to Peace and Security POLS2060
US Cinema: Hollywood and Beyond FILM2006
# POLS3001 is not available to students who have completed Governance, Identity and Silenced Discourse POLS3020.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first year courses in Political Science or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course analyses the character of current campaigning technologies in Australia. It also examines the types of changes that have occurred over the past twenty years that have led to the process of modernisation. The development of new technologies such as computers seems to have gone hand-in-hand with the growing centralisation of election campaigns and a focus on the national political elites. The influence of the Courseed States on Australia has been important as part of the broader trend of globalisation of campaign technologies.
This course will adopt two main approaches, namely case studies of particular election campaigns in Australia and in various overseas countries and then evaluation of those campaigns, using various criteria of efficiency and effectiveness. It will utilise video and other materials, including internet sites, from selected campaigns.
Proposed assessment: One two-thousand word essay, one examination, and tutorial work.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science or Sociology, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course explores key contemporary issues about the political role of the media, largely, but by no means solely, in the Australian context. Students will be encouraged to specialise in one area selected from amongst the following themes: the political effects of the media; policy-making on the media; and, gender and the media.
Proposed assessment: A 2,000 word essay, tutorial work and either an examination or further written assignments.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisites: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will explore three bodies of literature. It will examine, firstly, the work of Political Scientists who have drawn on various theories, concepts and findings from Psychology in an attempt to enhance their analysis of political phenomena. Second, it will explore work conducted by Psychologists that may have relevance to the understanding of political life. Third, it will draw on work by other social scientists who have explored psychological dimensions of social and political life. Some of the topics to be explored will be Political Leadership, Decision-making, Group Dynamics, Inter-group Relations and Prejudice, Collective Behaviour, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Emotions in Politics and Non-verbal communication.
Convener: Dr Michael McKinley, BA Well., PhD ANU
Political Science is the study of human relationships that involve power, rule, or authority. It is about how societies govern themselves and how societies ought to be governed. It is about how nations relate to each other in a global polity. It is about the political behaviour of individuals and groups that occurs in all societies. It is about those who have political power in society and those who do not.
Political Science is a broadly-based discipline offers courses that span a number of sub-fields within the discipline. First-year courses are designed to provide an introduction to the study of politics while later-year courses allow students to take more specialised courses within (and across) six principal areas:
1. Political thought and political theory,
2. Australian government and public policy,
3. Comparative politics and comparative public policy,
5. The methodology of political science, and
A major in Political Science usually consists of any two first-year courses in political science followed by five courses to the value of thirty units chosen from later-year courses in political science, for a total of 42 units. There are no compulsory requirements in the major and students can take a broad range of advanced courses or, if they choose, to specialise in one or two of the five principals areas identified above. There are no prerequisites for entry into first-year courses, but those offered at later-year level normally require successful completion of two first-year courses in Political Science.
The first year in political science usually consists of two courses chosen from the three courses listed in this section. The normal course of study for most students would commence with the course Introduction to Politics POLS1002 in the first semester and then a choice of one of the two courses offered in the second semester. However, it is possible for students to take two courses in the second semester and thus complete the first year of Political Science in one semester. Students who enter in mid-year may spread their first year in Political Science across two calendar years (by taking one course in the second semester and then Introduction to Politics POLS1002 in the first semester of the following year).
Two lectures and one tutorial a week
Syllabus: The first aim of this course is to introduce students to some of the key concepts in the discipline of Political Science: power, influence, authority, legitimacy, coercion, conflict, interests, policy-making, bureaucracy, representation, accountability and democracy.
The second aim is to use these -- and other -- concepts to examine the major institutions of Australian politics, often in a comparative perspective. Students will explore the Constitution, Federalism, Parliament, Cabinet, Public Service, the Electoral System, the High Court, State Governments, Political Parties, Interest Groups, Social Movements and the Media.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week
Syllabus: The course offers an introduction to some of the major ideas which are influential in contemporary politics, and to controversies about them. Ideas which we are likely to discuss will include: liberalism, conservatism, socialism (including Marxism), feminism, ecological ideas and politics, politics and identity, politics and religion, and the issue of censorship.
Proposed assessment: Essay, tutorial performance and examination.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week
Syllabus: Will I ever get a job or will I be able to hold on to my current one? Can I afford to study or travel? Who exercises the most power over our lives? What are the implications of globalisation? Where does social conflict come from? How can I bring about social change?
No serious answer to these questions nor understanding of the forces that shape either our own lives or politics on a national and international scale is possible without knowledge of political economy.
Political economy deals with questions of politics and material interests. It recognises that economic power is fundamental to understanding social relations and politics in Australia and globally.
In the course we will look at a) the social forces and structures, notably class structures that dominate our lives and underpin both intellectual and political life; b) difference ideologies that justify policies, especially economic ones, and the status quo. Particular attention will be paid to economic rationalist, social democratic and Marxist ideas; c) the main institutions that shape these policies in Australia and internationally.
The course does not assume that students have any background in political science or political economy. There will be a strong emphasis on discussing and exploring current Australian and international issues as they arise in the media and public debate. A role-play of an industrial dispute will help achieve the course's fundamental aim, to develop the ability of participants to critically evaluate arguments about political economy.
Proposed assessment: Review, an essay, an exam and tutorial participation.
To be announced on course web page www.anu.edu.au/polsci/courses/aipe/
This course can be counted towards the Political Science or International Relations majors.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Syllabus: This course provides a broad ranging introduction to the study of international relations. It concentrates primarily on the major events (eg The World Wars, The Nuclear age, The Cold War); ideas (realism, liberalism, communism) and strategic practices (eg balance of power, collective security, deterrence) that have shaped the traditional international relations agenda, before engaging the new agenda of the post-Cold War era, particularly the new international political economy of the globalisation era which it explores in a variety of contexts, including its impact upon Australian foreign policy.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an end-of-semester examination. An assessment proposal will be discussed in the classes of the first weeks of the course.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: In the last two decades of the twentieth century, welfare became a controversial issue in industrialised countries. Internationally, debates have raged about how much welfare should be provided and whether governments, families, individuals or communities should be primarily responsible for its provision. No consensus of these issues has emerged. The course begins with an examination of the reasons and justifications for welfare state development. We will then study a range of critiques of welfare principles and arrangements, including Marxist, libertarian, feminist and anti-racist perspectives. The course will finish with a brief examination of the Australian welfare system in order to determine its distinguishing features and a review of the main problems facing welfare systems. International material is included for comparative purposes.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course examines institutions and politics in the Australian federal system. International comparisons are included to illuminate the Australian situation. We will begin by looking briefly at the history of Australian federalism and then at theories of federalism as a system of government. Questions such as whether federalism is a good system bringing government closer to the people or whether it produces weak, conservative government will be addressed. This section will be followed by an examination of some of Australia's main institutions, including the constitution, the High Court, parliaments, Prime Ministers, Premiers and cabinets. In the final section of the course, we will study contentious issues in Australian federalism, such as the division of powers, financial relations, aborigines, women and federalism and the question of an Australian Bill of Rights.
Two lectures, (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Australia's international history in the twentieth century is frequently marked by conflict: right through to the early 1990s, decisions to wage war of one type or another punctuated national life. More recently, however, the political-military dimension has been joined by a resurgent emphasis on the political-economic dimension of foreign policy. Increasingly, national survival is seen to reside more in Australia's economic competitiveness and less exclusively in its military preparedness. This course will examine the record (including the transition to the present period) in terms of the implications it has for, and the insights it gives into, the country's role as a political actor. Accordingly, in the first instance, the focus will be on Australian policy with respect to major wars -- the First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Suez Crisis, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War of 1990-91.
Within this perspective, particular attention will be paid to both Australia's alliance relationship with the United States of America, and its concepts of peace -- in which name, presumably, the former are established, and ultimately, the wars were fought. Attention will then turn to what many see is the principal pre-occupation of Australian foreign policy in the post-Cold war era -- namely, the attempts by successive Australian governments since the early 1980s to embrace the globalising world economy in an effort to secure the country's prosperity. A question running through this analysis is whether, for Australia, economic cooperation and conflict has assumed the traditional status of war and alliance relationships.
Proposed assessment: One 2,5000 word essay, and either a take-home exam of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
Incompatability: POLS3020 Governance, Identity and Silenced Discourse
This course can be counted towards a Political Science, International Relations or Australian Studies major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Economics or Economic History or Sociology or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will include three major themes. In the first instance, an introduction to public policy and the different approaches to studying public policy. Secondly, an analysis of the actors and institutions, such as politicians, officials, interest groups and the media, involved in making policy, largely but not solely in the Australian context. Thirdly, a discussion of the Australian federal public policy process itself, including topics such as policy communities, problems of rationality and decision making and the issues of policy design and implementation.
Proposed assessment: Written work and a take home or sit down examination.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: POLS1004 Introduction to Australian and International Political Economy, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Since the mid 1970s Australia has experienced profound technological changes, gone through a series of deep recessions, seen dramatic shifts in industrial relations and the role of government, and participated in new economic relations with other countries. This course will explore these developments and the processes of capital accumulation, government policy, capitalist crisis, globalisation and class conflict, which underpin them. It will also consider debates over the implications of these changes including over the extent to which they have fundamentally altered the nature of our society; and the sorts of political strategies necessary to deal with them.
Proposed assessment: A book review, a tutorial paper and an essay.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Throughout the Western World party systems have been challenged by the emergence of new parties of the left (eg the Greens) and by new parties of the right (eg One Nation). This course examines the nature of the Australian political party system and the rise of the new parties. It also examines the reasons for the weakening of the party system such as globalisation, economic restructuring and unemployment. Future scenarios for the development of political parties will also be sketched.
Proposed assessment: Essay, examination and tutorial assessment.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will provide an introduction to the study of public administration and public policy. Topics to be covered include: the role and nature of governmental bureaucracy; policy-making; the implementation of policy; administrative politics; governmental corruption; the control of government; governments, markets and the community; values in public administration; some problems of modern government.
The course will contain a blend of theory and case studies. It will be comparative in scope, drawing its illustrations and cases from a number of systems of government.
22 hours of lectures and 11 tutorials
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses if undertaking a Sociology major or two first-year Arts courses.
Syllabus: This course draws on sociological theory and political thought to understand changes in citizenship, development of the state and understandings of democracy. It focuses on questions of power and trust in considering the role of politicians, the state, and citizen involvement in the political system, including conventional and unconventional political action, and links between citizens and political associations. These issues are explored in the context of social changes in Europe and support among political elites and ordinary citizens for nation states and the European Union. The key themes in the course are citizenship and the state; public opinion and political persuasion; citizen involvement in decision-making as a form of manipulation and social control; and the possibility of democracy. The approach adopted in this course allows for appraisal of prevailing theories about citizens and the state and analysis of case studies.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, essay and an examination
One two hour seminar and one lecture a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Anthropology, or Philosophy, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Marx developed an understanding of how capitalism works as a guide to political action. His analysis of the relationships between economic and political power, class and inequality, accumulation and globalisation, exploitation and oppression, struggle and social change still provide insights into contemporary societies, despite changes in technologies and the details of capitalist organisation of production (whose dynamics he considered).
Through the course we develop our understanding of key Marxist concepts and their application to current problems. In seminars we discuss important Marxist texts, mainly by Marx and Engels, their historical context and contemporary relevance. Lectures provide background to these texts and their relationship to Marxist theory and practice. Issues we cover include: class; the Marxist conception of socialism as the self-emancipation of the working class; globalisation; alienation; Marx's integration of earlier radical democratic and socialist traditions; economic crisis; the place of revolution in Marx's approach to the supercession of capitalism.
Proposed assessment: Seminar presentation, essay, course diary.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Philosophy, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course aims to explore the operation of Australian political institutions and processes through the examination of contemporary political issues. It is not a current affairs course. It will range widely across substantial new directions in the political system as well as responding to one-off events, such as the Olympic Games in Sydney, elections or political crises. Generally it will avoid terrain covered in other Australian Politics courses.
Topics will vary from year to year but may include: the High Court; corruption and political ethics; parliamentary processes and politics; government and business; constitutional reform; sport and politics; state politics; Pauline Hanson's One Nation; influential new books on Australian politics; political biography; political culture.
Proposed assessment: Essay, examination and tutorial assessment.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science or Philosophy or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: In recent years, political theory has been revived by a series of ambitious and systematic works. This course will examine influential figures such as Rawls, Nozick, Hayek, Walzer, Oakeshott and Okin, who have, in different ways, renewed the diverse ideological traditions they represent. It will examine their accounts of basic political values, their visions of the 'good society' -- such issues as the nature of social justice and the distribution of wealth, central concepts such as equality, liberty and rights, the legitimacy of the state and the value of democracy. Socialist, feminist and ecological approaches to political theory will also be considered. The course will approach these questions in the light of the political realities of Western countries.
Proposed assessment: An essay, a second assignment and tutorial work.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Anthropology, or Geography, or Economics, or Economic History, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course is about development and change in Third World societies. It surveys the impact of colonialism and examines theoretical approaches to development. Against this background the course takes up some key issues facing Third World countries, including trade, investment, globalisation, debt, aid, food, the environment, governance, human rights, the military and democratisation. Development strategies are reviewed and agents of change are considered.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and an examination.
Two lectures (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Popularly conceived, Diplomacy is the advancement, pursuit, and securing of the national interest by way of negotiation, compromise, and law. It is widely, if not universally lauded as a politically and morally sound practice although those who practise it, diplomats, are accorded high status if, in addition to tact and skill, they also exhibit cunning. Indeed, as diplomats increasingly came to be associated with a guileful outlook, Ambrose Bierce defined their work as 'the patriotic art of lying for one's country,' while William Butler Yeats noted of their ilk that they were 'easy men' who told their 'lies by rote.'
Diplomacy, however, frequently fails, sometimes intentionally so. In this context, therefore, it is better understood less exclusively -- and more as part of the discourses of power in global politics and the relations between states and other actors which are mutual strangers. Accordingly, this course is concerned, in the main, with how such relationships are mediated, and how and why the failures, which have led to the outbreak of violence occurred.
Proposed assessment: One 2,500 word essay, and either a take-home exam paper of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science, Political Communication or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course analyses the character of current campaigning technologies in Australia. It also examines the types of changes that have occurred over the past twenty years that have led to the process of modernisation. The development of new technologies such as computers seems to have gone hand-in-hand with the growing centralisation of election campaigns and a focus on the national political elites. The influence of the United States on Australia has been important as part of the broader trend of globalisation of campaign technologies.
This course will adopt two main approaches, namely case studies of particular election campaigns in Australia and in various overseas countries and then evaluation of those campaigns, using various criteria of efficiency and effectiveness. It will utilise video and other materials, including internet sites, from selected campaigns.
Proposed assessment: One two-thousand word essay, one examination, and tutorial work.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, Sociology, History or Anthropology, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Fascism is not simply a matter of history. There are large fascist movements in several European countries, India and other parts of the world. Smaller fascist groups are very widespread from Australia to Russia, Japan to the Courseed States. In many countries large populist and racist parties have emerged with the potential to develop in a fascist direction. This course examines the emergence of fascism as a distinct form of social movement since the late 19th century, the circumstances under which fascist organisations have expanded and even taken power. It will also explore struggles against fascism and the strategies and theories which guided them, in order to encourage students to develop their own systematic understanding of fascism and effective ways to prevent or combat fascist movements. In addition, the course will consider how governments have treated antifascist movements.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, tutorial paper and essay.
Incompatability: From Fascism to Neofascism EUHY2001.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or Contemporary Europe major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisites: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Philosophy or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will examine the social and political thought of the Frankfurt School and Habermas. After a brief look at the formation and history of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, the first part of the course will examine some of the major influences on, and themes of, the Frankfurt School's brand of 'critical theory'. Themes will include: Marxism and the critique of political economy; Weber, the rationalisation of society and the philosophy of history; Freudian psychoanalysis, the individual and the family; aesthetics, art and the culture industry; the critique of positivism and the notion of a critical theory of society. The work of theorists such as Horkheimer, Adorno and Marcuse will be discussed. The second part of the course will look in more detail at the work of Jürgen Habermas, the latest and most systematic of the thinkers associated with the Frankfurt School. We shall consider Habermas's reformulation of critical theory, his account of knowledge and human interests and his theory of communication.
Proposed assessment: An essay, a second assignment and tutorial work.
22 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science when taken as a Political Science course or two first-year Arts courses when taken as a Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture major.
Syllabus: This course brings together 'development' and 'globalisation' literatures, with particular attention to women's experiences and gender relations. It begins with an analysis of 'women and development' and its subsequent manifestations. It pursues a gendered critique of international political economy, and intensifying globalisation processes. It then focuses on particular aspects of contemporary global political economy, including the feminisation of the global assembly line, labour migration, the international political economy of sex, and transnational political organising for women's and workers' rights.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, written work, and a course review.
Incompatability: Gender and International Politics POLS2068
This course can be counted towards a Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture Studies or Development Studies or Political Science or International Relations major.
22 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science when taken as a Political Science course or two first-year Arts courses when taken as a Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture major.
Syllabus: This course focuses on key questions to do with gender and global politics. It will analyse women's experiences, gender relations and feminist scholarship in relation to collective identity conflicts, political violence and war. It will begin with an analysis of the international politics of identity, boundary politics and the making of the outsider. It will then focus on the gendered politics of war and peace. It interrogates key concepts in critical security studies, peace research and feminist ethics. It will conclude with a review of contemporary women's organising across identity and state lines for peace.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial exercises, essay (2,000 words) and review (1,700 approx).
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Post-war German Society GERM2020, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Germany is the economic powerhouse of the European Union seeking a greater role in world politics. Unification, after the political collapse of East Germany, has increased Germany's political influence. But its economic miracle finished in the early 1990s (at the latest) and unification has stressed German society. Since the late 1980s there have been several waves of increased electoral support for fascist organisations and of violence against minorities. Germany, with one of the most powerful union movements in the world and employers stressing the need for 'international competitiveness' by holding down wages and other costs has seen increased levels of industrial conflict. Social conflict in Austria, governed since 1987 by a Grand Coalition of Social Democrats and conservatives, has been much less open. Attacks on the welfare state in Austria have been less than in most other developed countries. But the electoral support for the coalition parties has been declining and the main opposition is Europe's most influential fascist party.
The course will examine the background to contemporary developments, the distinctive features of two countries' institutions, societies and economies, their class structures and political parties. A major focus will be on understanding current issues in the news from Austria and Germany.
Proposed assessment: An essay and a tutorial paper.
This course is a Bachelor of Arts (European Studies) designated course.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science if undertaking a Political Science or International Relations major, or two first-year GEND courses if undertaking a Gender, Sexuality and Culture or Women's Studies major with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course analyses the making of political identities in the contemporary world, beginning with 'the world' itself, the West and its Others, and international processes of colonisation, migration, decolonisation and globalisation. It utilises critical and feminist accounts to interrogate particular political identities: of state, citizen and nationalism, and post-colonial and post-migratory identities. Within this global frame, it pursues contemporary debate around region, and 'Asia'. It concludes with a brief consideration of how international identity politics might figure in determining Australia's place in the world.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, written work and a course review.
This course can be counted towards a Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture Studies or Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks each semester
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science
Syllabus: How did Americans manage to elect a President who had fewer popular votes than his opponent? Why did Congress impeach President Clinton then refuse to remove him from office? Why has party control of the United States Senate changed twice since the last election? Who gave the Supreme Court the power to make George W. Bush President? And what explains the refusal of half of the American electorate to cast a vote on polling day?
While such questions highlight some of the more sensational aspects of contemporary American government, they also direct attention to the fundamental complexities and dynamics of the American political system which this course seeks to identify and explain. The syllabus is designed to provide a broad and critical introduction to the structure and processes of government in the United States, an analysis of the political behaviour and political ideas of the American people, and some basic knowledge of current public policy issues in American politics.
The course begins with an examination of the origins of American government, the political ideas of America's Founding Fathers, and the nature of American constitutionalism, in order to provide the necessary background to the study of government institutions and political processes in contemporary America.
The major part of the course will cover the organisation and structure of Congress, the nature of the Presidency and the executive branch of government, the role of the Supreme Court with particular emphasis on its political and policy impact, political parties, electoral politics (with a special focus on the outcome of the 2000 presidential election), voting behaviour and voting turnout, the political impact of the mass media, interest group politics, the character of American federalism, and politics at the state and local level.
The course will conclude with an examination of some theoretical contributions to the debate about the distribution of power in the United States and the nature of American democracy.
Proposed Assessment: The assessment will be based on two essays to be submitted during the year and an examination at the end of the year.
*N.B. Students who wish to take this course must enrol in both POLS2013A (First Semester) and POLS 2013B (Second Semester). This course continues over a full-year and is not divisible into semesters. There is no formal assessment at the end of the first semester. You will not receive a final grade until you have completed Part B at the end of the year. If you drop Part A in First Semester you must also drop Part B.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science if undertaking a Political Science major or any two first year Arts or Geography courses or one later year EURO course.
Syllabus: Though most people agree that the environment matters, they disagree over why it is significant as well as the urgency and best approaches to achieving environmental objectives. This course explores the capacity of governments (mainly in Europe and Australia) to respond to these challenges, and has three components.
First, it considers how different ways of thinking about the environment influence actors and institutions. These ways of thinking include opposing ideas about potential catastrophes; beliefs that experts will solve all problems; ecologically sustainable development; and green radicalism and participatory democracy.
Second, it explores the obstacles to, and potential for, effective policy implementation in terms of governments' capacity to interact with non-state actors (green movements and interest groups; industry and green enterprises; the media; public opinion; transnational organisations). We consider the kinds of pressure they exert on the state to take action.
Third, the course focuses on specific issues (like air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and depletion of the ozone layer) in evaluating explanations for the logic and performance of national governments and transnational institutions like the European Union.
Proposed assessment: Participation in tutorials; an essay (2,400 words); and an examination (1.5 hrs)
This course can be counted towards a Contemporary Europe or Political Science major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year units in Political Science or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course provides a broad ranging introduction to the study of international politics. Its aim is to familiarise students with the basic concepts, issues, themes and historical events integral to an understanding of the contemporary world scene.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an end-of-semester examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
One lecture and one two-hour seminar a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course addresses some of the most important issues in International Relations Theory with special emphasis on developments in the post WWII period. Following an introduction to the major theoretical concepts employed by IR scholars and policymakers, the course explores in more detail: theories of power politics Realism, the neo (realism)/neo (liberalism) debate and various critical social theory perspectives in the 1990s.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an end-of-semester examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Even with the recent economic downturn, Japan is still a major player in the world and its external policies can have a significant impact on international political and economic affairs. This course examines Japan's relationship with its major trade and security partners as well as rivals. It first traces the diplomatic history of Japan since 1945, with a particular focus on its close ties with the Courseed States. It then looks at Japanese foreign policy making structure and examines the processes and norms that have defined its diplomatic style. Finally, the course discusses the growing importance of Japan in the international commcoursey, and particularly, in the Asia-Pacific region. The implication of Japan's rise as 'a major Asian power' for the international and regional politics, economy and culture is critically assessed.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and a final examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures, (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will present an inquiry into significant developments in Global Politics, some originating in World War II, from perspectives which the mainstream effectively excludes, marginalises, repressively tolerates, or silences in the interests of maintaining its own privileged position in explaining, prescribing, and legitimating the world and its various orders. It examines, in turn, the current state of the world, (in particular the phenomenon known as 'globalisation' and its consequences), and the proximate origins of these conditions in both theory and practice. At each turn the purpose is to juxtapose the accepted and acceptable record, and declared values of the West's victories since 1945 with the empirical record, and to disturb certain conventional truths from their comfortable repose. Accordingly, this course is a critical reflection on the conventional wisdom, the powers, which sustain it, and the purposes that it serves. The extended schedule of subjects will include: secret government and secret wars conducted by intelligence agencies; genocide, terror, and mass murder; 'black propaganda' operations (including those of a sexual nature) against out-of favour political leaders such as Indonesia's Sukarno; violence; racism; support of dictators; organised crime and drug cartels; and the development and extension of Third World conditions in the name of economic progress. Throughout, extensive use will be made of documentary videotapes.
Proposed assessment: One 2,5000 word essay, and either a take-home exam of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
Incompatibility: Governance, Identity, and Silenced Discourse POLS3020
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Philosophy, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Social movements have assumed particular significance in recent years. This course will concentrate on the experience of feminist, lesbian and gay, black and ecological or green politics. The course will consider some of the theoretical issues raised by these movements, in particular: (a) their relation to other forms of politics, especially class politics; (b) problems of political practice (organisation, strategy and tactics), for example the role of consciousness raising, autonomy and separatism; (c) issues in political theory such as the distinction between oppression and exploitation, the concepts of power and interests, the nature of personal politics and the politics of identity and culture; (d) whether these movements are really new. It will examine the work of theorists such as Touraine, Habermas, Offe, Melucci and Foucault in the light of these issues.
Proposed assessment: An essay, a second assignment and tutorial work.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week and eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or Anthropology, or Geography, or Economics, or Economic History, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course is about development and politics in the island countries of the Pacific. It outlines the vulnerability of these countries and surveys colonial impacts and forms of government. Tensions between `tradition' and modernity are then examined through a consideration of culture and ideology, political participation, state and civil society, the situation of Pacific women, and the indigenous question. The last part of the course is concerned with the Pacific Islands in the global context. It examines key economic issues, regional cooperation and the process of reform in the 1990s.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and an examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or Development Studies major.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course is about the development of party politics in post-war Britain. Its principal focus will be the competition between the parties in terms of ideology, policy, and electoral appeal. It will examine the breakdown of the post-war consensus, the rise of minor parties, theories of partisan decline, the impact of the media on voting behaviour, and the response of the parties to major domestic and foreign policy issues since 1945, including the Suez Crisis, Northern Ireland, the European Community, the Falklands War, economic management, industrial relations, and race and immigration.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course covers a predominantly Muslim region, which has recently come to prominence in world politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its focus is on the national politics and regional and international relations of Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with references to Pakistan's role in the region. The course concentrates on selected themes concerning political and social change, economic modernisation and regional security against the backdrop of sectarian, ethnolinguistic and ideological diversity, as well as outside interference.
Proposed assessment: One 3,000 word essay and either a two-hour examination or a 2,000 word essay.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course aims to introduce students to a wide range of literature on Japanese politics and help them understand the basic workings of the political and governmental institutions and processes of contemporary Japan. It traces the evolution of the postwar political system including transformation of parties and the party system, electoral politics, governmental policy agenda, bureaucratic politics, and relationships between major political and economic institutions. It also discusses political participation of organised interest groups, local governments, the judiciary and grass-roots citizens' movement organisations.
Proposed assessment: An essay, tutorial work and a final examination.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course provides an introduction to the politics of Russia. It traces the evolution of Russian politics through both Tsarist and Soviet periods. While it primarily focuses on the rise and fall of communist ideology and institutions, it also examines in detail the ongoing development of political structures in post-communist Russia and the forces -- both domestic and international -- which play a role in shaping those structures, and for that matter Russian politics and society.
Proposed assessment: One 3,000 word essay and either a two-hour examination or a 2,000 word essay.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: The course concentrates on the contemporary politics of the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, with some reference to Afghanistan. It examines the political development and dynamics of the major countries involved at national and regional levels. This is done in the context of four major variables -- Islam, oil, the Arab-Israeli conflict and other regional disputes, and major power rivalry -- and the consequences of the interaction of these variables for the region's importance in world politics.
Proposed assessment: One 3,000 word essay and either a two-hour examination or a 2,000 word essay.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Sociology, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course explores key contemporary issues about the political role of the media, largely, but by no means solely, in the Australian context. Students will be encouraged to specialise in one area selected from amongst the following themes: the political effects of the media; policy-making on the media; and, gender and the media.
Proposed assessment: A 2,000 word essay, tutorial work and either an examination or further written assignments.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course involves the study of the impact of pressure groups on politics and policy-making in Australia. The role of both sectional groups (such as business organisations and trade unions), promotional groups (including the environmental and women's lobbies), as well as professional independent lobbyists, will be examined. The course will also address differing styles of interaction between groups and governments, such as consultative strategies, political lobbying, direct action and public opinion management.
Proposed assessment: There will be an essay, tutorial work and an examination.
Two lectures and one tutorial a week for eleven weeks
Prerequisites: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will explore three bodies of literature. It will examine, firstly, the work of Political Scientists who have drawn on various theories, concepts and findings from Psychology in an attempt to enhance their analysis of political phenomena. Second, it will explore work conducted by Psychologists that may have relevance to the understanding of political life. Third, it will draw on work by other social scientists who have explored psychological dimensions of social and political life. Some of the topics to be explored will be Political Leadership, Decision-making, Group Dynamics, Inter-group Relations and Prejudice, Collective Behaviour, Mass Media and Public Opinion, Emotions in Politics and Non-verbal communication.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course is primarily concerned with the domestic Australian elements in the interaction between politics and religious interests, organisations and ideas, but international aspects will also be considered. In the context of church-state debates, the direct place of Christians, Jews and Muslims in politics will be analysed, as well as the religious component of Aboriginal and ethnic politics. Religion generates political passion among both proponents and opponents and its impact on party and group politics is unpredictable as it appears on both the right and left of politics. Churches are themselves internally divided over political issues and over the appropriate relationship between church and state. Churches are also significant actors in public administration as deliverers of educational, health and welfare services. Political issues to be discussed include the regulation of life and death, educational politics, social justice, censorship and pornography, immigration and ethnic affairs, gender and equal employment opportcoursey and economic policy.
Proposed assessment: Essay, examination and tutorial assessment.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science or Religious Studies major.
Two lectures (one of which might be devoted to a video screening) for eleven weeks and one tutorial a week for ten weeks
Prerequisite: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The word strategy is derived indirectly from the Greek, strategos, meaning 'general', and to many it is still narrowly associated with 'generalship' or 'the art of the general'. But as war and society have become more complicated that view has been challenged by the view which holds that strategy is an inherent quality of statecraft at all times, in peace and war. At least that is the way in which it is used in this course. Accordingly, this course is the study of how nations and other significant international actors seek peace and security through the art of controlling and utilising their resources -- economic, psychological, moral, political and technological. In effect, this is to study the highest type of strategy -- sometimes called Grand Strategy, and will include such issues as the nuclear arms race, superpower nuclear doctrines, arms control and disarmament, conventional war, revolutionary and guerrilla warfare, terrorism, conflict resolution and peace research. It will, in addition, examine the intellectual character of strategy and significant components of the strategy of the United States.
Proposed assessment: One 2,500 word essay, and either a take-home exam paper of maximum length 1,500 words, or a one and one-half hour examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science, Political Communication or International Relations major.
Two lectures and one tutorial per week for eleven weeks
Prerequisites: Two first-year courses in Political Science, or Gender, Sexuality and Culture Studies, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will examine the efforts of womens groups to influence Australian public policy since the late 1960s. It begins by looking at feminist theories of the state and critiques of bureaucracy, power and hierarchy. Feminist analyses of the unequal status of women in Australia are then examined. The focus is on the sexual division of labour, the public-private dichotomy and the attitudes and practices that underpin those divisions. Critiques of public policy and proposals for reform across a range of policy areas will then be studied, together with an examination of the strategies and tactics used by different groups of women. The policy areas under consideration will vary but may include equal opportcoursey and anti-discrimination legislation, affirmative action, child rearing, paid employment, non-market and caring work, health, social security and welfare. International comparative material will be included where appropriate.
Proposed assessment: Written work and an examination.
This course can be counted towards a Political Science, Women's Studies or Gender, Sexuality and Culture Studies, Australian Studies or Policy Studies majors.
Honours convener: To be appointed
Intending honours students should first read the general statement 'The degree with honours' in the introductory section of the Faculty of Arts entry.
There will be a series of meetings for students hoping to advance to Political Science IV. Further information can also be obtained from the School of Social Science Administration Office or through the School of Social Sciences web page. Students with particular enquiries should consult the Honours Convener.
To be eligible for entry into Fourth Year Honours, students must have completed the requirements for the pass degree
(a) Two first-year courses in Political Science.
(b) Eight later-year level courses of political science to the value of 48 units. At least 24 of these 48 units of Political Science are to comprise courses completed with a grade of Distinction or above, with the remainder to be completed with grades of Credit or above. If students obtain one or more High Distinction grades in later-year courses in addition to the 24 units required at Distinction level, then later-year courses completed at Pass level to the same value will be counted at Credit level.
(a) A thesis on a topic approved by the Head of School.
(b) Participation in seminar courses.
Final honours results are determined on the basis of a student's overall performance in Political Science IV.
Students may combine honours in Political Science with honours in certain other disciplines, the overall workload being equivalent to honours in a single discipline.
Three courses from the Political Science major (18 units) at later-year level are to be completed with grades of Distinction or above. The remaining three courses (18 units) of Political Science should be completed with grades of Credit or above.
When planning such a degree students should take account of the honours requirements in both disciplines. Those interested should consult the Honours Convener as early as possible.
Conveners: Dr Don Rowland, School of Social Sciences, MA Auck., PhD ANU; Dr P van Diermen, School of Resources, Environment and Society BEc Adel, MA Flind., PhD ANU
The ANU is the principal centre for demographic research and training in Australia. An education in Population Studies is intended to enable students to obtain qualifications in a field of vital significance to Australia's national and international interests. The Population Studies Program offers core undergraduate courses and links population-related courses in several disciplines to enable students to pursue a structured sequence of studies in this field. Population Studies addresses a range of concerns including families, communities, immigration, education, ageing, health, environmental change and national development. The major is designed to teach a range of complementary skills and perspectives necessary to an understanding of population in the context of historical trends and current issues.
A major in Population Studies consists of a minimum of 42 units -- generally seven courses selected as follows: 12 units of appropriate first-year courses followed by: Population Analysis POPS2002, at least 12 units of other Population Studies core courses, and up to 12 units of other approved later year courses.
A major in Population Studies may also consist entirely of later-year courses to the value of 42 units, if appropriate first-year courses have been completed but are being counted as part of a different major. The 42 units will come from the following courses: Population Analysis POPS2002, at least 12 units of other Population Studies core courses, and up to 24 units of other approved later year courses.
Population Studies core courses may also be taken as individual courses or as components of other majors such as Geography (maximum of 12 units), Sociology and Social Research Methods.
There is also a fourth honours year in Population Studies (see below).
Students wishing to pursue honours or graduate studies on population topics may also do so through disciplines such as Anthropology, Geography or Sociology, provided they have satisfied the requirements in that particular discipline.
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Culture, Biology and Population Dynamics BIAN2120 Population and Australia SOCY2032 |
Normally offered in even years
Prerequisites: Two first-year courses in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology and/or the Division of Botany and Zoology, or enrolment in the Population Studies major.
Syllabus: The potential of human populations to grow, stabilise or decline is realised through events which are often strongly marked culturally and always crucial for individuals: birth, migration and death. The prospects and hazards of survival, mobility, marriage and raising a family vary greatly between populations, and are often related to sociocultural factors including religion, education, gender roles, valuation of children, political organisation and economy. Yet if sociocultural factors are to influence the dynamics of fertility and mortality, they must do so through their effects on those very biological events, giving birth and dying. This course explores in an anthropological context the complex interplay between culture and biology in producing population dynamics of different kinds, as well as the implications of those population dynamics for the societies in question.
Course topics include: population size and structure in the past and present; the biology of natural fertility; social factors controlling fertility; mortality and the impact of varying life expectancies; population pressure on resources and consequences for migration; marital mobility, marriage practices, kinship systems and sex ratios; the demography of small-scale societies; health, nutrition and the demographic effect of epidemics; demographic implications of warfare; change, development and demographic transitions. Quantitative demographic techniques are introduced but not pursued in depth. Examples are drawn mainly from the mass societies of Asia and the small-scale indigenous societies of the Australia-Pacific region.
The course is designed on the premise that what is distinctive about the anthropological (in the broad sense) approach to population is its concern with the processes that lie behind population numbers more than the numbers themselves, and its comparative perspective across cultures and from the distant past to the present.
This course may be included in Human Sciences and Population Studies majors.
Two lectures, and one computer laboratory per week
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or Political Science or Economics, a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the Convener
Syllabus: Demographic techniques and their applications in a wide range of contexts. Emphasis is given to methods that are most commonly needed for population studies in Australia; the focus is on practical applications of methods, rather than mathematics. Coverage will include: methods of analysing fertility, mortality, migration and population composition; standardisation of rates; life tables; population projections. Students receive training in the uses of microcomputer spreadsheets for demographic calculations.
Normally offered in even years
Two lectures a week and a one hour tutorial fortnightly
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or Political Science or Economics, a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the Convener
Syllabus: Population processes have contributed to many changes in Australian society, including urbanisation, the development of 'multiculturalism', the diversification of family forms, the emergence of ageing as a major social issue and the growth and decline of urban and rural communities. This course examines changes in Australia from the perspective of the causes and effects of demographic processes. Emphasis is given to contemporary questions and their historical origins, referring to concepts and theories concerning migration, the demographic transition and social change.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an open book examination or a take home examination or a final essay
65 hours of contact comprising 26 hours of lectures, 26 hours of tutorials and 2 days of fieldwork.
Course Coordinator: Dr P van Diermen
Prerequisite: Completion of at least 24 units or with the written approval of the Course Coordinator.
Syllabus: The concern in this course is to account for the distribution of the human population and its relation to the resources of the Earth. Particular attention is given to the geographical aspects of the demography of populations and contemporary trends. The development of nations in their particular environments provides perspectives on the relationship between population and resources. Attention is focused on the Australian-Asian hemisphere. The limitations of resources, the role of technology, affluence and social policy are central topics. The methodology for understanding population dynamics support the discussion of issues and problems. The course also studies policy and how it seeks to keep pace with rapid socio-economic change.
Proposed assessment: To be agreed in consultation with students. This may include an essay, a field report, and an examination. Regular attendance and participation in class work is required. Students who fail to submit set work by the due date or fail to participate in classes and field excursions may be excluded from examination.
Two lectures a week and a one hour tutorial fortnightly
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology or Geography or Sociology or History or Economic History or Political Science or Economics, a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the Convener
Syllabus: This course introduces the main concepts in population studies, showing how they relate to issues in research, planning and policy development. Topics include contemporary thought on population growth, mortality control, changes in fertility, population mobility, the life cycle, the study of generations and the population dimension of environmental changes and social issues. The content is non-mathematical and coverage is global, with emphasis on comparisons between less developed and more developed countries.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an open book examination or a take home examination or a final essay
This course may be included in Population Studies, Sociology, Geography, Development Studies or Human Sciences majors.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisites: Any one of: 12 units of first-year courses of Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology (PREH or ARCH), Geography, Economic History, Political Science, Psychology or Economics, or with the permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: The aim of this course is to introduce the concepts and methods used in describing and analysing the health of human populations, with particular emphasis on health in Australia. The causes of illness and death will be reviewed for the population as a whole and for selected sub-groups within it such as Aborigines, migrants and males as compared with females. Demographic and epidemiological techniques for studying health and disease will be introduced. Various interventions such as immunisation, population screening, health promotion programs and acute medical care will be examined in relation to their impact on population health.
Proposed assessment: The preferred model of regular tutorial assignments and a final examination will be subject to consultation with students.
This course may be included in Population Studies and Sociology majors.
Offered in 2002 in conjunction with Population and Australia
Normally offered in the same semester as the selected prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, one of the following Population Studies courses: Population and Society POPS2001, Population and Australia SOCY2032, Population Health SOCY2050
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3,000 word essay based on the population studies literature
This course may be included in Sociology and Population Studies majors.
Normally offered in the same semester as the selected prerequisite course.
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, Population Analysis POPS2002
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3,000 word paper based on population statistics
This course may be included in Sociology, Population Studies and Social Research Methods majors.
Honours Convener: Dr Don Rowland
Intending students should first read the general statement 'The degree with honours' in the introductory section of the Bachelor of Arts entry. Prospective honours students should consult with the Population Studies conveners no later than the beginning of the third year. The course of study for the third and fourth years should be planned in consultation with the Population Studies conveners.
The requirements for entry to honours in Population Studies normally consists of completion of a Bachelor of Arts degree or a combined degree, including 10 courses to the value of at least 60 units from:
(1) A major in population studies (min. 42 units). The seven courses are to be completed with at least a credit grade average.
(2) And either a major (42 units) in a cognate area, such as sociology or geography, or additional courses to the value of 18 units from the lists of core courses and other later-year courses in the Population Studies major.
The requirements for the fourth year normally consist of:
1. The honours seminar in Population Studies (Theories in Demography). This course is offered by the Graduate Program in Demography and may be taken at honours level.
2. An appropriate later-year course taken in the Faculties or in the Graduate Program in Demography, and assessed at fourth-year honours level.
3. A sub-thesis of 15,000 to 20,000 words supervised by staff from one or more of the following: the Population Studies Program, Sociology, School of Social Sciences, the School of Resources, Environment and Society, the Graduate Program in Demography. Normally, the sub-thesis will count for 60% of the overall result, the graduate seminar and the additional course for 20% each.
Conveners: Dr Don Rowland and Dr Owen Dent, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts; Mr Ken Johnson, School of Resources, Environment and Society, Faculty of Science.
This major enables students to study sequences of courses that reinforce and extend their knowledge of methods of research and analysis in the social sciences. Students enrolled in the major receive access to and training on computers, instruction in statistical techniques and research methods, and experience in applied work.
For students trained in a particular discipline knowledge of the methods of related disciplines enhances abilities to conduct research and analyse information in their field of specialisation. Historians and political scientists, for example, use the statistical techniques and survey methods of sociologists. Prehistorians and environmental scientists are turning increasingly to the analytical techniques of geography, and the methods of demography are widely used by social scientists in the analysis of survey data and official statistics such as population censuses. The ability to handle a range of problems and methodological issues is important in occupations using practical investigative skills.
The major in research methods recognises the complementarity of training in the techniques of different social science disciplines. The structure of the major exposes students to a range of learning experiences, which combine to give students substantial skills in related areas of social research.
The requirements of the major are a minimum of 42 units consisting of 12 units from appropriate first-year courses, followed by 30 units from later-year courses (listed below). The major may also consist of later-year courses to the value of 42 units, if prerequisite first-year courses have been completed but are being counted as part of a different major.
To give students adequate breadth in their studies, not more than half the units of later-year courses in the major can be taken in any one study area. The later-year courses must be drawn from at least two of the following study areas:
Normal prerequisites apply. All courses are 6 units unless indicated otherwise.
Later-year courses: At least 30 units from at least 2 of the following categories of courses:
SOCY2037 Foundations of Social Research
SOCY2038 Methods of Social Research A
SOCY2043 Qualitative Research Methods
SOCY3018 Methods of Social Research B
SOCY3028 Social Research (3 unit)
Foundations of Social Research SOCY2037 provides an extensive coverage of concept formation, theory construction and other methodological issues. Qualitative Research Methods SOCY2043 is concerned with the study of the social world through methods such as participant observation and in-depth interviewing. The courses on Methods of Social Research A and B provide training in data acquisition procedures, including survey design, and quantitative analytical techniques for examining social data. Social Research SOCY3028 (3 unit) is concerned with the preparation of a research essay.
GEOG2009 Geographic Information and Intelligence
GEOG2015 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing
GEOG3009 Applied Geographic Information Systems
These courses discuss the analysis of spatial information and data sets commonly encountered in geography. Extensive use is made of computers for mapping and graphing data, calculating descriptive statistics and analysing spatial data from satellites and other sources.
POPS3003 Population Research (3 unit)
Vital statistics, migration statistics and census figures on population characteristics -- such as age composition, family structure and occupations -- are important source materials in the social sciences. Population Analysis POPS2002 equips students to find and use such materials. Population Research POPS3003 provides experience in conducting a research project based on population statistics.
ARTH2036 World Wide Web Strategies
This course covers the development and management of electronic information.
PSYC2009 Quantitative Methods in Psychology
PSYC3017 Advanced Research Methods: Multivariate Analyses
PSYC3018 Advanced Research Methods: Analysis of Variance
These courses present strategies, statistical methods and computing techniques in psychology. Coverage includes the design and analysis of experiments and applications of techniques of psychological measurement in experiments and in psychological testing.
Convener: Dr Andrew Hopkins, MA ANU, PhD Conn.
Sociology is the study of human social relationships in their various forms and of the social institutions and organisations that make up society. Sociologists study the ways in which human beings interact in groups, ranging from small groups such as the family through to large organisations and to society as a whole. Emphasis is placed on the social forces and constraints which influence the way groups work. By studying sociology, students learn to understand the structure and processes of society and how individuals and groups shape and are shaped by their social world. Additionally, they learn techniques for studying social processes and the limitations of these methods.
The first-year courses, Self and Society, Contemporary Society, and Introduction to Social Psychology (Sociology), provide a sociological perspective and introduce some basic sociological concepts and principles.
There are no prescribed combinations among these courses, but there are some sequences that depend upon a student taking the first course in the sequence in order to gain entry to later-year courses. Students may specialise in one or two areas or seek a broad coverage. The Convener and members of staff are happy to offer advice on the choice of courses.
All first year and most later year courses are 6 units. These courses involve approximately 32 contact hours over a semester.
The School of Social Sciences also offers a number of 3 unit later year `enhancement courses', which may be taken in conjunction with, or after completing, a 6 unit course. The 3 unit courses provide extra tutorials to assist students to write a research essay, building on the subject matter of the selected 6 unit prerequisite course.
As far as possible forms of assessment in each course will be discussed with students before being finalised (see Faculty entry on assessment). In each course, completion of prescribed written work and participation in classes (including tutorials) is a condition which, if unfulfilled, will render a student ineligible for assessment.
Although students may enrol in any number of first year Sociology courses, not more than two can be included in a major. First year courses may be taken in any order.
The courses Self and Society SOCY1002 and Contemporary Society SOCY1003 may not be combined in a degree with the former SOCY1001.
Two one hour lectures and one one hour tutorial
Syllabus: This course will deal with the social construction of the self. It will draw on other media, such as film and biography to show how the self is constructed in both gender and class terms. The course then addresses the paradox that, although we are shaped by powerful social forces, we have a sense of ourselves as autonomous individuals. It will show how this sense of individual selfhood is of recent origin, associated with the development of modern society. The Self and Society may follow or precede Contemporary Society.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Lecturers: Dr Klovdahl, Dr Rowland
Syllabus: This course provides an introduction to modern society, its structures, processes of change and their impact on everyday life. Australian society is discussed in a comparative context with particular reference to social institutions such as the education system, the family, and the political system, and the urban and rural community settings of people's lives. Explanations of trends are examined in the context of classical and modern sociological theories. Contemporary Society may follow or precede The Self and Society.
2 lectures per week for 12 weeks and 10 tutorials over a period of 13 weeks
Syllabus: The course will introduce students to major topics in social psychology, with an emphasis on sociological approaches. The course will focus specifically on normative, cultural and cross-cultural dimensions of social psychological aspects of human behaviour. Students will be introduced to the notion of the social self, including self-perception and self-presentation. Subsequent topics may include the formation and change of attitudes and values, social judgement, persuasion, attraction, altruism and self-interest, and group behaviour. Case studies will show how social psychological processes are found in everyday life and how they are taken into account in the development of social policy.
The School of Social Sciences also offers a skills based course in second semester Research Skills for the Humanities and the Social Sciences ARTS1002 (see `Skills and Inquiry Courses'). This course will focus on skills valued in the workplace, such as writing and analytical skills. It cannot be included in the sociology major.
Later year students, especially those intending to proceed to fourth year honours, should note that the Theory courses are Classical Sociological Theory SOCY2040; Modern Sociological Theory SOCY3014; and Engendering Paradigms SOCY3023. The Research Methods courses are Foundations of Social Research SOCY2037; Qualitative Research Methods SOCY2043; Methods of Social Research A SOCY2038; Methods of Social Research B SOCY3018; and Population Analysis POPS2002.
22 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course focuses on a wide range of social changes that have transformed everyday life and institutional settings over the past couple of decades. These themes will be interwoven with an exploration of some important `myths' surrounding `the Australian way of life' and `the egalitarian ethos'. A variety of explanations of the processes of change that have shaped Australia's contemporary social landscape will be considered and used to map the contours of possible futures. Although the focus in on contemporary social issues and social problems, each theme will be examined from an historical perspective -- mainly from the 1890s onward.
The course is divided into three distinct, though interrelated, sections: structures of inequality; urbanisation and inequality; and culture and identity. Throughout, students will be encouraged to take these dimensions of inequality, theories of social change and popular culture and apply them to their own specific fields of interest in any aspect of Australian society.
Proposed assessment: To be decided in consultation with students.
22 hours of lectures and 11 tutorials
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses if undertaking a Sociology major or two first-year Arts courses.
Syllabus: This course draws on sociological theory and political thought to understand changes in citizenship, development of the state and understandings of democracy. It focuses on questions of power and trust in considering the role of politicians, the state, and citizen involvement in the political system, including conventional and unconventional political action, and links between citizens and political associations. These issues are explored in the context of social changes in Europe and support among political elites and ordinary citizens for nation states and the European Union. The key themes in the course are citizenship and the state; public opinion and political persuasion; citizen involvement in decision-making as a form of manipulation and social control; and the possibility of democracy. The approach adopted in this course allows for appraisal of prevailing theories about citizens and the state and analysis of case studies.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial participation, essay and an examination
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course will examine the sociological theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. The social and intellectual contexts of the development of the classical sociological traditions will be considered. The influence of Marx, Weber and Durkheim on recent sociology will also be treated.
Proposed assessment: One 2,000-word essay and one tutorial presentation.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: One later-year Sociology course or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will cover theoretical explanations and research findings concerning collective behaviour, such as riots and mobs, and social movements. Particular attention will be directed to the objectives and strategies of social movements, such as passive resistance, sabotage and terrorism, and to attempts to control social movements by the State and/or other interested parties. The sociological factors related to recruitment to and exiting from movement activity, and the long-term social and personal consequences of activism will be studied. Selected social movements will be covered in depth, for example, student political movements, liberation movements, and the environmental movement.
Assessment: One 3,000-word essay or report, a final examination, and tutorial participation will be required. Details will be discussed with students.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The purpose of this course will be to examine the dialectical relationship between education and society, particularly with respect to socioeconomic development and change.
The course will firstly consider the main theoretical perspectives which attempt to explain variations in educational systems and the ways that they change (eg functionalist, Marxist and interpretative). This will be followed by a socio-historical examination of the emergence of schooling, from antiquity through the industrial revolution to mass schooling in many societies today. Topics will include the relationship between education and the economy, the political system (the State) and the cultural and ideological system. The relationship between the family, schooling and life chances will also receive attention. Finally, alternative educational structures will be examined with respect to their appropriateness for different types of societies.
All topics will be treated in a comparative perspective, although the Australian context will receive considerable attention. The similarities and differences between school processes in industrialised and non-industrialised societies, as well as capitalist and socialist societies, will be a consistent theme throughout the course.
Proposed assessment: The suggested assessment program includes one 3,000-word essay, tutorial participation, and a choice between a final report or an examination.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses from either Sociology; Anthropology; Archaeology (PREH or ARCH); Political Science or the Science Faculty, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course covers such topics as the role of energy in the development of different levels of societal organisation; the question of whether particular levels of civilisation (e.g. modern Western) require specific levels of energy use; sociological theories pertaining to energy, environment and society relationships; the limits of growth versus the ultimate resource debate; energy and structure of cities; the impact of energy-induced urban structure on the well-being of city dwellers; the rise and development of the environmental movement; and so on.
The course will provide an opportunity for participants to examine critically the sociological implications of past and present environmental issues.
Proposed assessment: The proposed assessment includes a 3000-word essay, tutorial participation, and a final exam.
This course can be counted towards a Sociology; Art and Material Culture (continuing students only); Environmental Resources; Population Studies or Human Sciences major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses from either Sociology; Anthropology; Geography; Political Science; Archaeology (PREH or ARCH); Psychology or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course examines key issues and assumptions in sociological research. It covers areas such as sociological theory as explanation; degrees of sociological explanation; operationalisation of concepts; validity; theory testing and theory construction; and strategies of analysis of research.
Proposed assessment: Details will be discussed with students at the beginning of the semester.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology or Social Research Methods major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Ethnic relations form a central feature of many societies today, as colonialism and post-colonial migrations have created minority populations in many parts of the world. This course examines the origins and maintenance of racial and ethnic divisions in a comparative perspective. It focuses on the social construction of ethnic identities in multicultural settings. The course is concerned with general theoretical issues informing debates on identity and the cultural politics of difference, at both individual and collective levels. Special attention is given to case studies, with an emphasis on new cultural pluralism, the place of individual self-projects and the status of difference in a global world.
Proposed assessment: One tutorial presentation and two essays (around 2,000 and 4,000 words respectively) in consultation with students.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, International Relations or Development Studies major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any one of: two first-year Sociology courses, a Women's Studies (WOMS) or Gender, Sexuality and Culture (GEND) course or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This is an upper-level course whose aim is to introduce students to a range of gender issues in sociology. The stress is on gender rather than women's problems. This course will introduce students to the many dimensions of gender and argue that gender is a central category of social analysis, in a similar way to class, race and ethnicity with which it intersects with varied, specific results. The course will focus specifically on the emergence of gender as an analytical tool in sociology, on the reproduction of gendered social agents and on the analysis of gendered ideologies. It will also examine the impact of gender and feminist deconstructionism in the sociology of knowledge. The aim is to familiarise students with the impact of feminist theories on sociology as a whole.
Proposed assessment: One tutorial presentation and two essays (around 2,000 and 4,000 words respectively) in consultation with students.
20 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course focuses on the sociological analysis of issues in contemporary society concerned with the making, breaking and enforcement of laws, as well as those social behaviours considered deviant, even when these are not illegal. Particular attention may be paid to those processes that lead to an individual being incarcerated in institutions for the criminal, the delinquent or the insane. The course will deal with questions such as how some behaviours or people are defined as deviant. It will look in some detail at the crimes of the powerful and at crimes against women, particularly domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
26 hours of lectures, 6 hours of tutorials and 8 one-hour computer laboratory sessions over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses from either Sociology; Anthropology; Archaeology (ARCH or PREH); Geography; Political Science or Psychology or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: An introduction to social research methods with emphasis on the testing of theories and models by quantitative techniques. Topics to be covered will include causal axiomatic theories; strategies for testing theories; research designs from true experimental designs to ex-post-facto designs such as survey research; statistical estimation and hypothesis testing; and computer-based statistical techniques.
Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students, but will be based upon a combination of regular assignments and a three-hour final examination.
Incompatability: SOCY2008 Methods of Sociological Research.
This course may be counted towards the Sociology, Population Studies or Social Research Methods major.
26 hours of lectures, 6 hours of tutorials and 8 one-hour computer laboratory sessions over 13 weeks.
Prerequisite: Methods of Social Research A SOCY2038 or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course builds upon the material presented in Methods of Social Research A. Topics to be covered will include theory and techniques of social measurement; sampling theory and sample design; data collection procedures; computer-based analytical techniques including graphical methods and multivariate statistics with special emphasis on their application to sociological problems.
Proposed assessment: To be discussed with students.
Incompatability: SOCY2008 Methods of Sociological Research
This course may be counted towards the Sociology, Population Studies or Social Research Methods major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: One later-year Sociology course or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Sociologically significant theories of rationality, social action, social structure and social reproduction are examined in this course. The contribution of such theories to an understanding of power in modern society will constitute the primary focus of the course.
26 hours of lectures and 12 one-hour computer laboratory sessions over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first-year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or Geography or Sociology or Economic History or History or Political Science or Economics, or a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Demographic techniques and their applications in a wide range of contexts. Emphasis is given to methods that are most commonly needed for population studies in Australia; the focus is on practical applications of methods, rather than mathematics. Coverage will include: methods of analysing fertility, mortality, migration and population composition; standardisation of rates; life tables; population projections. Students will receive training in the uses of microcomputer spreadsheets for demographic calculations.
Proposed assessment: Three assignments.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Geography, Human Ecology or Social Research Methods major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks.
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first-year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or Geography or Sociology or Economic History or History or Political Science or Economics, or a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Population processes have contributed to many changes in Australian society, including urbanisation, the development of muliticulturalism, the diversification of family forms, the emergence of ageing as a major social issue and the growth and decline of urban and rural communities. This course examines changes in Australia from the perspective of the causes and effects of demographic processes. Emphasis is given to the contemporary questions and their historical origins, referring to concepts and theories concerning migration, the demographic transition and social change.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an open-book examination or a take-home examination or a final essay.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Population Studies or Environmental Studies major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks.
Prerequisite: Any one of: 12 units of first year courses in Anthropology or Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or Geography or Sociology or Economic History or History or Political Science or Economics, or a later-year course of a Population Studies major, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course introduces the main concepts in population studies, showing how they relate to issues in research, planning and policy development. Topics include contemporary thought on population growth, mortality control, changes in fertility, population mobility, the life cycle, the study of generations and the population dimension of environmental changes and social issues. The content is non-mathematical and coverage is global, with emphasis on comparisons between less developed and more developed countries.
Proposed assessment: An essay and an open book examination or a take home examination or a final essay.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Development Studies, Geography, Human Sciences or Population Studies major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks.
Prerequisites: Any one of: two first-year courses of Sociology or Anthropology or Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or Geography or Economic History or Political Science or Psychology or Economics, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The aim of this course is to introduce the concepts and methods used in describing and analysing the health of human populations, with particular emphasis on health in Australia. The causes of illness and death will be reviewed for the population as a whole and for selected sub-groups within it such as Aboriginals, migrants and males as compared with females. Demographic and epidemiological techniques for studying health and disease will be introduced. Various interventions such as immunisation, population screening, health promotion programs and acute medical care will be examined in relation to their impact on population health.
Proposed assessment: The preferred model of regular tutorial assignments and a final examination will be subject to consultation with students.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology or Population Studies major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisites: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: Students will be introduced to the theoretical basis of the interpretive tradition in sociology. This tradition has produced a range of methods for examining the social world. Those examined may include participant observation, in depth interviewing, oral histories, life histories and unstructured interviewing.
Proposed assessment: One essay, a short take home exam and two tutorial papers.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This will vary from year to year depending on the lecturer; however, in any given year the course will provide intensive sociological examination of a topic(s) in a particular substantive area.
20 lectures and 12 tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisities: Any two first-year courses of Sociology or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: This course will look at both natural and `man made' disasters such, cyclones, nuclear power station failures, airline crashes, coal mine explosions and mass death in sporting stadia. It will look at ways in which these disasters have been explained and the ways in which society attempts to apportion blame, very often to individuals. It will show that in almost all circumstances there are organisational failures involved, particularly failures to collect and act on warning signs. Students will be asked to apply these ideas by analysing reports of contemporary Australian disasters such as the Thredbo landslide, the Black Hawk helicopter disaster near Townsville which killed 18 men, the Sydney-Hobart yachting tragedy which took six lives in December 1998. The course will also show how the organisational perspective developed in the course can be used to explain other phenomena such as corporate crime and deaths in custody.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisites: Any two first year Sociology courses or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: A range of theoretical analyses -- Parsonian, Marxist, Weberian and feminist -- of the role of medical knowledge in modern society are examined. In the second part of the course these perspectives are developed in case studies. These case studies may reflect the interests of the students and may include the development of the medical profession, the hospital, the role of alternative medicines, the links between medical knowledge and power, as well as studies of specific diseases from a sociological perspective.
Proposed assessment: Two essays, the first of 2,000 words on theoretical perspectives on medical knowledge and the second a research essay of approximately 4,000 words.
22 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks.
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses of Sociology or Anthropology or Political Science or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The course surveys various sociological perspectives on global change and development. The course is divided into three components: theories of development; resistance and development; and globalisation and development. The first section charts the history of the concept of development. Using a variety of case studies from Russia to Central America, the second section examines resistance to social and political inequalities and their relationship to social change and development.
The final section draws upon contemporary critiques of development and progress and examines the concept of globalisation. These approaches will be assessed through examining a range of contemporary issues, ranging from the advent of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICs), global consumerism and global institutions.
Students will be encouraged to take these issues and apply them to their own specific fields of interest in any aspect of global development.
Proposed assessment: Details will be discussed with students.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies or Environmental Studies major.
26 hours of lectures and 6 hours of tutorials over 13 weeks
Prerequisite: Any two first-year courses of Sociology, Anthropology or Archaeology (PREH or ARCH), Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.
Syllabus: The purpose of this course is to look at the origins of cities and the development of urban society in order to learn more about the foundations on which modern cities have been built. The urban revolution that saw the rise of the first cities will be the starting point for the course, followed by an examination of the pre-industrial city, the influence of the Middle Ages on modern cities, the profound effects of industrialisation, and subsequent development of the Western city.
Topics include unique factors affecting Australian cities as these developed in the 19th century and thereafter; and some the development of non-Western, non-industrial cities.
Proposed assessment: A 3,000-word research essay, tutorial participation, and a final examination.
The main assessment item for each 3 unit course is a 3,000 word essay. Classes consist of four to six hours of tutorials, normally scheduled in the class times for the prerequisite 6 unit course. The aims of the 3 unit courses are: (i) to further assist students to undertake research and writing in Sociology and Population Studies; (ii) to enable students to deepen their understanding of a topic of special interest; (iii) to increase opportunities for active learning and experience in the process of conducting a substantial investigation. In effect, the 3 unit enhancement courses create the potential to extend a selected 6 unit course to 9 units of study.
Students will normally need to plan to do two 3 unit courses, since degrees consist of multiples of 6 unit courses. It is not possible to do the same 3 unit course more than once in conjunction with different courses.
Offered in conjunction with Population and Australia
Normally offered in the same semester as the prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, one of the following Population Studies courses: Population and Society POPS2001, Population and Australia SOCY2032, Population Health SOCY2050.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Proposed assessment: tutorial work and a 3,000 word essay based on the population studies literature.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology or Population Studies major.
Offered in conjunction with Population Analysis
Normally offered in the same semester as the prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, Population Analysis POPS2002.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3,000 word paper based on population statistics.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology, Population Studies or Social Research Methods major.
Offered in conjunction with Methods of Social Research A and Qualitative Research Methods
Normally offered in the same semester as the prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, a course on methods and principles in social research, namely: Foundations of Social Research SOCY2037, Qualitative Research Methods SOCY2043, Methods of Social Research A SOCY2038, Methods of Social Research B SOCY3018.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3000 word essay.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology or Social Research Methods major.
Offered in conjunction with Law Crime and Social Control or Australian Society
Normally offered in the same semester as the prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in a sociology course with substantial Australian content, or previous completion of such a course, namely: Australian Society SOCY2033, Law, Crime and Social Control SOCY3016.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Offered in conjunction with Sociology of Third World Development or Citizens, the State and Democracy
Normally offered in the same semester as the selected prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, one of the following: Collective Behaviour and Social Movements SOCY2041, Community and the Individual SOCY2020, Education and Society SOCY2021, Identity, Difference and Ethnicity SOCY3022, Intersexions: Gender and Sociology SOCY2044, Sociology of Third World Development SOCY2030, Urban Society SOCY2035, Citizens, the State and Democracy.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3000 word essay.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology major, or a Development Studies major if taken in association with SOCY2030 or SOCY3022.
Offered in conjunction with Environment and Society or Sociology of Health and Illness or The Sociology of Disaster
Normally offered in the same semester as the selected prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in, or previous completion of, one of the following: Sociology of Health and Illness SOCY3021, The Sociology of Disaster SOCY2008, Interactionist Accounts of Sickness and Disease SOCY3004, Environment and Society SOCY2022.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
Proposed assessment: Tutorial work and a 3,000 word essay.
This course may be counted towards a Sociology major, or a major in Population Studies major if taken in association with SOCY2022.
Offered in conjunction with Modern Sociological Theory
Normally offered in the same semester as the prerequisite course
Prerequisite: Current enrolment in a course on sociological theory, or previous completion of such a course, namely: Classical Sociological Theory SOCY2040; Modern Sociological Theory SOCY3014, Engendering Paradigms SOCY3023.
Syllabus: This course requires further reading and research in the selected prerequisite course. It can be taken in conjunction with only one of the listed prerequisites.
SOCY2007 Ideology and Belief Systems
SOCY2020 Community and the Individual
SOCY2036 Issues in Contemporary Social Structures
SOCY2039 Contemporary Chinese Society
Intending honours students should first read the general statement `The degree with honours' in the introductory section of the Faculty of Arts entry.
The course for the degree with Honours in Sociology extends over four years and normally consists of:
1. Completion of Bachelor of Arts pass degree requirements with 60 units (10 courses) in Sociology including:
(a) at least one Theory course (ie SOCY2040, SOCY3014, SOCY3023)
(b) at least one Research Methods course (ie SOCY2037, SOCY2043, SOCY2038, SOCY3018, POPS2002)
An average grade of credit must be attained over all later-year courses and at least three of these courses must be completed with grades of Distinction or higher.
2. Completion of Sociology IV (H).
In the fourth year, candidates for the degree with honours will have three course components --
The Honours Seminars -- two weekly seminars focusing on aspects of sociological theory and research. These seminars will contribute 25% each to the final honours grade;
A Sub-thesis of 15,000 to 20,000 words which will count for 50% of the honours grade and will be completed in second semester.