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PAIS101 Beyond Lies and Spin: Why Politics Matters

Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 1 Off Campus
Armidale Trimester 1 On Campus
Armidale Trimester 3 On line
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites None
Co-requisites None
Restrictions POLS100 or POLS101
Notes None
Combined Units None
Coordinator(s)
Unit Description

Politics is not what is presented on the television news. This unit encourages students to reflect on the fundamental importance of politics for understanding and dealing with the pressing challenges of our times. Students will be introduced to key ideas such as power, the state, participation and conflict. Through these and other concepts and their practical application to topics such as inequality and disadvantage, environmental destruction, war and social justice, students will be assisted to think politically about contemporary dilemmas that impact on all our lives. Illustrative material will be drawn from Australia as well as other regions around the world.
Materials No text required
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assessment 1 10%
Assessment Notes
Ten weekly quizzes
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 2 GA: 1, 4
Assessment 2 20% 1000
Assessment Notes
Short writing tasks
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4, 5 GA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Assessment 3 20%
Assessment Notes
Online test
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 2, 3 GA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Assessment 4 50% 2000
Assessment Notes
Major essay
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4, 5 GA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. answer the question 'What is Politics'?
  2. understand some of the key concepts used in the analysis of politics;
  3. apply key concepts to investigate a specific political problem or issue;
  4. recognise the inescapabiity of the significance of politics for dealing with local regional and global changes; and
  5. research topics of interest, organise evidence, and produce different kinds of written texts.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Knowledge of the political and international studies discipline will be taught through unit notes, readings and assignments. Knowledge is assessed in all assessment tasks. 		True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be taught communication skills through written feedback on the written, online and participation component of the unit. Students studying will learn valuable communication skills through participation in tutorials and online discussions. Students will be assessed on the style of writing, clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practise their communication skills through completing the assessment tasks. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
Students will demonstrate an awareness of the global context of the subject area and they will develop an awareness of the need for tolerance, political differences and inter-cultural understanding. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Students will be directed to relevant literature and taught how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed on their ability to identify and critically analyse the relevant literature. 		True True
5 Life-Long Learning
By completing the assessments, students will be provided with the necessary lifelong skills to be able to research, write and discuss social issues. These skills can be transferred to any discipline, and will be useful in any research positions. These attributes will be assessed in all of the assessments. In addition, students who attend tutorials will be provided with the skills to debate contentious topics and develop their understanding of a topic through group activities. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
Students will be assessed on their ability to deconstruct the essay question and to integrate theory and literature into their answer. Students will need to work out how to address the question and where the most appropriate material is to answer the question. 		True
7 Social Responsibility
Students will be expected to use professional language and show sensitivity towards political standpoints, cultures or other groups in their written assessments. 		True True
8 Team Work
On-campus students will be encouraged to develop team-work skills through their participation in tutorial work. Off-campus students will have the opportunity for the development of such team work through participation in an online discussion forum. 		True
   

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