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Course and Unit Catalogue 2013

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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2007200820092010201120122013

PAIS351 Federations: Challenges, Debates and Trends

Updated: 29 August 2012

Unit Information
Additional Information

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2013
Intensive School(s)	None
Supervised Exam	There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites	12cp in Asian Societies or International Relations or Political and International Studies or Political Science or any 24cp or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites	None
Restrictions	PAIS451 or PAIS551 or POLS251 or POLS351
Notes	None
Combined Units	PAIS551 - Federations: Challenges, Debates and Trends
Coordinator(s)	To be advised
Unit Description	This unit focuses on intergovernmental relations in theory and practice in Australia, USA and Canada comparing constitutions, legislatures, constitutional courts, bureaucracies, political parties, pressure groups and policies including indigenous peoples, health and the environment. Fiscal, constitutional and extra-constitutional arrangements are examined, as is debate over federalism, concluding with its contribution to international arrangements such as NAFTA and the EU.
Materials	Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer	Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Assessment

Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Learning Outcomes (LO)

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

compare federal systems of government;
understand the dynamics of federalism in Australia, USA and Canada;
compare, contrast and evaluate theories of federalism;
recognise institutional and societal perspectives on politics of the three nations;
form generalisations and predict outcome given new variables; and
locate structural and policy lessons for consideration.

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 assessment tasks. It will be assessed in all three assessment tasks.
2	Communication Skills Students will be taught communication skills through written on the written, online and participation component of the unit. Students will learn valuable communication skills through participation in tutorials and the online discussion board. 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.
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 and inter-cultural understanding. They will further examine two North American federal systems, their origins and federalism's contribution to NAFTA and the EU.
4	Information Literacy Students will be taught, and directed, to relevant literature and how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed on their ability to identify and critically analyse the relevant literature.
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.
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.
7	Social Responsibility Students will recognize social issues relevant to their subject area such as indigenous peoples, health and environment policy; students will be expected to use professional language and show sensitivity towards political standpoints, cultures or other groups in their written assessments.
8	Team Work Students will practise their teamwork skills through participating in tutorials, or online discussion postings. They will be required to discuss the weekly topics with their fellow students in a thoughtful and respectful manner.