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Course and Unit Catalogue 2013

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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2007200820092010201120122013

PAIS370 Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics

Updated: 13 March 2012

Unit Information
Additional Information

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2013
Intensive School(s)	None
Supervised Exam	There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
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	PAIS470 or PAIS570 or POLS270 or POLS370
Notes	offered in even numbered years
Combined Units	PAIS570 - Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics
Coordinator(s)	Tim Battin (tbattin@une.edu.au)
Unit Description	This unit will critically examine a number of political issues facing Australia including health policy, environmentalism, indigenous issues and federalism, to name a few. It will enable students to explore topics more deeply, enabling them to specialise according to their interests. Students wishing to undertake further study will find this unit helps prepare them for higher level research and writing.
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:

present written arguments based upon evidence;
recognise different perspectives in contemporary political debates;
demonstrate an understanding of the political agenda;
analyse public policy, its background, formulation and effects;
research political issues in Australia; and
appreciate the relevance and importance of political science.

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.
2	Communication Skills Students will be taught communication skills through written feedback on the written, online and participation components of the unit. Students 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.
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.
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.
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 (written skills; analytical skills).
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 to find the most appropriate material is to answer the question.
7	Social Responsibility Students will recognize social issues relevant to their subject area; 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.