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Course and Unit Catalogue 2013

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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2007200820092010201120122013

PAIS551 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	candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites	None
Restrictions	PAIS351 or PAIS451 or POLS251 or POLS351
Notes	None
Combined Units	PAIS351 - 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 and analyse federal systems of government;
demonstrate a high level of understandings of the dynamics of federalism in Australia, USA and Canada;
compare, contrast and evaluate theories of federalism;
demonstrate and recognize institutional and societal perspectives on politics of the three nations;
form and develop generalizations 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 Students will deepen their knowledge of advanced concepts and skills underpinning the political and international studies discipline, which 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 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 are encouraged to develop research skills in collecting and evaluating data, including the skills to assess the utility of information, identify the most useful sources of information and critically analyse and examine those sources.
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 conceptualise the essay question and formulate a range of solutions to both research and presentation. They will be able to collect, collate and analyse relevant information to assist problem solving.
7	Social Responsibility Students will be taught about their professional responsibilities as a researcher to provide balanced and accurate research. In addition, students will be taught that they have a social responsibility to question and challenge some 'facts'. This will be assessed and taught through their responses to the assessment tasks.
8	Team Work Students will practicse working collaboratively and network effectively to solve problems on the online discussion board (and in tutorials taking initiative and leading others in this environment. They will also negotiate and assert their own values and respect the values and contributions of others on the discussion board and in their own assessment tasks.