Sub sections:

Political and International Studies

Introduction
Global, National and Regional Perspectives
Why Study Politics and International Studies at UNE?
Staff
Courses
Units
Careers
Partnerships, Networks and Industry Links
Research
Contacts

Introduction

On these web pages you will find information about studying Political and International Studies (PAIS) at UNE, the units we teach, the undergraduate and postgraduate courses which include Political and International Studies, our staff and research interests, and the career opportunities PAIS provides. Use the links on the right 'contents' to navigate your way through our web pages.

Global, National and Regional Perspectives

Political and International Studies is a relatively new and vibrant area of teaching and research at UNE. Our aim is to ensure that students are introduced to knowledge at the cutting edge of a rapidly changing world. As international trends and developments are impacting on Australia it is becoming more important to develop a sound understanding of how political, economic, and social processes interconnect at local, regional and global levels. Through an interesting and topical spread of units, PAIS will assist students to develop a broad range of skills and knowledge that will enable them to critically analyse and make sense of Australia’s changing place within a turbulent international environment.

The major focus of Political and International Studies is power and people. It doesn't matter whether we are thinking about debates of international significance (global warming or terrorism), about matters of national concern (the provision of education or health care, or the kind of industrial relations system we should have), or local interests (building a pulp paper mill next door, responding to crime in the neighbourhood), studying PAIS can help you explore all these issues. All of them can be thought about in terms of who gets what, why they get it, and how they get it. We are interested in finding out how things work, why they work that way, and who wins and loses as a result. This is usually interesting, sometimes controversial, often dramatic, and inevitably has significant consequences, direct or indirect, for each and every one of us.

PAIS students are taught by staff who possess strong and diverse teaching and research backgrounds in the areas of International Relations, Global Political Economy, Political Theory, the Comparative Politics and Societies of East and Southeast Asia, Pacific Politics, Australian Politics and Globalisation.

Audio overview for PAIS

Jeff Archer Use the ‘play’ button below to listen to the audio.

Why Study Politics and International Studies at UNE?

Studying PAIS ensures a good education which will enrich you individually and enhance your capacity to make important contributions to Australia and the world. Students find study in PAIS diverse, exciting and rewarding. We provide students with the opportunity to acquire a broader and deeper understanding of the world in which we live at local, national, regional and global levels. Our enthusiastic, committed and expert academic staff employ innovative and student-centred learning approaches, whether on-campus, by distance education or online.

Students get to know and work closely with academics in ways now rare in other Australian universities. Our students are not part of an anonymous mass, but individuals whose education is our primary concern. Our outstanding results in the annual national survey of university graduates over many years show how much our students have appreciated studying with us.

Political and International Studies contributes to students' future lives by developing general skills and abilities in its areas of study. We provide students with:

• research skills: learn how to discover, explore and verify relevant data.
• analytical skills: understand and assess information and formulate interpretations.
• exposition skills: present your ideas and your findings verbally and in writing.

These are skills necessary for higher-level careers requiring creativity, clear thinking and effective communication. It is easy to see why our graduates are valued by a wide range of employers.

Staff

Staff Member	Email	Phone	Room (Bldg E11)
Dr Tim Battin	tbattin@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 3155	Room 165
Dr Andrew Brown	abrown2@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 2557	Room 162
Dr Paul Healy	phealy@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 3514	Room 168
Dr Tony Lynch	alynch@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 3244	Room 126
Dr Jim Maher	emaher@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 3810	Room 163
Dr Karin von Strokirch	kvonstro@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 3132	Room 174
Dr Graham Young	gyoung@une.edu.au	+61 2 6773 2554	Room 166

Courses

PAIS units are available in a wide variety of undergraduate degrees at UNE in Arts, International Studies, Commerce, Economics, Criminology, Urban and Regional Planning, Languages and so on. Most undergraduate students taking PAIS do so in the Bachelor of Arts, combined Bachelor of Arts degrees, and the Bachelor of International Studies.

400-level PAIS units may be included in a number of postgraduate coursework awards in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Students wishing to extend their undergraduate degree in PAIS, or wishing to undertake postgraduate research in PAIS in the future, would normally complete an Honours program.

Students wishing to undertake advanced research in Political and International Studies may do so in postgraduate research degrees.

Undergraduate Degrees

Advanced Diploma in Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
Bachelor of Communication Studies
Bachelor of Criminology
Bachelor of Economics
Bachelor of General Studies/Bachelor of Teaching
Bachelor of International Studies
Bachelor of International Studies (Advanced)
Bachelor of Languages
Bachelor of Languages and International Business
Bachelor of Social Science
Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning

Postgraduate Coursework

Graduate Certificate in Arts
Graduate Diploma in Humanities
Graduate Diploma in Social Science
Master of Arts

Honours Program

Honours programs available through Political and International Studies include the Bachelor of Arts with Honours and the Bachelor of International Studies with Honours.

Honours in Political and International Studies is designed to serve as an advanced level of study for students wishing to extend their degree or establish a pathway to postgraduate studies. The program, of one year's full-time or two year's part-time study, consists of 50 per cent course work and 50 per cent thesis. A wide choice of thesis topics is available across the many areas of politics and international relations, such as:

Australian politics
Australian foreign policy
Political theory and political philosophy
International relations theory
Political economy
Comparative politics
Asian politics and society
International relations policy

For specific information on the PAIS Honours program contact the Honours Convenor Dr Andrew Brown (abrown2@une.edu.au) on +61 2 6773 2557.

Bachelor of Arts with Honours
Bachelor of International Studies with Honours

Postgraduate Research

The Master of Arts with Honours and Doctor of Philosophy are postgraduate research degrees in which students work under the supervision of one or more academic staff on a specific research topic. The academics chosen as supervisors will be members of PAIS staff with the highest levels of competence and expertise in the field in which you intend to undertake research. Postgraduate research is stimulating, but challenging. PAIS staff aim is to make progress through these degrees as rewarding and successful as possible.

For further information on postgraduate research in PAIS contact the Postgraduate Convenor Dr Andrew Brown (abrown2@une.edu.au) on +61 2 6773 2557.

Master of Arts with Honours
Doctor of Philosophy

Units

PAIS units are available at undergraduate and postgraduate coursework levels, and at Honours level. Information on postgraduate research in Political and International Studies can be found on the Courses web page.

Undergraduate Units

At undergraduate level, students may complete a major in Political Studies or International Studies, or a combined major in Political and International Studies. Undergraduate units available in PAIS are:

Political Studies
PAIS 101 Australian Politics
PAIS 102 Political Ideologies

PAIS 306 Political Economy
PAIS 308 Modern Political Thinkers
PAIS 320 Political Thought
PAIS 351 Comparative Politics
PAIS 365 Politics and Environment
PAIS 370 Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics
PAIS 375 Politics and Media
PAIS 380 Chinese Politics

International Studies
PAIS 103 International Relations
PAIS 113 Power, Conflict, and the Making of Modern Asia

PAIS 314 21^st Century International Relations
PAIS 315 Contemporary Challenges to Global Security
PAIS 316 Pacific Politics
PAIS 318 Australia’s Relations with Asia
PAIS 352 Human Rights
PAIS 361 Sex, Crime, and Corruption in Asia
PAIS 362 Globalising Asia
PAIS 363 Family, Women and Work in Asia

Postgraduate Coursework Units

The following PAIS units are available in postgraduate coursework awards.

PAIS 408 Modern Political Thinkers
PAIS 414 21^st Century International Relations
PAIS 415 Contemporary Challenges to Global Security
PAIS 416 Pacific Politics
PAIS 418 Australia’s Relations with Asia
PAIS 451 Comparative Politics
PAIS 452 Human Rights in Asia
PAIS 461 Sex, Crime, and Corruption in Asia
PAIS 462 Globalising Asia
PAIS 463 Family, Women and Work in Asia
PAIS 465 Politics and Environment
PAIS 470 Contemporary Issues in Australian Politics
PAIS 475 Politics and Media
PAIS 480 Chinese Politics

Honours Units

Honours in Political and International Studies consists of 50 per cent course work and 50 per cent thesis.

PAIS401H Political & International Studies Hons Coursework
The coursework component, PAIS 401H, is based on a series of essays. These enable the student to explore and master key theoretical perspectives, employ specific concepts and develop an understanding of important empirical trends pertaining to political and international studies.

PAIS402H Political & International Studies Hons Dissertation
This unit is based on a dissertation. Students research and write a thesis on a political and international studies topic relating to their own interests. The topic is developed in consultation with their supervisor. A wide choice of thesis topics is available across the many areas of politics and international relations.

For specific information on the PAIS Honours units contact the convenor Dr Andrew Brown (abrown2@une.edu.au) on +61 2 6773 2557.

Further information on the Honours program in Political and International Studies can be found in the "courses" section above.

Careers

In an increasingly competitive global employment market PAIS equips students with the skills to locate and use information, to critically analyse data, to develop cogent arguments and to express their ideas and opinions in a logical and persuasive manner. Acquiring these skills provides PAIS students with an enhanced capacity to successfully launch or further their chosen career paths. Recent PAIS graduates are currently employed in a diverse range of occupations across private, public and government sectors.

Political and International Studies career opportunities include:

Government and Public Affairs
ministerial support; legislative analysis; campaign and lobbying; policy development.

Administration
public service, including foreign affairs, overseas aid, defence, multicultural affairs, indigenous affairs and customs; local government and community development; security and defence management; public enterprise.

Research and Development
policy and management analysis; policy research; consultancy; training and development systems; project management; archives and records management.

Media and Communications
media research; print and electronic reporting; investigative journalism; information processing and management.

Education
teaching and research; educational administration; extension and training; civic education.

Law and Justice
constitutional, criminal and civil law; court management; public integrity system; legal analysis.

Business and Industry
executive leadership; people management; public relations; trade; business information systems; international business; marketing.

International Development
aid administration; development assistance; international charities; international organisations.

Partnerships, Networks and Industry Links

Research

PAIS has an active research culture, demonstrated in high levels of publications and considerable success in winning competitive research grants. Members of the discipline are experienced researchers with good records of scholarly publication. Research excellence and productivity cover a wide range of areas including political theory, the contemporary Asia-Pacific, environmental politics, political economy and international relations.

The specific areas of research interest and expertise of PAIS staff are:

A/Prof. Jeff Archer	political theory, Australian politics, the politics of literature, British and Irish politics
Dr Tim Battin	economic thought, economic policy, and Australian politics, particularly as these relate to issues of unemployment and achieving full employment
Dr Andrew Brown	neo-liberal globalisation and social and political change in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand; class formation and labour politics, democratisation.
Dr Paul Healy	Chinese politics and society, Chinese Marxism and Mao Zedong's thought, class
Dr Tony Lynch	environmentalism, liberal and environmental politics
Em Prof Graham Maddox	political theory, democracy, Australian politics
Dr Jim Maher	comparative politics, federalism, with an emphasis on institutional reform, and health policy, especially the Medicare agreement
Dr Karin von Strokirch	international relations, particularly Pacific Islands politics, nuclear testing, and arms control
Dr Graham Young	the Chinese Communist Party, political thought and political reform in China, human rights.

Further information on the research of individual staff is available on the staff web pages.

Information on postgraduate research is provided in the section on "courses" below.

Contacts

For further information about Political and International Studies (PAIS) at UNE please contact the Discipline Convenor Dr Andrew Brown on (02) 6773-2557 or abrown2@une.edu.au

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