| Semester 1, 2023 Toowoomba On-campus | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Requisites
Enrolment is not permitted in POL1001 if POL1000 has been previously completed
Overview
Liberal democracies such as Australia are founded on the idea that power is ultimately in the hands of the people, with each citizen having an equal say in government decisions. Although legal voting rights have been extended to women and ethnic minorities, there remains a great deal of inequality in the extent to which each person is able to influence government decisions. In this course we compare the ideals of democracy to the realities of politics in Australia and internationally.
In this course you will analyse and critically examine political arguments in order to come to informed opinions about the state of Australian democracy and proposals to improve it. There is a strong focus on developing skills in critical thinking, ethical research, and academic writing. We consider the power of businesses and the wealthy to influence government through lobbying, the power of communities and social movements to have their voices heard, and the ways in which social media and other information technologies have changed the nature of democratic participation and political power.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- examine the operation of the Australian political system;
- describe the ideals of democratic government and critically discuss the extent to which Australian democracy aligns with these ideals;
- apply foundational critical thinking and ethical research to produce academic writing on specific topics;
- analyse the structure of political arguments in order to investigate their soundness.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Democratic theory | 20.00 |
| 2. | The Australian Political System | 20.00 |
| 3. | Inequality and Political Power | 10.00 |
| 4. | The internet and Political Power | 10.00 |
| 5. | Threats to democracy | 10.00 |
| 6. | Interest groups | 10.00 |
| 7. | Social Movements and Grassroots Politics | 10.00 |
| 8. | Indigenous and Multicultural Politics | 10.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workbook 1 | No | 10 | 1,2,3,4 |
| Report | No | 30 | 1,2,4 |
| Workbook 2 | No | 10 | 1,2,3,4 |
| Workbook 3 | No | 10 | 1,2,3,4 |
| Essay | No | 40 | 1,2,3 |