Australia is one of the world’s oldest liberal democracies. This longevity is due, in part, to institutional design. A close examination of Australia’s political institutions reveals both stability and evolution from their original design. This course explores this stability and change dynamic through an examination of the Australian political system. It provides students with an overview of the cleavages that characterize Australia and the institutions that attempt to manage them. This course concentrates on formal political institutions paying particular attention to the constitution, institutions of government (e.g. High Court, Parliament, federalism), and electoral competition. We will also compare Australia to other advanced democracies enhancing our understanding of the Australian state.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- critically analyse the structure and dynamics of Australian political institutions;
- analyse the contribution of institutions to our understanding of Australian politics;
- apply the various analytical frameworks of political science to Australian institutions;
- be able to place Australian political institutions in comparative perspective by making reference to other advanced democracies; and
- have developed their research, writing, and verbal presentation skills.
Indicative Assessment
- Workshop participation (10) [LO 1,3,5]
- Mid-Term Examination, 1 hour, in class (20) [LO 1,2,3]
- Paper, 10-12 pages, 3000 words (40) [LO 1,3,4,5]
- Final Exam, 2 hours (30) [LO 1,2,3]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of workshops over 12 weeks; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
To be determined
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7721 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | In Person | N/A |