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POIR1010 – Australian Politics in Global Context

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and Lecturer
Lloyd Cox
lloyd.cox@mq.edu.au
Contact via 98504096
Arts Building B, Room 247
Tuesday 9-12
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In this unit, we introduce Australian politics through the lens of debates about globalisation and in so doing, we examine key Australian political institutions, ideologies and contemporary issues. We explore the ways in which they have been effected by, and have also filtered the effects of, accelerated globalisation. We ask: What is globalisation and how, if at all, has it blurred the boundaries between domestic and foreign policy issues? What is the nature of Australia's key political institutions (the Constitution, the High Court, Federalism, and Parliament), and are they democratic? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the main political ideologies? What are the key contemporary issues in Australia's political life (reconciliation, immigration, the war on terror, political information management), and is globalisation a sufficient or even a necessary explanation for understanding them?

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Articulate a sound understanding of the foundations of the Australian political system and its relationship to its global context
  • ULO2: Communicate in verbal and written form the key features of Australia's main political institutions and the debates and controversies that surround them
  • ULO3: Demonstrate familiarity with the main political ideologies and parties that are influential in the Australia political scene
  • ULO4: Use a sophisticated analytical vocabulary for better appreciating the most pressing contemporary issues in Australian politics

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 20% No Friday 18/3/22
Major Essay 40% No Friday 22/4/22
Final Exam 30% No 8-10/06/22
Online participation 10% No Weeks 1-13

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 16 hours
Due: Friday 18/3/22
Weighting: 20%

 

There will be one online quiz in week 4 of the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Articulate a sound understanding of the foundations of the Australian political system and its relationship to its global context

Major Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 32 hours
Due: Friday 22/4/22
Weighting: 40%

 

This is a 1500-word essay +/- 10%, with topics drawn from across the unit, which allows students to explore a research topic in depth

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate in verbal and written form the key features of Australia's main political institutions and the debates and controversies that surround them
  • Articulate a sound understanding of the foundations of the Australian political system and its relationship to its global context
  • Demonstrate familiarity with the main political ideologies and parties that are influential in the Australia political scene
  • Use a sophisticated analytical vocabulary for better appreciating the most pressing contemporary issues in Australian politics

Final Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: 8-10/06/22
Weighting: 30%

 

The final, two-hour exam will require students to write three short essays, drawn from topics across the entire unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate in verbal and written form the key features of Australia's main political institutions and the debates and controversies that surround them
  • Articulate a sound understanding of the foundations of the Australian political system and its relationship to its global context
  • Demonstrate familiarity with the main political ideologies and parties that are influential in the Australia political scene
  • Use a sophisticated analytical vocabulary for better appreciating the most pressing contemporary issues in Australian politics

Online participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 13 hours
Due: Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 10%

 

The emphasis in online participation will be on group discussions and exploring contemporary issues in Australian politics. Students will be assessed on the quality of their contributions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate in verbal and written form the key features of Australia's main political institutions and the debates and controversies that surround them

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Welcome to POIR/POIX 1010, Australian Politics in Global Context. Australian politics has undergone rapid change over the past four decades. The relative stability of the post-war era has given way to a political and social landscape of accelerated transformation. Previously taken-for- granted values are challenged, once stable institutions are destabilised, and the very idea of an Australian political community (what it is, who it encompasses, and the future directions it should take) is the subject of fierce controversy. These political tremors have been expressed most acutely in the rise of and subsequent challenges to multiculturalism, and in the neo-liberal restructuring of key Australian institutions, with an attendant growth of inequality. The recent covid-crisis has starkly revealed the depth of these inequalities, as different sectors of the population - indigenous/non-indigenous, women/men, migrants/non-migrants, working class/wealthy - have been effected very differently, despite all of the talk of being "all in this together." 

In this course, we introduce Australian politics through the lens of debates about globalization and its consequences for state capacities, sovereignty and decision-making. In so doing, we examine key political institutions, ideologies and contemporary issues. We explore the ways in which they been affected by, and have also filtered the effects of, accelerated globalization. Among other questions, we ask: what is globalization and how, if at all, has it blurred the boundaries between ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ policy issues; what is the nature of Australia’s key political institutions, and do they ensure a high degree of democratic participation and accountability in a global era; what are the strengths and weaknesses of the main political ideas that inform public debate in this country, and how are they expressed in political struggle between the main parties?

To answer these questions, the main readings will be from the textbook by Kefford, G. et. al., (2018) Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century: Old Institutions, New Challenges (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). As the Co-op bookshop has gone into receivership, the book can be purchased directly from Cambridge Online, where students will receive a 20% discount, or from a myriad of other online sites, with Booktopia usually having plenty of stock. Students should order the book immediately so that they can start reading as soon as possible. In addition there will be supplementary readings that will be available on ilearn. To get the best out of this unit it is essential that students read, think carefully about what they are reading, and come to tutorials prepared to discuss the readings.

 

USEFUL JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES

Arena; Australian Journal of Political Science; Australian Journal of Politics and History; Australian Journal of Political Economy; Australian Journal of Public Administration; Australian Journal of Social Issues; [Australian]Journal of Sociology; AQ Journal of Contemporary Analysis; Griffith Review; Journal of Political Ideologies; The Monthly; Australian Politics, Society and Culture; Thesis Eleven

 

USEFUL WEBSITES 

Macquarie University’s Politics subject site: http://www.lib.mq.edu/ resources/subject/politics

The Commonwealth parliamentary Library: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/index.htm

The National Library of Australia: http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/gov /

Elections data base website at the University of Western Australia: http://elections.uwa.edu.au

NSW government website: http://www.nsw.gov.au/government.asp

Australian Bureau of Statistics: http://www.abs.goc.au/

ABC Online:http://www.abc.net.au

Australian Policy Online: http://www.apo.org.au/index.shtml

Australian Review of Public Affairs: http://australianreview.net

Online Opinion http://www.onlineopinion.com.au

New Matilda Magazine www.newmatilda.com/home/default/.asp

The Whitlam Institute http://www.whitlam.org/about

The Australia Institute: https://australiainstitute.org.au

Unit Schedule

1

Feb 21 A

Feb 24 B

Introduction: Australian Politics, Globalization and Covid-19

Democracy, Inequality and Indigenous Australians

Introduction plus "closing the gap" (between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians)

2

Feb 28  A

March 2, B

Australian Federalism

Reforming Federalism: How and Why?

What is federalism, and is it a better than more politically centralized systems?

3

March 7, A

March 9. B

The Legislature

Whose Laws? Social Class and Political Lobbying

The Legislature (House of Representatives and the Senate) makes laws in the name of all Australians, but are those laws in the interests of all Australians? Can laws be bought?
 
 

4

March 14, A

March 16, B

The modern Executive

The modern Executive, Secrecy and Refugees

What is the purpose of Cabinet confidentiality? Is secrecy inherent to our system of government, and how does it clash with the principle of accountability?

5

March 21, A

March 23, B

The Australian Constitution and High Court

The Dismissal

Was the dismissal of the Whitlam government constitutional?

6

March 28 A

March 30, B

The Bureaucracy and Public Service

The Policy Process

To what extent to public service bureaucrats shape public policy in Australia?

7

April 4, A

April 6, B

The Australian Electoral System

The 2019 Election: A Case Study

What were the key reasons for the Coalitions election victory in 2019?

8

April 25, A

April 27, B

The Australian Labor Party (Because it is Anzac Day and the University will be closed, this lecture will be recorded and put on ilearn) 

The Liberal Party of Australia

Have the ALP and the LPA converged politically in recent decades? If they have, what are the areas of convergence?
 
 

9

May 2, A

May, 4, B

Minor Parties and the Party System

The Greens and One Nation

Why have minor parties gained a greater share of the total vote over recent election cycles?

10

May 9, A

May 11, B

Political Leadership

Gender and Leadership

Has the quality of political leadership in Australia deteriorated in recent years, as some claim? Why do women continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in positions of political leadership?

11

May 16, A

May 18, B

The Media and Democracy

Social Media and Politics

How does the media affect political outcomes? Is the media, or at least some sections of it, politically neutral?

12

May 23 May 25

Citizen Participation and Engagement

Environmental Catastrophe in the Age of Denial

The planet is undergoing catastrophic, human-induced climate change, yet some of our politicians deny this? Why?

13

May 30

June 1

Revolution versus reform

Conclusion, and final exam preparation

Do we need a political revolution in Australia?

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Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

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Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook