Students

POIR8000 – Policy Design: Concepts and Case Studies

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Tobia Fattore
tobia.fattore@mq.edu.au
Ben Spies-Butcher
ben.spies-butcher@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MPPP or MPH and 40cp at 8000 level or above) or (admission to MPPPMDevStud or MPPPMPASR or MPPPMIntRel or MPSP or MPLAN)
Corequisites Corequisites
POIR8090 or SOCI8080
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit requires students to draw on theoretical and discipline knowledge and use these to engage actively in a current and topical policy problem. The students will have opportunities to consult experts and stakeholders in a given policy area and identify relevant evidence, expert opinion and stakeholder views. Students will explore a range of problem definitions and scenarios, and consider alternative policy solutions. Students will develop and present a comprehensive and constructive policy proposal which demonstrates an awareness of ethical, political, social, economic and cultural factors which are significant in the specific policy context.

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: Identify, critically analyse and synthesise evidence which is relevant to policy making from a wide range of cross-disciplinary sources
  • ULO2: Apply theoretical material related to public policy to a specific real-world policy problem.
  • ULO3: Critically consider a range of factors affecting problem definition and the development of appropriate policy solutions.
  • ULO4: Identify and respond to ethical, political, social, economic and cultural factors which are significant in a specific policy context.
  • ULO5: Communicate policy recommendations effectively and appropriately to specialist and non-specialist audiences

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all non-timed written assessments (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc) is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams/quizzes, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Annotated bibliography 20% No Monday Week 5
Scoping paper 30% No Friday Week 9
Group report 30% No Sunday Week 13
Blog posts/Workshop discussion contributions 20% No Ongoing

Annotated bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Monday Week 5
Weighting: 20%

 

Review of key literature related to report (1,200 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, critically analyse and synthesise evidence which is relevant to policy making from a wide range of cross-disciplinary sources
  • Apply theoretical material related to public policy to a specific real-world policy problem.

Scoping paper

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Friday Week 9
Weighting: 30%

 

This short paper should be presented as a scoping document, outlining your understanding of the policy problem which we are working on throughout this unit. You will be expected to conduct independent research for this task.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, critically analyse and synthesise evidence which is relevant to policy making from a wide range of cross-disciplinary sources
  • Apply theoretical material related to public policy to a specific real-world policy problem.
  • Critically consider a range of factors affecting problem definition and the development of appropriate policy solutions.
  • Identify and respond to ethical, political, social, economic and cultural factors which are significant in a specific policy context.

Group report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Sunday Week 13
Weighting: 30%

 

Major report co-written with group members on policy case study (4,000 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, critically analyse and synthesise evidence which is relevant to policy making from a wide range of cross-disciplinary sources
  • Apply theoretical material related to public policy to a specific real-world policy problem.
  • Critically consider a range of factors affecting problem definition and the development of appropriate policy solutions.
  • Identify and respond to ethical, political, social, economic and cultural factors which are significant in a specific policy context.
  • Communicate policy recommendations effectively and appropriately to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Blog posts/Workshop discussion contributions

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

 

Contributions to in person classes or discussion boards demonstrating engagement with module readings

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theoretical material related to public policy to a specific real-world policy problem.
  • Identify and respond to ethical, political, social, economic and cultural factors which are significant in a specific policy context.

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

POIR8000 is designed to be largely self directed. The unit consists of four modules with resources and activities provided through iLearn. For each module a 2 hour seminar will be held for on campus students and recorded for online students. All students will have an opportunity to ask questions in advance and all students are able to attend.

Seminars will be held in Weeks 2, 5, 9 and 12. Modules are organised to allow time in the first week of each module to read the set material and identify questions. The second week will include the seminar. Comments and responses in the discussion forums will  be made in the second and third week. 

Unit Schedule

The unit will be organised around four modules.

  1. What is a policy problem: defining problems and end users (TF)
  2. Policy Design (BSB)
  3. Implementation and communication (TF)
  4. Communication, evaluation and redesign (BSB)

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

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 connect.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.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.01 of the Handbook