Students
POIR8000 – Policy Design: Concepts and Case Studies
2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Tobia Fattore
|
|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group report | 50% | No | Sunday Week 13 (June 8) |
| Scoping paper | 30% | No | Friday Week 9 (May 9) |
| Annotated bibliography | 20% | No | Monday Week 5 (March 24) |
Group report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Sunday Week 13 (June 8)
Weighting: 50%
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
Scoping paper
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Friday Week 9 (May 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.
Annotated bibliography
Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Monday Week 5 (March 24)
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.
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
Delivery
POIR8000 is designed to be largely self-directed, with most of the teaching activity undertaken online. The unit consists of four modules, running for 3 weeks each, with resources and activities provided through iLearn.
Each module involves the following rotation:
Module Week 1 (Weeks 1, 4, 7 and 10 of the semester):
- Requires students to complete the set readings and post questions via the online forum. Students are required to do this for all four modules.
Module Week 2 (Weeks 2, 5, 8 and 11 of the semester):
- Requires students to either attend the on-campus seminar (for internal/on-campus students) or listen to the recorded version of the seminar (for online-flexible, OUA and External students).
- Students will also be required to make substantive contributions about the module content, that consists of a commentary about the readings and/or seminar content. Students are required to contribute a substantive post to two of the four modules.
Module Week 3 (Weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12 of the semester):
- Requires students to respond to the contributions of other students.
- For modules 2, 3 and 4, students will be working in groups on a policy case study which (as well as the written assessments), also requires students to make a group activity posting. Students are required to contribute one group post on behalf of their group for either module 2, 3 or 4.
These activities are done as part of your participation mark for the unit.
Seminars will be held in Weeks 2, 5, 8 and 11. 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.
In addition, an online Zoom tutorial (1-2 hours) will be held in Weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12.
Resources
All readings for the unit are available via the Leganto Reading resource, available on the iLearn site for the unit. The unit assessments will also require independent and group research of academic and grey literature (policy documents, parliamentary reports etc.) relevant to your policy case study. Students are strongly recommended to make use of the significant resources available through Waranara, the Macquarie University library (https://www.mq.edu.au/about/facilities/library).
Unit Schedule
The unit will be organised around four modules.
- What is a policy problem: defining problems and end users (Weeks 1-3)
- Policy Design (Weeks 4-6)
- Implementation and communication (Weeks 7-9)
- Communication, evaluation and redesign (Weeks 10-12)
Week 13 will be devoted to completion of the Group assessment task – the Group Policy Report
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
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.
- Workshops
- Chat with a WriteWISE peer writing leader
- Access StudyWISE
- Upload an assignment to Studiosity
- Complete the Academic Integrity Module
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:
- IT Support
- Accessibility and disability support with study
- Mental health support
- Safety support to respond to bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault
- Social support including information about finances, tenancy and legal issues
- Student Advocacy provides independent advice on MQ policies, procedures, and processes
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.
Changes since First Published
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 07/02/2025 | No further changes |
Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook