ATS2693 - Politics, media and elections - 2018

The media is one of the most important elements of any political society. In a liberal democracy its role, political economy and the laws, which regulate it have profound implications for democracy, especially elections. In this unit, the politics of the media is studied with a particular emphasis on elections in established democracies, such as Australia, Britain and the United States. The unit explores the role that the media performs in this context but also how it is used by political actors to impact on democratic-electoral outcomes. The relationship between ever-evolving media technologies, political campaigning and voter behaviour is investigated.

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. understand the relationship between the liberal democratic tradition, the media and elections;
2. understand the critical role served by elections in democratic society;
3. understand the legal and regulatory media framework that informs elections;
4. identify the impact of both old and new media technologies on parties and other political actors;
5. develop an argument, or to provide an opinion, and to do so clearly, accurately and concisely both in written and oral form;
6. develop skills of collaboration and team work by working on tasks as a member of a small group, providing and assimilating constructive critical commentary and feedback.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Politics