ATS2699 - Parties and power - 2018

This is an advanced unit in Politics which concentrates on the political party system. It involves an examination of:

1. the emergence of the party system in liberal democratic states ii. the organisation and ideologies of the parties

   iii. the role of parties in the political life of liberal democratic states

   iv. the comparison of the Australian party system with party systems in other liberal democratic states

2. the relationship between political parties and social movements vi. the relationship between the party system and the electoral system.

   A theme of the subject will be the way the parties exercise political power in liberal democracies

1. To foster an understanding of the importance of political parties as organizational forms by which citizens in a liberal democracy seek to influence governance; ii. To foster a comparative understanding of how parties and party systems are organized in liberal democratic states

   iii. To develop a knowledge of the contribution political science has made to the theorizing about parties and party systems;

   iv. To foster an understanding of the applicability of theories about organisation and power to an analysis of political parties

2. To develop a clear understanding of the forms and dynamics of inter-party and intra-party politics, and the impact this has on debates about public policy and governance; vi. To develop advanced analytical skills so that graduates can analyse organisational power and communicate these skills by way of coherent argument in tutorial situations, and to present rigorously analytical research essays.

Within semester assessment: 60% + Exam: 40%

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