University of Sydney Handbooks - 2014 Archive

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Government International Relations

Government and International Relations

GOVT1101 Australian Politics

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Assessment: 2000wd essay (40%) and 1000wd critical research exercise (10%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit introduces students to debates about the nature and limits of Australian democracy, to the major institutions of Australian politics, and to the distribution of power in Australian society. Major institutions and forces such as parliament, executive government, the federal system, political parties and the media are examined as arenas of power, conflict and consensus. Who rules? How? Which groups are excluded?
GOVT1104 Introduction to Political Science

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anna Boucher Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Assessment: 750wd reading assignment (20%) and 2000wd essay (30%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit provides an introduction to the study of politics through a focus on the key organising principle of power. Different ways in which power is theorised and structured are considered. This includes power between individuals, groups, classes and genders as well as different power-sharing arrangements within and across political institutions. In critically assessing these different approaches, students will be exposed to a range of political science theories and methods, which will equip them for future study in Government and International Relations. The empirical focus of this unit is on Australia, with reference to other developed countries.
GOVT1105 Geopolitics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Jingdong Yuan (S1) Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1500wd essay (30%) and 1hr mid-term exam (20%) and 2hr final exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit will examine how the contemporary international political order has emerged by focusing upon the interplay of diplomatic and strategic issues in the post-war world. It will begin with an analysis of the Cold War and its origins, tracing the development of Soviet-American rivalry, its manifestations in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the different ways in which that rivalry was played out. The collapse of the Soviet Union as both a superpower and a state and the disappearance of the communist bloc will be analysed, before surveying the post-Cold War international scene. Among the issues reviewed in the post-Cold War era will be the question of US hegemony and unilateralism vs. multilateralism, nuclear proliferation, the continuing tension between the first and the third worlds, questions of civilisational conflict, non-state actors and terrorism, democratisation, and regional conflict.
GOVT1202 World Politics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Gil Merom Session: Semester 1,Semester 2,Summer Main Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week or equivalent intensive Assessment: 500wd essay (10%) and 2300wd essay (35%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (15%)
Note: In Summer School this unit is available to current HSC students only.
This unit introduces the core content of the field of international relations. The first part of the unit presents the realist, liberal, Marxist and constructivist paradigms of international relations. The second part of the unit discusses the key actors and processes political scientists define in the field, including the state, decision makers, bureaucratic organisations, and classes. The final part of the unit focuses on international security, international political economy, and global problems.
GOVT2111 Human Rights and Australian Politics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anna Boucher Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations or 12 Junior credit points from Socio-Legal Studies Prohibitions: GOVT2101 Assessment: 2500wd briefing paper (30%) and 2hr exam (50%) and tutorial participation (20%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
This unit introduces students to the notion of human rights, outlines international human rights enforcement mechanisms and the application of human rights standards in Australia. Throughout the unit we consider the evolution of human rights in Australia and raise questions about the adequacy of Australia's existing human rights machinery, and examine the reasons for Australia's reluctance to adopt a Bill of Rights. We examine government policies toward the indigenous Australians, women and refugees. We also consider current legislative changes to combat terrorism and consider the implications of these changes on Australian's civil rights.
GOVT2112 Modern Political Thought

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Alexandre Lefebvre Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Assessment: 1500wd mid-semester take-home exercise (30%) and 2500wd final essay (60%) and participation (10%)
This unit considers key themes in modern and contemporary political thought. It uses primary texts to address topics such as sovereignty, democracy, fascism, liberalism, human rights, politics and religion, violence, and political identity. Authors may include Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, J.S. Mill, Tocqueville, Rawls, Arendt, Schmitt, and Foucault.
GOVT2114 The Australian Political Party System

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2104 Assessment: 2500wd essay (40%) and 1500wd website review (20%) and 1.5hr exam (30%) and tutorial participation (10%)
The unit examines the Australian party system, including colonial-era pre-party politics, the development of major parties (Labor, Liberal and National) and minor parties (Democrats, Greens, One Nation etc), parties and ideology, parties and social movements, internal party politics, parties and the law, parties and elections, parties and parliamentary politics, and parties and public policy. Emphasis is placed on how theoretical and comparative models of political parties help to explain Australian party politics.
GOVT2116 Australian Foreign and Defence Policy

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2106 Assessment: 500wd policy brief (10%) and 2000wd essay (40%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit examines Australia's foreign and defence policies since Federation with a focus on contemporary issues, such as: defence planning and operations; engagement with the global economy; and, Canberra's stance on terrorism, nuclear affairs, asylum seekers, and global environmental management.
GOVT2119 Southeast Asia: Dilemmas of Development

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Lily Rahim Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2x1-hr lectures/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: (12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations) or (12 Junior credit points from Asian Studies) Prohibitions: GOVT2109 Assessment: 2000wd essay (25%) and 1hr mid-semester exam (20%) and 1hr final exam (25%) and 2000wd tutorial presentation and participation (30%)
Until the 1997 East Asian economic/financial crisis, Southeast Asia was acclaimed as one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing regional economies in the Asia-Pacific sphere. Not surprisingly, the region has attracted enormous interest from social scientists and the wider business community in Australia. However, there is limited consensus about the causes for the region's economic performance and socio-political trajectory during the 'boom' and 'post-boom' years. This unit aims to place the region's economic experiences and socio-political changes within a broader historical and comparative context. Such an approach allows us to better appreciate the economic continuities, understand the major socio-political dilemmas and changing patterns of development.
GOVT2221 Politics of International Economic Rels

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr John Mikler Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2201 Assessment: 2500wd essay (40%) and 2hr exam (30%) and 1000wd tutorial presentation (20%) and participation (10%)
This unit provides an overview of four major theoretical approaches to international political economy and how these apply to understanding the practice of international economic relations. These theories are: economic nationalism, liberalism, neo-Marxism and poststructuralism. The unit analyses the theory and practice of economic relations by and between states, by focussing in particular on relations between the developed and developing world. It applies each of the four main theories to developing country regions. In this way students also become acquainted with the theory and practice of economic development.
GOVT2225 International Security in 21st Century

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Gil Merom Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2205 Assessment: 2500wd essay (40%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (20%)
This unit introduces the theoretical foundations, essential concepts and central issues in the field of international security. It provides students with analytical tools to understand and participate in current debates concerning security and threats. The first part of the unit provides an introduction to the theoretical interpretations of international security. The second part discusses security phenomena, problems and strategies, including the coercive use of force, deterrence, guerrilla and counterinsurgency, nuclear stability, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, crisis management, arms races and disarmament, security cooperation and security regimes. The discussion in this part includes a critical review of the dilemmas, strategies, and solutions in each of the issue areas.
GOVT2226 International Organisations

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Susan Park Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2206 Assessment: 1000wd short paper (15%) and 2000wd essay (40%) and 2hr exam (30%) and participation (15%)
International Organisations is a survey of both the range of institutions created in response to various economic, security and environmental challenges faced by states and other actors in the global system, and some of the most prominent theories aimed at explaining them. The unit will be arranged around a series of case studies of particular issue areas, from international peacekeeping, to the regulation of multinational corporations, and the struggle to slow global warming. More broadly, the unit will question whether international organisations are instruments of or rivals to sovereign states, and whether they reflect the hegemony of the West, solutions to international collective problems, or agents of new transnational communities.
GOVT2228 Environmental Politics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Robert MacNeil Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2208 Assessment: 1000wd essay (20%) and 2000wd essay (30%) and 2hr exam (30%) and tutorial participation (20%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
Environmental issues pose increasingly difficult challenges to our societies. What is the nature of these challenges? Where have they come from? How have political institutions adapted to them, at the national and international levels? What further changes might be necessary to better meet them? How might these changes come about? What effects might they have on the future of politics? This unit of study will engage these kinds of questions as an introduction to some theoretical and practical dimensions of environmental politics.
GOVT2331 Social Change and Politics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Peter Chen Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points in Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2301 Assessment: 1500wd campaign case analysis (30%) and 1500wd team campaign design project (30%) and 1.5hr exam (30%) and lecture and online participation (10%)
This unit examines how processes of social change are shaped by a variety of non-institutionalised political actors, including individuals, interest groups and social movements. It will answer questions such as: What is political participation? How and why do people act politically in Australia? How does participation both shape policy agendas and lead to societal change? The main conceptual topics include: political participation, political socialisation, civil society, interest groups and social movements. This conceptual framework will be used to examine the strategic repertoires adopted by movements and groups in society, including: young people, environmental movements, identity movements, the labour movement, anti-corporate globalisation action and community-based politics.
GOVT2424 Politics of China

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Minglu Chen Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: (12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations) or (12 Junior credit points from Asian Studies) Prohibitions: GOVT2402 Assessment: 2hr exam (40%) and 2000wd essay (40%) and tutorial participation (20%)
Introduction to government and politics of modern China. Brief examination of traditional background and modern revolution from 19th century to 1949. Primary focus on ideology, leadership, institutions and political processes of the People's Republic. Covers politics of social groups, major issue areas, the Cultural Revolution and the politics of reform.
GOVT2445 American Politics and Foreign Policy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Benjamin Goldsmith Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1-hr lectures/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: (12 Junior credit points in Government and International Relations) or [AMST1001 and (HSTY1023 or HSTY1076)] Prohibitions: GOVT2405 Assessment: 2000wd essay (40%) and 10x30wd tutorial quizzes (10%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit will be an overview of the American political system and the formulation of foreign policy. It will cover the major Federal political institutions: the Presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. The unit will consider how foreign policy is made through the interaction of these institutions and with other elements of civil society. Finally, it will examine the outcome of this process - US foreign policy itself - with special emphasis on the post-Cold War period. We will seek to answer two key questions: (a) what is the influence of domestic politics on US foreign policy; and (b) how does the US system cope with the apparent contradictions between its ideals and the imperatives of global power?
GOVT2552 Policy Analysis

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Allan McConnell Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2x1-hr lectures/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2502 Assessment: 2500wd eval case study (40%) and 2hr exam (50%) and tutorial participation (10%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
This unit examines the nature of public policy and the processes which shape its content. Most of these processes apply across nation states, although they typically manifest themselves in nation-specific ways. First, the unit outlines the nature of public policy - dealing with such matters as definitions of policy and approaches to analysing public policy. These include the traditional 'policy cycle' approach, as well as alternative models based on rational choice, the roles of groups and networks, the nature of institutions and the power of socio-economic interests. Second, it examines the main building blocks of the policy process: actors, institutions, and policy instruments. Third, it examines key stages of the public policy process: notably problem definition, agenda setting, policy formation, decision making, implementation and evaluation. Examples are drawn from Australia and a range of countries throughout the world. Fourth, it examines policy-making in extreme, 'crisis' situations. Fifth, it turns its attention to Australian policy processes, focusing specifically on the areas of economic policy and indigenous affairs. Finally, it takes an overview of public policy processes in a global world, focusing on national policy-making autonomy in the context of globalisation, as well as challenges for the future. The unit is sufficiently flexible in terms of assessment, allowing students to concentrate on areas of interest.
GOVT2616 Key Concepts in Political Thought

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Charlotte Epstein Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1-hr lectures, 1x1-hr tutorial Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points in Government and International Relations Assessment: 2000wd mid-semester take-home exercise (40%) and 2000wd essay (40%) and 500wd equivalent oral presentation (10%) and tutorial participation (10%)
What enables us as political animals to live together in political communities? This unit examines key concepts undergirding our contemporary political life handed down to us through centuries of political thought; from the Athenian city-state to contemporary reflections on identity. Some of the concepts and problématiques explored may include: the state; sovereignty; the political; liberty; property; the citizen vs. the subject, reasons vs. the passions.
GOVT2617 Introduction to Non-Traditional Security

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Frank Smith Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations Assessment: 500wd equivalent group role playing exercise (10%) and 1hr mid-semester exam (30%) and 2500wd analytical essay (50%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit introduces a variety of non-traditional security (NTS) challenges, along with different perspectives and policies regarding threats other than war. How does NTS relate to war and peace, and what dangers are most threatening? When does conflict over scarce resources - food, water, energy - affect survival? And what can be done about emerging threats like climate change and cyber attack? Considering these and other questions, students will tackle some of the greatest security challenges in the world.
GOVT2991 Political Analysis

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Ariadne Vromen Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points from Government and International Relations at the level of Credit or better, or with the consent of the Honours Coordinator. Assessment: 2000wd essay (35%) and 1500wd group project (30%) and mid-semester test (25%) and tutorial participation (10%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
This unit assists students enrolled in the honours program to develop the conceptual and practical skills they need to excel in any area of substantial political inquiry. An overview of political inquiry is presented through an examination of the diversity in theoretical and methodological approaches used by those who carry out political research. This includes looking at, for example, institutional, behavioural, discourse and feminist approaches in political inquiry, and the usage of quantitative and qualitative methods. The assessment is based around constructing research projects that can be utilised to answer current political questions.
GOVT3986 Gender, Security and Human Rights

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Megan MacKenzie Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2336 Assessment: 800wd essay proposal (15%) and 2000wd essay (35%) and 1hr exam (30%) and tutorial participation (10%) and 4x175wd tutorial quizzes (10%)
This unit offers a gender perspective on human rights, with a focus on gender and insecure international contexts. The unit covers themes related to the challenges of pursuing human rights, violations of human rights, and the role of civil society groups in advocating human rights. Attention will be given to the gendered nature of human rights and to specific issues that impact men and women differently when it comes to human rights protection and promotion.
GOVT3987 Comparative Public Sector Management

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paul Fawcett Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2557 Assessment: 2250wd research essay (50%) and 1.5hr exam (35%) and 750wd equivlent group presentation and peer review (15%)
This unit explores how the public sector sets policy and delivers public services. It begins by using the main concepts and theories of public management and governance to assess the various trade offs that are involved in designing and implementing different types of public sector reform. These theories are then applied to evaluate specific reform initiatives and compare reform patterns between different countries and across different policy sectors. Topics include: public administration, privatisation, performance management, partnership working and community engagement.
GOVT3988 Globalisation, Governance and the State

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr John Mikler Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points in Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2440 Assessment: 1hr mid-semester exam (20%) and 2500wd essay (45%) and 1hr final exam (35%)
Globalisation is posited as a process of deep change to the international order, one that restructures the role of the state (internally and externally), and has implications for a wide range of actors (international institutions, corporations, interest groups and individuals). One argument is that this erodes the capacity of national, and sub-national governments to manage economic and social change. In response to these concerns, this unit will appraise the debates about the impact of globalisation and state power erosion.
GOVT3989 Divided Societies

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Diarmuid Maguire Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points from Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2412, GOVT2442 Assessment: 2500wd research essay (50%) and 2hr exam (40%) and tutorial participation (10%)
This unit critically examines the role that ethnic conflict plays in national and international politics. Students will have advanced knowledge of nationalism, and close familiarity with current thinking around the role of the ethnic nationalism in particular. This unit will analyse the most influential theories, historical and contemporary, about the role of ethnic nationalism (as opposed to civic nationalism), regionally and internationally. We will consider a range of competing theoretical approaches, concentrating on the theory of a "divided society".
GOVT3990 Islam and Democracy in the Muslim World

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Lily Rahim Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1-hr lectures/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points in Government and International Relations Prohibitions: GOVT2774 Assessment: 2000wd essay (40%) and 1hr exam (30%) and 1000wd equivalent group oral presentation (30%)
This unit examines why there is no clear consensus on the status of Islam and sharia (Islamic law) within the state, constitution and political system. It will also consider whether the secular democratic state is consistent with Islamic principles such as adil (justice) and maslaha (common good). The unit highlights the linkages between historical, political and cultural Islam and the emergence of discourses which provide a contextual understanding of the faith.
GOVT3993 Power

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Megan MacKenzie Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture-seminar/week, 1x1-hr lecture-seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points from Government and International Relations and GOVT2991, each at the level of Credit or better, or with the consent of the Honours Coordinator. Prohibitions: GOVT3991 Assessment: 1000wd essay (2x15%) and 2500wd essay (50%) and in-class and online participation (20%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
Power is the essential concept of political science, which is the systematic study of politics. Bertrand Russell, perhaps the greatest mind of the 20th Century, said power is the central concept of all the social sciences. Students explore this concept in different parts of political science and survey some debates on power, assessing the advantages and disadvantages of concepts of power. There are three themes in this unit. The first is the distribution of power in society. The second is power in comparative politics and the third is power in international relations. The emphasis is on the nature, sources and use of power.
GOVT3994 Research Preparation

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr David Smith Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2-hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 Senior credit points from Government and International Relations and GOVT2991, each at the level of Credit or better, or with the consent of the Honours Coordinator. Prohibitions: GOVT3992 Assessment: 1500wd thesis review (20%) and 1500wd thesis comparison (20%) and 3000wd thesis prospectus (60%)
Note: This unit is available as a designated 'Advanced' unit for students who are already enrolled in the BA (Advanced) degree program.
This unit assists students to build towards a better fourth year honours dissertation. It considers the construction of a dissertation topic, planning the research, bibliographic searches, and writing the dissertation. The unit devotes a considerable amount of time to exercises designed to help students envisage their honours dissertation and plan fruitful lines of inquiry.
GOVT4101 Government Honours A

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2x2-hr seminars/week in Semester 1 Prerequisites: Credit grades in two junior GOVT units of study, and completion of 8 senior GOVT units of study with a credit minimum in each, including completion of GOVT2991, GOVT3993 and GOVT3994. Requirements for the Pass degree must be completed before entry to level 4000 honours units of study. Assessment: 3000wd bibliographic essay (10%) and 18000-20000wd thesis (50%) and 6000wd equivalent written work at each seminar (2x20%)
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
The Honours program in Government and International Relations consists of: 1. a bibliographic essay and a thesis written under the supervision of one member of academic staff; 2. two seminars that meet weekly for two hours each in Semester 1. For more information, consult the Department of Government and International Relations website or contact the Honours Coordinator.
GOVT4102 Government Honours B

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Corequisites: GOVT4101
refer to GOVT4101
GOVT4103 Government Honours C

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Corequisites: GOVT4102
refer to GOVT4101
GOVT4104 Government Honours D

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Corequisites: GOVT4103
refer to GOVT4101