Useful links
Unit of study_
GOVT6156: Strategy and Civil Society
2025 unit information
This unit provides an overview of contemporary debates about policy making in democratic states, such as Australia. It examines how governance is constituted by the interaction between the state and civil society. Governance is an emerging area of interest for both government and non-government organisations, and this unit analyses the way these social, economic and political organisations interact to both create public policy agendas and lead to social and political change. The unit covers the configurations of policy communities, political networks and social movements which shape both representative and participatory democratic practice. There is a particular emphasis on understanding the strategies that different political actors adopt.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Government and International Relations |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
None |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
None |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Understand the typology and complexity of relations between state and civil society actors considering context and political actors involved.
- LO2. Critically evaluate and apply scholarly and non-scholarly sources to analysing the role of civil society actors in public policy making.
- LO3. Demonstrate critical awareness and systematic understanding of strategies employed by civil society actors to influence public policy.
- LO4. Discuss and debate the connection between civil society and democracy.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
