Overview

This cross-disciplinary, team-taught unit introduces the core themes and breadth of the Politics, Power & Technology major. It introduces fundamentals of political philosophy and presents critical perspectives on the question of power drawn from a range of scholarly approaches.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Review the structures, dynamics and relationships of power in society, politics and international relations.
  • Apply theoretical models to the analysis of power.
  • Critically evaluate different perspectives on practical issues and problems.
  • Perform logical analysis and develop well-informed arguments.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture 		 1.00  8 weeks (wks 5-12) 8
On-campus
Lecture		 1.00 4 weeks (wks 1-4) 4
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Specified Activities
Various		 5.00  12 weeks  60
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		 4.50  12 weeks  54
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Essay Plan and Bibliography Individual  10%  1,2,3,4 
Group Discussions Individual  10%  1,2,3,4 
Quizzes Individual  20%  1,2,3 
Essay Individual 40% 1,2,3,4
In Class Presentation Individual 20% 1,2,3,4

Content

  • Conceptions of Power
  • Social Power
  • Power at Work: Capital & Labour
  • The Origin of Politics and the History of Democracy
  • Political Ideologies
  • Political Institutions
  • Democracy & Accountability
  • Power in International Relations
  • Race, Colonialism and Gender
  • Power & Technology
  • Power, Agency & Structure
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.