Overview

This Unit of Study is designed to provide students with a conceptual framework through which the formulation of public policies in Australia can be analysed. Online resources and exercises are designed to provide the theoretical and conceptual background to the subject while the seminars will provide students with an opportunity to further explore these ideas and concepts and to apply them to practical policy issues.

Requisites

Prerequisites
POL30010 The Politics of Public Policy

Requisite Rule for POL30010 above:

50 credit points

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Examine and evaluate the key theoretical frameworks used to explain how public policy is developed.
  • Analyse the roles and relationships between key policy actors, institutions, and processes central to contemporary Australian public policy making
  • Reflect on the challenges facing policy actors in complex contemporary settings
  • Evaluate public policy issues using primary and secondary sources.
  • Use professional standard tools and approaches to develop an evidence-based written report addressing a specific policy problem.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Lecture
1.00  4 weeks (wks 1,2,5,12) 4
On-campus
Class
2.00  11 weeks  22
Specified Activities
Various
1.00 8 weeks  8
Unspecified Activities
Various
10.00 12 weeks  120
TOTAL     154

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AnalysisIndividual 15% 2,3,4,5 
Briefing ReportIndividual 35% 1,2,3,4,5 
Position PaperIndividual 50% 1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • The following Graduate Attributes are formally taught and assessed in this unit:
  • GA2 Communicating using different media

  • GA5 Information literacy

  • GA6 Technical Literacy

  • Content:
  • This Unit of Study provides students with a conceptual framework for analysing the formulation of public policies in Australia;

  • Key political and policy institutions, actors and processes are critically examined;

  • Scenario-based policy exercises and case studies of policy success and failure are used to explore the complex nature of policy challenges and policy-making in Australia;

  • There is a strong focus on mixing theory and practice and on helping students to understand, develop and apply the relevant skills required to analyse complex policy problems and to develop and present policy solutions.

Study resources

Reading materials

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