• Offered by School of Politics and International Relations
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject Political Science
  • Areas of interest Political Sciences
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • Katrine Beauregard
    • Prof Ian McAllister
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in Winter Session 2015
    See Future Offerings

Why do Australians vote the way they do? Why are young people more likely to support minor parties? What would happen if voting were not compulsory? How important is the environment to most people? Do Australians want the government to play a larger or smaller role in our lives? The answers to these questions have very important implications for Australian democracy. This course will examine how the dimensions of political behaviour and public opinion have been changing over time and the implications of this for the future of Australian politics.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse academic surveys and public opinion polls.

2. Evaluate the contribution surveys and opinion polls makes to our understanding of Australian politics.

3. Critically assess and present arguments based on empirical evidence and theoretical models based on the voter behaviour literature.

4. Assess the most important post-1945 elections and the events and issues driving electoral outcomes.

5. Develop analytical and writing skills through the research essay and exam.

6. Discuss and reasses central ideas in collegical class environment.

Other Information

Expected Classes 2015:

Full day classes will run at the following dates and times, finishing with a half day on Friday 10 July:

    Monday 29 June, 9:30am - 5pm

    Wednesday 1 July, 9:30am - 5pm

    Friday 3 July, 9:30am – 3.30pm

    Monday 6 July, 9:30am - 5pm

    Wednesday 8 July, 9:30am - 3pm

    Friday 10 July, 9:30am - 1pm


      How to enrol into a course offered in a non-standard session (Summer Session, Autumn Session, Winter Session, Spring Session):

      1. Complete an Enrolment Variation Form available on the following website: http://students.anu.edu.au/manage/vary.php.   
      2. You must include the Course Code, Class number and Semester/Session.
      3. If the course requires Convenor approval (Departmental consent), the Lecturer section must be signed by the appropriate Course Convenor prior to submitting the Form.
      4. Submit the Form in person to the CASS Student Office located in the Beryl Rawson Building 13, Ellery Crescent or online to students.cass@anu.edu.au.
      5. Please allow up to 3 weeks for processing, and submit your request as early as possible prior to the commencement of the relevant session.
      6. You are advised to check ISIS for the outcome of your request after this period.
      7. Please take note of the Overload Policy which may apply if you are enrolling in a non-standard session.

      If you have questions, please contact the CASS Student Office at students.cass@anu.edu.au.

      Indicative Assessment

      Research Essay (40%)(2,000 words)

      Exam (40%)(3 essay question responses)

      Tutorial attendance/participation (10%)

      Tutorial presentation (10%)

      The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

      Workload

      24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials.  The lectures and tutorials would be conducted over 10 working days. In addition to the ten-day block students would be expected to complete 30 hours of reading before the ten-day block and 30 hours during the ten-day block and 30 hours after the ten-day block.

      .

      Requisite and Incompatibility

      To enrol in this course you must have completed 12 units of Political Science (POLS) courses; or with permission of the convenor.

      Prescribed Texts

      A reading brick will be available.

      Majors

      Minors

      Fees

      Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

      If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

      Student Contribution Band:
      1
      Unit value:
      6 units

      If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

      Units EFTSL
      6.00 0.12500
      Domestic fee paying students
      Year Fee
      2015 $2604
      International fee paying students
      Year Fee
      2015 $3576
      Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

      Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

      ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

      The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
      Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

      Winter Session

      Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
      1559 29 Jun 2015 10 Jul 2015 17 Jul 2015 14 Aug 2015 In Person N/A

      Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions