• Total units 48 Units
  • Areas of interest Political Sciences
  • Major code POLS-MAJ
  • Academic career Undergraduate
Political Science Major

Political Science is the study of human relationships that involve power, rule, or authority.  It is about how societies govern themselves and how societies ought to be governed.  It is about the political behaviour of individuals and groups that occurs in all societies.  It is about those who have political power in society and those who do not.

Political Science is a broadly-based discipline offering courses that span a number of sub-fields. The major in Political Science introduces students to core concepts and methods and exposes them to four key areas of the discipline:

  • Political thought and political theory or ideas,
  • Australian government and public policy
  • Comparative politics and comparative public policy including the study of particular countries or regions, and
  • International politics/international relations.

Students who wish to complete additional work in Politics beyond that required for the major may take a second major in International Relations, a minor in Asia-Pacific Politics, Australian Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations or Political Theory, or select individual POLS courses as electives within their degree.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the nature and significance of politics and governance.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of differences in political systems and the contexts in which they operate.
  3. Apply concepts and theories used in the study of political science to the analysis of interests, ideas, institutions and behaviour and to the evaluation of political phenomena.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of the different research methods used to investigate political phenomena and the ability to apply these methods.
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Requirements

This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:

24 units from completion of the following course(s):

Code Title Units
POLS1002 Introduction to Politics 6
POLS1009 Research and Writing in Political Science 6
POLS2119 Ideas in Politics 6
POLS3025 Contemporary Political Analysis 6

A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:

Code Title Units
HIST2227 Australian Political History 6
POLS2009 Bureaucracy and Public Policy 6
POLS2043 Pressure Groups and Political Lobbying 6
POLS2104 Media Politics: Political leaders, media moguls, journalists and audiences. 6
POLS2105 Political Leadership and Executive Government 6
POLS2111 Elections, Political Behaviour and Public Opinion in Australia 6
POLS2114 Australian Political Institutions 6
POLS2121 Ideas in Australian Politics 6

A maximum of 12 units may come from completion of courses from the following list:

Code Title Units
PHIL2020 Theories of Social Justice 6
PHIL2115 Political Philosophy from Hobbes to Mill 6
POLS2063 Contemporary Political Theory 6
POLS2064 Global Social Movements 6
POLS2096 Genocide Studies 6
POLS2102 The Political Philosophy of Deception 6
POLS2120 Foundations of Political Theory 6
POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Sciences 6
POLS2126 Democracy: Its Causes and Consequences 6
POLS3029 Sharing Power: Federalism in Comparative Perspective 6
POLS3031 Comparative Judicial Politics 6
POLS3034 Comparative Political Parties and Party Systems 6
SOCY2038 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods 6
SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods 6

A maximum of 12 units may come from completion of courses from the following list:

Code Title Units
ANIP3003 Australian National Internships Program Internship A 6
ANIP3005 Australian National Internship B 12
ASIA2026 The Politics of China 6
ASIA2031 Japanese Politics 6
ASIA2049 Politics and Society in Contemporary Korea 6
ASIA2060 Southeast Asian Security 6
ASIA2070 Democracy in Southeast Asia 6
ASIA2081 Human Rights in Asia 6
ASIA2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development 6
EURO2003 European Union: Policies, Institutions and Challenges 6
EURO3001 Uniting Europe: history, politics, theory 6
MEAS2001 New States of Eurasia: Emerging Issues in Politics and Security 6
MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East 6
PHIL2113 Global Justice 6
PHIL2122 Philosophy and Public Policy 6
POLS2011 Development and Change 6
POLS2025 Politics in Britain 6
POLS2031 Politics in the Middle East 6
POLS2055 Pacific Politics 6
POLS2069 Politics in Russia 6
POLS2070 Politics in Central Asia 6
POLS2094 Issues in International Political Economy 6
POLS2095 Politics in Latin America 6
POLS2101 Refugee Politics: Displacement and Exclusion in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries 6
POLS2113 Human Rights 6
POLS2117 The International Relations of Latin America 6
POLS2123 Peace and Conflict Studies 6
POLS2127 U.S. Politics 6
POLS2130 Public Choice and Politics 6
POLS2134 Gender and Politics 6
POLS2135 Race, Ethnicity and Representation 6
POLS2136 Power and influence in world politics 6
POLS3001 Foreign Policy Analysis 6
POLS3017 International Relations Theory 6
POLS3022 Washington DC Internship 12
POLS3030 Contemporary Politics of Brazil 6
POLS3033 Environment, Human Security and Conflict 6
POLS3035 The Politics of International Law 6
POLS3036 International Terrorism 6
POLS3037 Globalisation: Communications, Culture and Democracy 6
SOCY2030 Sociology of Third World Development 6
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