This course examines Australian politics from a historical perspective. It explores the foundation and working of democracy, the formation and transformation of the party system, and the relationship of politics to broader changes in society. The first part follows a chronological structure, beginning with traditional Indigenous government and extending through the colonial era to the present day, while the second examines a range of themes such as federation, nationalism and republicanism, women, gender and politics, rural politics, Indigenous politics and the media. The aim is to provide students with a historical grounding in the main political trends, institutions, personalities, ideas and ideologies.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. explain the origins and development of institutions, practices, ideas and ideologies in Australian politics;
2. analyse the relationship between political stability and change, and broader transformations in Australian society and culture;
3. appreciate the capacity of historical approaches to generate insights into the political past and present;
4. locate and interpret primary sources, and use them in constructing coherent and persuasive historical questions and answers; and
5. locate and evaluate secondary authorities, and use them to construct coherent and persuasive historical questions and answers.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

·        Informal feedback in tutorials and lectorials

·        Informal feedback in individual consultations and meetings

·        Informal feedback on Wattle or via email

·        Formal comments on assignments

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Indigenous and Settler Sovereignties and Politics: From Earliest Times to 1860
2	Making Settler Democracy Work, 1860-85
3	Founding the Party System, 1885-1914
4	The Politics of Interest and Loyalty, 1914-49
5	The Ice Age? Cold War Australia, 1950-66
6	Whitlam and Political Change, 1966-83	Assignment 1 due 4 p.m. on Thursday 1 Apr. 2021 (Research Essay: 2000 words)
7	Reinventing Australia, 1983-2021
8	Gender and Politics
9	Indigenous Politics
10	Sydney or the Bush? Rural Politics
11	Federation, Nationalism and the Republic
12	Politics and the Media	Assignment 2 due 4 p.m. on Thursday 3 June 2021 (Synoptic Essay: 3000 words)

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial Participation	10 %	28/05/2021	01/07/2021	1, 2, 3
Research Essay	40 %	01/04/2021	19/04/2021	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Synoptic Essay	50 %	03/06/2021	01/07/2021	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Value: 10%

You are expected to attend all 12 tutorials. You will be marked at the end of the semester according to your knowledge, understanding and analytical ability, as demonstrated by the quality of your contributions to tutorial discussion throughout the semester.

Examination(s)

None.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial Participation

Value: 10%

Details of task: You are expected to attend all 12 tutorials. You will be marked at the end of the semester according to your knowledge, understanding and analytical ability, as demonstrated by the quality of your contributions to tutorial discussion throughout the semester.

Assessment Task 2

Research Essay

Assessment Criteria

How relevant, focussed and persuasive is the argument?

Is your reading/research broad and appropriate to the question?

How well have you used primary sources?

Is the essay factually accurate?

Is there an appropriate introduction?

Is there an appropriate conclusion?

Is the structure of your essay logical and coherent?

Have you used correct paragraphing, syntax, punctuation, grammar and spelling?

Is your referencing consistent, accurate and informative?

Is your bibliography consistent, accurate and informative?

How well is your assignment presented overall?

Word limit: 2000

Value: 40%

Presentation requirements: essay form including footnotes and bibliography. Sub-headings and sections permitted, but use sparingly.12 point type and double spacing. Please ensure the question you are answering as well as your name and student number are included at the beginning of the paper.

Due: 4 p.m., Thursday 1 April 2021

Estimated return date: Monday 19 April 2021

 

Questions: Choose ONE of the following:

 

1.              How did colonial democracy work up to 1885?

2.              Assess the significance of any ONE of the following individuals for Australian politics:

William Wentworth; Robert Lowe; Daniel Deniehy; John Dunmore Lang; Henry Parkes; John Robertson; Graham Berry; Alfred Deakin; William Lane; Henry Bournes Higgins; Vida Goldstein; Rose Scott, William Cooper.

Your answer should include discussion of the interactions of this individual with the political system.

3.              What did colonial liberals want and how successful were they in getting it?

4.              In the context of Australian politics, what was novel about the Labor Party up to 1914?

5.              What were the main impacts of the First World War on Australian politics?

6.              How did questions of imperial loyalty and disloyalty influence Australian politics between 1919 and 1939?

7.              Did Scullin fail?  

8.              How bold was postwar reconstruction in the 1940s?

9.              Is it true, as David Kemp has recently suggested, that Australia chose liberalism over socialism in the middle decades of the twentieth century?

10.           How would you account for Menzies’ longevity as prime minister?

Assessment Task 3

Synoptic Essay

Assessment Criteria

How relevant, focussed and persuasive is the argument?

Is your reading/research broad and appropriate to the question?

How well have you made connections between topics?

Does your essay suggestion a consistent engagement with the course content?

How well have you used primary sources?

Is the essay factually accurate?

Is there an appropriate introduction?

Is there an appropriate conclusion?

Is the structure of your essay logical and coherent?

Have you used correct paragraphing, syntax, punctuation, grammar and spelling?

Is your referencing consistent, accurate and informative?

Is your bibliography consistent, accurate and informative?

How well is your assignment presented overall?

Word limit: 3000

Value: 50%

Presentation requirements: essay form including footnotes and bibliography. Sub-headings and sections permitted, but use sparingly.12 point type and double spacing. Please ensure the question you are answering as well as your name and student number are included at the beginning of the paper.

Due: 4 p.m., Thursday 3 June 2021

Estimated return date: On the release of results in July

 

Questions: Choose ONE of the following:

1.   In what ways did the constitutional crisis of 1975, leading to the Whitlam Government’s dismissal, demonstrate long-standing themes and tensions in Australian political and constitutional history? Your answer should include some reference to the Palace Letters, available via the National Archives of Australia website:

https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/kerr-palace-letters

2.   Why do you think the Hawke-Keating era (1983-1996) is remembered as a political golden age? Your answer needs to consider not that era alone, but its place in the broader political history of Australia.

3.   In what ways did the Howard era (1996-2007) reveal established habits and patterns in Australian politics? Your answer needs to consider not just that era, but its place in the broader political history of Australia.

4.   How have Australia’s political parties changed in terms of their nature and role since their emergence in the nineteenth century?

5.   How – and how successfully – have Indigenous Australians sought to make the political system work for them?

6.   In what ways has religion influenced, and failed to influence, Australian politics?

7.   How can a consideration of gender illuminate the understanding of Australian political history?

8.   How useful is it to think of Australian political history in terms of the relationship between city and country?

9.   Why is it important to consider the media in examining the course of Australian political history?

10. How has the COVID-19 pandemic disclosed the deep structures, patterns and values of Australian politics?

11. Which periods do you regard as the most innovative and influential in Australian political history and why? Identify at least two.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Via Wattle or email.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students