This course provides postgraduate students with the tools to understand and analyse some of the key drivers of violent extremism in the world today. Focused on the Middle East, the course examines the historical legacies that have shaped state and non-state violence in the region and provides important context to the emergence of terrorism as a political tactic against the backdrop of globalisation. Running throughout the course are basic questions such as: why does violent extremism develop; how does it function; what impact does it have; and what can be done about it? 

Specific topics to be covered include: defining violent extremism; the historical roots of violence and legacies of Empires; politics and violence in the struggle for Palestine; religious fundamentalism and international politics; September 11 and “The War on Terror”; global repercussions of the Iraq invasion; the rise and fall of Isis; gender and political violence; non-state actors and militia; the new fundamentalisms: violence and terror today.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. define violent extremism and identify its historical roots;
2. investigate modern and contemporary manifestations of terrorism and consider how political violence impacts populations in the Middle East and beyond;
3. gain an in-depth understanding of the political and religious ideologies that have underpinned violent extremism in the region;
4. develop the capacity to research topics related to violent extremism and terrorism and to write about these topics with confidence; and
5. critically analyse texts and course material and present arguments with confidence in a public setting.

Staff Feedback

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

• written comments
• verbal comments

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	Understanding Violence; Defining Extremism	Essential Reading Reading one: Stampnitzky, Lisa. “The Invention of Terrorism and the Rise of the Terrorism Expert.” In Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented Terrorism (Chapter 2). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Reading two: Gasztold, Aleksandra. “Feminism and the Problem of Terrorism.” In Feminist Perspectives on Terrorism: Critical Approaches in Security Studies (Chapter 4). New York: Springer International, 2020. Reading three: Midlarsky, Manus. “War, Peace, and the Decline of Extremism.” In Origins of Political Extremism Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond (Chapter 16). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Making Connections TRT World, “Christchurch Terror Attack: Did New Zealand’ s Intelligence Fail to Protect Muslims?” https://www.trtworld.com/video/social-videos/christchurch-terror-attack-did-new-zealands-intelligence-fail-to-protect-muslims/5ca0f5225788bd644f8bee9c Going Deeper Cronin, A.K. How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaign. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Hoffman, B. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2017. Law, Randall D. Terrorism: A History. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2017. Stampnitzky, Lisa. “The Politics of (anti-)Knowledge: Disciplining Terrorism after 9/11.” In Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented 'Terrorism (Chapter 8). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
2	Historical Roots of Violence: A Legacy of Empire	Essential Reading Reading one: Midlarsky, Manus. “Radical Islamism: Foundations.” In Origins of Political Extremism Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond (Chapter 6). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Reading two: Marrouchi, Mustapha. "Introduction: Colonialism, Islamism, Terrorism." College Literature 30, 1 (2003): 6–55. Reading three: Calvert, John. “Turn to Islamism.” In Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism (Chapter 3). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Making Connections Zimmerman, John C. “Sayyid Qutb's Influence on the 11 September Attacks.” Terrorism and Political Violence 16, 2 (2004): 222–52. Going Deeper Appiah, K. A. “Misunderstanding Cultures: Islam and the West.” Philosophy & Social Criticism 38, 4–5 (2012):425–33. Saikal, Amin. Islam and the West: Conflict or Cooperation? London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
3	Politics and Violence in the Struggle for Palestine	Essential Reading Reading one: Scham, Sandra. “‘There was no king in Israel’: Early Israel in Settler Movement Narratives.” In Extremism, Ancient and Modern: Insurgency, Terror and Empire in the Middle East (Chapter 6). Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Reading two: Whitehead, L. Neil, and Nasser Abufarha. “Suicide, Violence, and Cultural Conceptions of Martyrdom in Palestine.” Social Research 75, 2 (2008): 395–416. Reading three: Burleigh, Michael. “Attention-Seeking: Black September and International Terrorism.” In Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism (Chapter 5). London: Harper Collins, 2009. Making Connections Paradise Now. Directed by Hany Abu Assad, 2005. Going Deeper McDonald, David A. “Poetics and the Performance of Violence in Israel/Palestine.” Ethnomusicology 53, 1 (2009): 58–85. Scham, Sandra. “‘Their hearts were confident, full of their plans’: Philistines and Palestinians.” In Extremism, Ancient and Modern: Insurgency, Terror and Empire in the Middle East (Chapter 5). Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018.
4	Religious Fundamentalism and International Politics: The Iranian Revolution	Essential Reading Reading one: Saikal, Amin. “Khomeini’s Theo-political Order.” In Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic (Chapter 3). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019. Reading two: Lesch, David. “The Iranian Revolution and Its Consequences.” In The Contemporary Middle East : A Westview Reader (Chapter 20). Taylor & Francis Group, 2012. Reading three: Inafuku, Eric. “How Does the 1979 Iranian Revolution Affect Current Iranian Fundamentalism and International Politics?” Journal of Applied Security Research 5, 3 (2010): 414–36. Making Connections Iran 1979: Anatomy of a Revolution. https://www.aljazeera.com/program/featured-documentaries/2019/2/1/iran-1979-anatomy-of-a-revolution Going Deeper Akhavi, Shahrough. "The Ideology and Praxis of Shi'ism in the Iranian Revolution." Comparative Studies in Society and History 25, 2 (1983): 195–221. Keddie, Nikki. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. Lob, Eric. “Development, Mobilization and War: The Iranian Construction Jehad, Construction Mobilization and Trench Builders Association (1979–2013).” Middle East Critique 26, 1 (2017): 25–
5	September 11 and “The War on Terror”	Essential Reading Reading one: Gerges, Fawaz A. “Understanding Al-Qaeda: Disentangling Myth from Reality.” In Assessing the War on Terror, edited by Mohammed Ayoob, and Etga Ugur (Chapter 3). Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013. Reading two: Holland, Jack. “Response: Afghanistan.” In Selling the War on Terror: Foreign Policy Discourses After 9/11 (Chapter 5). Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. Reading three: Semple, Michael. “Afghanistan: The First Theater of the War.” In Assessing the War on Terror, edited by Mohammed Ayoob, and Etga Ugur (Chapter 4). Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013. Reading four: Finn, Melissa. “From the Vantage Point of Sacrificial Violence: al-Qaeda’s Worldview in Context.” In Al-Qaeda and Sacrifice: Martyrdom, War and Politics (Chapter 2). London: Pluto Press, 2012. Making Connections 11'09"01: September 11 (film), Galatee Films-Studio Canal production, Jacques Perrin, Nicolas Mauvernay, based on an original idea by Alain Brigand. Available in the ANU Library. Going Deeper Cherney, A. and K. Murphy. “Being a ‘suspect community’ in a post 9/11 world – The impact of the war on terror on Muslim communities in Australia.” Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology 49, 4 (2016): 480–96.
6	Global Repercussions of the Iraq Invasion	Essential Reading Reading one: Pitchford, Jenna. “The ‘Global War on Terror,’ Identity, and Changing Perceptions: Iraqi Responses to America's War in Iraq.” Journal of American Studies 45, 4 (2011): 695–716. Reading two: Nesser, Petter. “Jihadism in Western Europe After the Invasion of Iraq: Tracing Motivational Influences from the Iraq War on Jihadist Terrorism in Western Europe.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 29, 4 (2006): 323–42. Reading three: Hagan, John, Joshua Kaiser, and Anna Hanson. “The Theory of Legal Cynicism and Sunni Insurgent Violence in Post-Invasion Iraq.” American Sociological Review 81, 2 (2016): 316–46 Making Connections King, Tom and Mitch Gerads. The Sheriff of Babylon. Burbank: DC Comics. Going Deeper Pape, Robert. “Occupation and Religious Difference.” In Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, Chapter 6. New York: Random House, 2005 Chomsky, Noam and Gilbert Achcar. “Wars in the Greater Middle East.” In Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, Chapter 4. London: Routledge, 2016. Gerges, F. “How Broken Iraqi Politics Fueled the Revival of ISIS.” In ISIS; A History, Chapter 3. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.
7	The Rise and Fall of ISIS	Essential Reading Reading one: Saikal, Amin. ‘How Islamic Has the “Islamic State” Been? Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 38, 2 (2018): 143–52. Reading two: Istrabadi, Feisal al-. “Regional Constraints on the U.S. Confrontation of ISIS.” In The Future of ISIS: Regional and International Implications, edited by Feisal al-Istrabadi and Sumit Ganguly, 173–97. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2018. Reading three: Gerges, Fawaz. “ISIS versus Al Qaeda: Redefining Jihad and the Transition from the Global to the Local.” In ISIS; A History (Chapter 8). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016. Reading four: Williams, B.G. “Who Defeated ISIS? The Pentagon's War Maps.” Middle East Policy 27: 152–93. Making Connections Birke, Sarah. “How ISIS Rules.” The New York Review of Books, December 9, 2014. Going Deeper Byman, D. “Comparing Al Qaeda and ISIS: Different Goals, Different Targets.” Brookings, 29 April 2015. Gerges, Fawaz. “ISIS and the Third Wave of Jihadism.” Current History, December 2014, pp. 339–43. Hamid, S. “The Roots of the Islamic State’s Appeal.” Atlantic, 31 October 2014.
8	Gender and Political Violence	Essential Reading Reading one: Gasztold, Aleksandra. “The Specificity of Female Terrorism,” in Feminist Perspectives on Terrorism: Critical Approaches in Security Studies (Chapter 5). New York: Springer International, 2020. Reading two: Pain, Rachel. “Everyday Terrorism: Connecting Domestic Violence and Global Terrorism.” Progress in Human Geography 38, 4 (2014): 531–50 Reading three: Pouzol, Valérie. “Rejecting the Cycle of Violence: When Women Say No to War (Israel-Palestine 1987–2013)”, Diogenes 61, 3–4 (2017): 97–111. Making Connections LaBute, Neil. The Mercy Seat: A Play. London: Faber and Faber, 2003; Nelson, Anne. The Guys. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2003. Going Deeper Randall, Martin. “‘He is Consoling, She is Distraught’: Men and Women and 9/11 in The Mercy Seat and The Guys.” In 9/11 and the Literature of Terror (Chapter 6). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011
9	Non-State Actors and Militia	Essential Reading Reading one: Shabana, I. “Crusaders in Reverse? The Emergence of Political Islam in the Middle East and the Reactions of British Foreign Policy, 1978–1990.” Religions 11, 4 (2020), 196–210. Reading two: Cotton, Sarah et al. “Have Private Security Contractors Had an Adverse Effect on Local Iraqis' Perceptions of the Entire Occupying Force Because of the Legal Impunity with Which They Operated in Iraq Prior to 2009?” Hired Guns: Views About Armed Contractors in Operation Iraqi Freedom (Chapter 3). Santa Monica: RAND Corporation, 2010. Reading three: Karakoç, Jülide. “Revisiting Multilateralism in the Middle East between Securitization and Desecuritization of the Kurds.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Reading four: Shayan, Fatemeh. “A Critical Perspective on Terrorism: Case Study of Jundallah and Jeish ul-Adl in Iran.” Critical Studies on Terrorism 13, 3 (2020): 441–63.
10	State Violence after the Arab Uprisings	Essential Reading Reading one: Mihaylov, Dimitar. “Why the Arab Spring Turned into Arab Winter: Understanding the Middle East Crises through Culture, Religion, and Literature.” Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs 11, 1 (2017): 3–14. Reading two: Høigilt, Jacob, and Kjetil Selvik. “Debating Terrorism in a Political Transition: Journalism and Democracy in Tunisia.” International Communication Gazette 82, no. 7 (2020): 664–81. Reading three: Pratt, Nicola, and Dina Rezk. “Securitizing the Muslim Brotherhood: State Violence and Authoritarianism in Egypt after the Arab Spring.” Security Dialogue 50, no. 3 (2019): 239–56. Making Connections The Square. Directed by Jehane Noujaim, 2013. Going Deeper Gerges, Fawaz. “Misappropriating the Arab Spring Uprisings.” In ISIS; A History, Chapter 7. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.
11	Representing Violence: Terrorism in the Media and Popular Culture	Essential Reading Reading one: Paget, Derek. “Ways of Showing, Ways of Telling: Television and 9/11.” In The War on Terror: Post-9/11 Television Drama, Docudrama and Documentary, edited by Stephen Lacey and Derek Paget. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2015. Reading two: Jones, David Martin and M.L.R. Smith. “The Rise of Dark Americana: Depicting the “War on Terror” On-Screen.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 39, 1 (2016): 1–21. Reading three: Campbell, Perri and Luke Howie. “Fractured Lives, Digital Selves: Writing the Self in post-Invasion Iraq.” Journal of Sociology 52, 2 (2016): 235–48. Reading four: David Parker, Julia M. Pearce, Lasse Lindekilde and M. Brooke Rogers. “Press Coverage of Lone-actor Terrorism in the UK and Denmark: Shaping the Reactions of the Public, Affected Communities and Copycat Attackers.” Critical Studies on Terrorism 12, 1 (2019): 110–31. Making Connections Maza, Carlos. “This is your Brain on Terrorism: Why Sensationalized Terrorism Coverage makes us Overreact to Risk.” Vox, March 20, 2017. Going Deeper Fox. M. J. “Researching Armed Conflict, Boko Haram and other Violent non-State Actors: Problems with Web Sources.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 31, 3 (2020): 661–69. McQueen, David. Panorama’s Coverage of 9/11 and the ‘War On Terror’.” In The War on Terror: Post-9/11 Television Drama, Docudrama and Documentary, edited by Stephen Lacey and Derek Paget. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2015.
12	The New Fundamentalisms: Violence and Terror Today	Essential Reading Reading one: Criezis, Meili. "Intersections of Extremisms: White Nationalist/Salafi-Jihadi Propaganda Overlaps and Essentialist Narratives about Muslims." Journal of Education in Muslim Societies 2, 1 (2020): 88–96. Reading two: Abbas, Madeline-Sophie. “Conflating the Muslim Refugee and the Terror Suspect: Responses to the Syrian Refugee “Crisis” in Brexit Britain.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 42, 14 (2019): 2450–69. Reading three: Bakali, N. “Challenging Terrorism as a Form of "Otherness": Exploring the Parallels between Far-right and Muslim Religious Extremism.” Islamophobia Studies Journal 5, 1 (2019): 100–15. Making Connections Students to find a related news article or opinion piece to share. Going Deeper Braouezec, Kevin. “Identifying Common Patterns of Discourse and Strategy among the New Extremist Movements in Europe: The Case of the English Defence League and the Bloc Identitaire.” Journal of Intercultural Studies 37, 6 (2016): 637–48. Simi, Pete and Steven Windisch. “Why Radicalization Fails: Barriers to Mass Casualty Terrorism.” Terrorism and Political Violence 32, 4 (2020): 831–50.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
In-class presentation	15 %	*	*	2, 5
3000 word essay	35 %	31/03/2021	14/04/2021	1, 2, 3, 4
4000 word essay	50 %	02/06/2021	*	1, 2, 3, 4

* 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.

Assessment Task 1

In-class presentation

Students will each undertake a short online presentation which is designed to encourage active involvement in seminar discussions and as practice in collating and synthesising sets of arguments from the readings. The presentation will test students on at least one of the four ‘Specific Learning Outcomes’ and all of the ‘General Skills’. The presenting student will be expected to:

·        Provide an overview of a nominated topic.

·        Base the presentation around the readings for the week and/or developments in the world arena that are related to the topic selected.

·        Pose questions, generate and lead class discussion around the chosen topic.

Students are not required to provide supporting material (eg. slides), but are permitted to do so, within the constraints of the online platform. Creativity in presentations is encouraged and welcomed!

Presentation topics/weeks will be assigned during the first seminar.

Time limit: 10–15 minutes with some flexibility

Value: 15% of final grade. Note: the rubric for this assessment is not evenly weighted. Requirements are listed in descending order of value.

Estimated return date: Students will be informed of their result within a week of the seminar in which they present. The marking rubric will be emailed to students.

Rubric

	F	P	C	D	HD
Overall understanding of topic
Adequate weight to key themes and issues
Clarity of communication
Organisation of presentation
Engagement with audience
Creativity of presentation
Keeping within the time limit

Assessment Task 2

3000 word essay

The essay for this course tests students’ ability to research a topic and to present a quality, cogent argument in response to a chosen question. Students are expected to choose one question from a list of options to be posted on Wattle. Questions for assessment task two are based on the material covered in the Part I of the course. Essays are marked against criteria that include answering the question, presenting an argument, demonstrating depth of research, and technical quality, as per the rubric. Advice on essays will be provided in seminars.

Word limit: 3000 words (with an accepted 10% leeway).

Value: 35% of final grade.

Requirements: Essays are to be submitted via Turnitin, preferably as a Word document. Essays should be presented in a standard font of no less than 11 point type, and with double spacing. Essays to be submitted by 4pm on Wednesday 31st March.

Estimated return date: Two weeks after submission.

Rubric

	F	P	C	D	HD
The question has been fully answered
Key terms are defined and understood
The argument is logical and consistent
The points are comprehensively addressed
The essay is well structured
A good range of quality sources are used
Sources are well utilised to support the argument
Referencing/bibliography are consistent & accurate
The essay is of a high technical quality
The writing style is sophisticated

Assessment Task 3

4000 word essay

Students are expected to develop their own question in consultation with the convener. Questions are to be based on the material covered in the Part II of the course. Essays are marked against criteria that include developing and answering the question, presenting an argument, demonstrating depth of research, and technical quality, as per the rubric. Advice on essays will be provided in seminars.

Word limit: 4000 words (with an accepted 10% leeway).

Value: 50% of final grade.

Requirements: Essays are to be submitted via Turnitin, preferably as a Word document. Essays should be presented in a standard font of no less than 11 point type, and with double spacing. Essays to be submitted by 4pm on Wednesday 2nd June.

Estimated return date: Two weeks after submission.

Rubric

	F	P	C	D	HD
A solid question has been fully developed
Key terms are defined and understood
The points are comprehensively addressed
The essay is well structured
A good range of quality sources are used
Sources are well utilised to support the argument
Referencing/bibliography are consistent & accurate
The essay is of a high technical quality
The writing style is sophisticated

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

If submission via Turnitin is not possible please speak to your Course Convener.

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.

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