• Offered by Crawford School of Public Policy
  • ANU College ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
  • Course subject Policy and Governance
  • Areas of interest Policy Studies
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Laura Davy
  • Mode of delivery Online or In Person
  • Offered in Autumn Session 2024
    See Future Offerings

Available on-campus & remote (online) . Students participate in interactive, real-time classes. 2024 class dates: Apr 5, 12 ; May 3,10,31 & June 7 .

There are a whole range of individuals, groups and organisations that seek to influence the formulation and implementation of public policy – from community advocacy organisations and think tanks to political lobbyists and ‘policy entrepreneurs’ within government. This course explores the nature of policy advocacy and the important role it plays in public policy and policy processes in democratic systems. It examines strategies and tactics deployed by policy advocates inside and outside of government when persuading decision makers and the public, mobilising supporters, and building policy networks.


The course draws on the fields of policy theory and policy analysis, political science, political sociology, and public administration. Students will analyse a variety of Australian and international case studies, with a special focus on contested issues in social policy. Key themes include issues of voice and representation, the role of framing, language and storytelling in policy advocacy, and approaches to researching, analysing and evaluating policy advocacy impact. 

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Understand and explain key concepts in policy advocacy scholarship.
  2. Reflect critically on the changing landscape of contemporary policy advocacy.
  3. Apply concepts from policy advocacy scholarship to real world case studies and contexts in Australia and internationally.
  4. Analyse the effectiveness of policy advocacy strategies and techniques.
  5. Evaluate the role of policy advocacy and different policy actors in in policy processes and policy change.

Indicative Assessment

  1. In class quiz (15) [LO 1]
  2. Comparative policy advocacy text analysis (1500 wds) (35) [LO 1,2]
  3. Research essay (3500 wds) (50) [LO 1,2,3,4]

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

The standard workload for a 6 unit course is 130 hours including class time and independent study.

Inherent Requirements

Not applicable

Prescribed Texts

See Wattle

Preliminary Reading

Available when enrolling.

Fees

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

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees

Student Contribution Band:
14
Unit value:
6 units

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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
2024 $4440
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2024 $6360
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.

Autumn Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
On Campus
5472 05 Apr 2024 05 Apr 2024 26 Apr 2024 05 Jul 2024 In Person View
Online
5473 05 Apr 2024 05 Apr 2024 26 Apr 2024 05 Jul 2024 Online View

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