This course offers critical reflection on the design and evaluation of public policy, drawing on both moral/political philosophy and the philosophy of science. Topics will vary but may include: 

·       How is the ‘evidence-based policy’ standard best understood?

·       How should we measure ‘well-being’, and is its distribution crucial to policy assessment?

·       What inequalities between generations matter?

·       Is compensation owed for historical injustices?

·       How should we ration healthcare resources?

·       Is statistical discrimination (e.g. racial profiling) ever justified?

·       How should we respond to the under-representation of minorities in public institutions?

·       Should free speech be stringently protected?

·       What, if anything, is wrong with ‘virtue signalling’?

·       Is there a right to privacy?

Learning Outcomes

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

1. understand and describe key philosophical issues pertaining to the design and evaluation of public policy;
2. critically evaluate philosophical theory spanning moral and political philosophy and philosophy of science, analysing core concepts, assumptions, and implications;
3. apply the philosophical distinctions and positions examined in the course to real-world policy problems;
4. competently express and defend, in written form, philosophical responses to questions of public policy; and
5. competently engage in reasoned and philosophically-informed oral debate about questions of public policy.

Research-Led Teaching

This course draws on longstanding as well as new areas of research in theoretical and applied philosophy of public policy. Several topics reflect the lecturer's active research interests.

Field Trips

N/A

Additional Course Costs

N/A

Examination Material or equipment

N/A

Required Resources

Required readings for each topic will be provided through the course Canvas page.

Recommended Resources

Further reading for each topic will be provided through the course Canvas page.

Staff Feedback

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

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

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	Introduction; Philanthropy and public policy	Two one-hour lectures, to be held in person on campus.
2	Philanthropy (cont.); Population and future generations	Two one-hour lectures, to be held in person on campus.One one-hour tutorial to be held in person on campus.
3	Population and future generations (cont.); Intergenerational equity	Lectures and tutorial as above.
4	Intergenerational equity (cont.)	Lectures and tutorial as above. In-class exercise to be held in lecture.
5	Healthcare policy: allocating scarce resources	Lectures and tutorial as above.
6	Healthcare policy: the problem of aggregation	Lectures and tutorial as above.(Note that draft mid-semester essay is due during the teaching break.)
7	Historical injustice	Lectures and tutorial as above. Peer review of draft mid-semester essay in tutorials.
8	Statistical evidence and racial profiling	Lectures and tutorial as above.
9	Evidence-based policy	Lectures and tutorial as above.
10	Poverty and welfare policy	Lectures and tutorial as above. Revised mid-semester essay due.
11	Public sector professional ethics	Lectures and tutorial as above.
12	Free speech	Lectures and tutorial as above.

Tutorial Registration

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.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial participation	10 %	*	*	1, 2, 3, 5
In-class exercise	10 %	19/08/2026	04/09/2026	1, 2, 4
Mid-semester essay	40 %	12/10/2026	02/11/2026	1, 2, 3, 4
End-of-semester exam	40 %	*	*	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 ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

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

10% of the grade is attributed to tutorial participation, as per Assessment Task 1.

The mid-semester essay requires students to participate in peer review discussions, to be held during tutorials in Week 7, as per Assessment Task 3.

Examination(s)

40% of the grade is attributed to a formal exam in the final exam period, as per Assessment Task 4.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial participation

Students will be graded on the quality of their participation in tutorials throughout semester.

Assessment Task 2

In-class exercise

Students will complete a short written exercise of 20 minutes' duration during lecture time in Week 4. Students will be required to summarise an argument discussed in the first 2.5 weeks of lectures and briefly outline and evaluate an objection to the argument (total length 400 words approx.)

The exercise will be graded according to a rubric that will be provided in Week 1, along with further details about arrangements for this assessment task.

Assessment Task 3

Mid-semester essay

Students will draft a 2000-word essay on a question pertaining to the topics covered in the first half of the course, participate in reciprocal peer review of their draft essay with another student, and revise their essay in response to peer review.

• Draft essay due Thu 17 September.
• Peer review partner discussion to be held in tutorials in Week 7.
• Revised essay, and a response to peer feedback of up to 500 words, due Mon 12 October.

Essay questions will be published on Canvas; essays will be graded according to a rubric to be provided to students with the essay questions.

Assessment Task 4

End-of-semester exam

Students will complete a two-hour exam during the formal exam period. The exam will require both short responses and longer essay-style responses (approx. 2000 words in total). The exam will cover material from the whole course; the essay-style questions will cover only the second half of the course. Exams will be graded according to a rubric that will be provided in advance, along with further details about the exam format.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community 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 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 University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

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.

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

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 Canvas 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 The Course Convener may grant extensions 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