This transdisciplinary course will help you figure out what, if anything, to believe in. The first half of the course examines how to foster belief drawing upon ideas from Plato, Machiavelli, Nietzsche and Strauss who argued that unless certain truths about reality, politics, faith and liberal democracy are hidden from the public, society will fall into ruin. The second half of the course looks at belief and deceit from the bottom up, enlisting ideas about truth and resistance from Gramsci, James C. Scott and de Certeau. Through an introduction to poetry and the arts, you will consider how to be more creative, ethical, and honest in post-truth contexts, in the university, and in everyday life.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- analyse different philosophies and political theories of belief and deception;
- competently apply these philosophies and political theories to politics, international relations, culture, and personal life;
- creatively consider ways to enhance honesty and ethics in the public sphere; and
- collaborate in small groups to complete presentations and in larger groups to facilitate the collective pursuit of wisdom and understanding.
Indicative Assessment
- Take-home Final Examination 1800 words (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Creative Transdisciplinary Project (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Two quizzes (in class), 15 minutes each with additional discussion (20% weighted evenly). (25) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Group Presentation, 15 minutes (15) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Tutorial participation (10) [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
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact.
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Orwell's 1984
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 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4920 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $6660 |
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.