Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
1
Race and Ethnic Politics
Enrolment code: HSA201/301
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: Introduces the politics of ethnicity and race. After a study of
some relevant concepts, paradigms and theories, the unit will examine a range
of situations of ethnic and race politics drawn from such countries as Sri Lanka,
Canada, Belgium, South Africa, and some supra-national movements.
Staff: Dr W Bostock
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Mutual excl: HSP205/305
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), 1000-word workshop report/project (20%),
2-hr exam in June (40%)
Majors: Political Science
Courses: R3A R3K
Approaches to International Relations
Enrolment code: HSA202/302
Offered: Hbt, sem 1
Unit description: Reviews a range of theoretical and empirical approaches to
the study of international relations. The unit considers the significance of these
differing perspectives in a period of growing internationalisation – both global
and regional. It also seeks to promote a more effective understanding of how
the nature of contemporary politics influences the desire and capacity of states
(and other actors) to achieve their external objectives.
Staff: Assoc Prof RA Herr
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 in Political Science or equiv
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr exam in June (50%)
Majors: Political Science
Courses: R3A R3K
Media and Politics
Enrolment code: HSA203/303
Offered: Hbt, sem 2
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
2
Unit description: Provides students with a broad introduction to the
increasingly intimate relationships between media and politics. The unit
critically analyses key ideas on the role of the media in politics, including the
democratic and propaganda models of media. It examines the ways in which
media ownership patterns, the structure and organisation of media reporting,
the relationship between ‘spin doctors’ and politicians, opinion polling, and
image-making shape the political and electoral process. The implications for
politics of ‘globalisation’ and new media (satellite, digital and internet casting)
are also considered. Key case studies of the dynamic relationship between
media and politics is drawn from Australia, the United Kingdom and other
European countries, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific.
Staff: Dr W Bostock, Dr T Narramore
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science or equiv
Mutual excl: HEJ211/311
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), tutorial paper and presentation (10%), 2-hr
end-of-sem exam (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Journalism and Media Studies
Courses: R3A R3K
Politics in Literature and Film
Enrolment code: HSA204/304
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: A dominant understanding in the teaching of politics
contends that political understanding is reducible to scientific method. By
contrast, this unit seeks to examine politics as an art, the art of government, and
more precisely the role that particular modes of discourse have constituted that
art. In order to explore these modes students examine a number of early
modern attempts to explore the conditions of rule in what would now be
considered drama, poetry, satire and political theory, but need not necessarily
have been so constituted by contemporaries. In this context they first examine:
John Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel and John Locke’s Two Treatises. The
second part of this unit examines the manner in which satire, the novel and film
reflect and inform contemporary understandings. Here students examine
George Orwell’s 1984 (film and book), Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Zena and
Gilliam’s Brazil, and Anonymous Primary Colors (book and film). Finally, we
shall consider the role of satire, utopia and dystopia in the construction of
historical and contemporary political narratives.
Staff: Dr DM Jones
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
3
Prereq: 25% level 100 Political Science
Mutual excl: HAC244/344, FST257/357
Assess: 2,500-word essay (25%), tutorial presentation (10%), 500–1,000-word
review of text (15%), 2-hr exam in Nov (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Cultural Studies
Courses: R3A R3K
Political Ideologies
Enrolment code: HSA210/310
Offered: Hbt, sem 2
Unit description: The central concern of this unit is to examine politics and its
relationship to what Destut de Tracy termed ‘ideology’. The unit begins by
considering what kind of activity politics actually involves, arguing that
political rule arises when a collection of people deemed to be formally equal
form a government amongst themselves. The mode of political communication
between these people is persuasion. A further consequence of politics is a
literature of political thought. Politics accordingly is not a universal activity and
even where it is established it is often regarded with hostility. This rhetorical
style is contrasted with a rationalistic, scientistic and ideological style of
thinking that emerged in the 19th century. In this context, the unit considers
liberalism, nationalism, Marxism and fascism as ideological styles of rule
located in modernity, and concludes by considering whether postmodernity
offers any relief from the rationalistic certainties of modernity.
Staff: Dr DM Jones
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science or equiv
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), tutorial/workshop/report/project (20%), 2-hr
end-of-sem exam (40%)
Majors: Political Science
Courses: R3A R3K
Political Thought: Liberal Democracy
Enrolment code: HSA212/312
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: Should liberal states adopt redistributive justice principles?
Is there global justice? Should minorities be granted collective rights? Are there
any alternatives to liberal democracy? This unit introduces the theories of
justice by John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer and Will Kymlicka. It
explores the notions of international justice, cosmopolitan democracy and
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
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global civil society beyond liberal democratic states, and offers Marxist,
feminist and post-structuralist critiques of liberal theories and institutions. The
central focus of the unit is on justice and democracy. The aims of the unit are (1)
to provide and analyse competing conceptions of justice and democracy; (2) to
understand and engage current debates over the central issues of liberal
democracy.
Staff: Dr B He
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), tutorial/workshop/report/project (20%), 2-hr
exam in June (40%)
Majors: Political Science
Courses: R3A R3K
Comparative Political Systems
Enrolment code: HSA222/322
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: A study of the concept of system and its relevance to
politics, with particular reference to the relationship between system and
structure. Britain, France, Germany and the European Union are given
particular attention.
Staff: Dr WW Bostock
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1,000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr end-of-sem exam (50%)
Courses: R3A R3K
Politics of Democratisation, East and West
Enrolment code: HSA227/327
Offered: Hbt, sem 1
Unit description: Considers the historical, cultural, social and political
preconditions for democratisation in East Asia, and Eastern and Western
Europe. Examines the process of democratisation and the attended problems,
by comparing and contrasting the democratic experiences of a range of cases
including China, Taiwan, Korea, Russia, Poland and the European Union. The
‘transition to democracy’ literature will constitute the theoretical framework for
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
5
the discussion of change in East Asia and Europe in the context of global
democratisation in the world of post-cold war era.
Staff: Dr B He, Dr DM Jones
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science or equiv
Mutual excl: HMA216/316
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1,000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr end-of-sem exam (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Asian Studies
Courses: R3A R3K
Australian Foreign Policy
Enrolment code: HSA240/340
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: Is a critical examination of Australian foreign policy from
federation until the present. This unit focuses on the search for an independent
foreign policy throughout this period, including recent attempts to define an
integral role in the Asia Pacific region and its role as a middle power in
international affairs in the 1990s. It examines political, economic and strategic
issues and includes an evaluation of the links between external and domestic
policy decisions.
Staff: Prof P Boyce
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Mutual excl: HSD241/341
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1,000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr end-of-sem exam (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Public Policy
Courses: R3A R3K
Australian Political System: Political Parties and
Parliament
Enrolment code: HSA241/341
Offered: Hbt, sem 2
Unit description: Australian liberal democracy provides a distinctive political
culture. Within this concept the unit considers the Australian state, the party
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
6
system, the media, electoral law and behaviour drawing on theoretical and
comparative material.
Staff: Assoc Prof RA Herr
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 in Political Science
Mutual excl: HSD242/342
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1,000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr end-of-sem exam (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Public Policy
Courses: R3A R3K
Globalisation and East Asian Politics
Enrolment code: HSA258/358
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit description: Examines the political development of the countries of the
East Asian region – Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia,
Thailand and Indonesia – in the context of the international political economy.
The unit begins with an introduction to the main interpretations of international
political economy. It then considers: the relationship between the countries of
East Asia and the US-dominated postwar international political economy; the
nature of an East Asian model of political economy, pioneered by Japan, and
the extent to which it may be imitated in the region; the challenge of this East
Asian model to international political economy; the potential for an East Asian
regionalism; and the pressures for radical change in the political economy of
East Asia as a result of the financial crisis in the region.
Staff: Dr DM Jones, Dr T Narramore
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Mutual excl: HMA258/358
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), tutorial/workshop report/project (20%), 2-hr
end-of-sem exam (40%)
Majors: Political Science, Asian Studies
Courses: R3A R3K
Tasmanian Politics and Australian Federalism
Enrolment code: HSA260/360
Offered: Not offered in 2001
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
7
Unit description: Introduces students to both Tasmanian politics and the
politics of Australian federalism as seen from the state perspective. The specific
features of Tasmanian politics will be used to help explain the broader changes
in contemporary Australian federalism. Special attention will be given to
understanding the needs of Tasmania in responding to the dynamics of
Australian federal policy-making.
Staff: Assoc Prof RA Herr
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Mutual excl: HSD243/343
Assess: 2,500-word essay (30%), 1,000-word workshop report/project (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr end-of-sem exam (50%)
Majors: Political Science, Public Policy
Courses: R3A R3K
Espionage, Terror and Global Disorder
Enrolment code: HSA270/370
Offered: Hbt, sem 1
Unit description: Although the Cold War has ended, some old forms of
conflict persist and new forms have emerged around the globe. States are
increasingly confronted with unpredictable, transnational threats to their
security; for example, political violence and terrorism, traffic in arms, drugs and
people, religious nationalism, national liberation struggles, and ethnic or racial
conflict. In attempts to maintain security, states use a range of overt and covert
techniques, such as surveillance, espionage and counter-terrorism,
interventionist peacekeeping and discipline, and sometimes military force. The
unit offers systematic, comparative analysis of the diverse range of threats and
state responses in Europe, the USA and the Asia-Pacific region; and analyses
the ‘globalisation’ of terrorism and the importance of media representations of
violence and conflict in global politics.
Staff: Dr T Narramore, Dr DM Jones, Dr S Philpott
Unit weight: 12.5%
Teaching: 3 lectures, 1 tutorial, 1 workshop fortnightly (13 wks)
Prereq: 25% at level 100 of Political Science
Mutual excl: HSP203/303, HMA259/359
Assess: 2,500-word essay (40%), 750–1,000-word workshop report (10%),
tutorial participation (10%), 2-hr exam in June (40%)
Majors: Political Science, Asian Studies
Courses: R3A R3K
Parliamentary Internship
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
8
Enrolment code: HSA361/432
Special note: enrolment in this unit requires the approval of the Coordinator,
Assoc Prof R Herr.
Unit description: A Parliamentary Internship is available at the Parliament of
Tasmania. This Internship is open to Third Year (level 300 – use enrolment
code HSA361) and Honours (level 400 – use enrolment code HSA432) students
in 2000.
Courses:
R3A
Political Science 4 (Honours)
Enrolment code: HSA400/401
Full time/Part time
Offered: Hbt
Special note: full-time students enrol in HSA400 (100%), part-time students in
HSA401 (50%)
Unit description: The full-time course (HSA400) consists of two units taken in
semester 1 and a dissertation of 15,000 words on a subject approved by the
Head of School, to be submitted in early November. Students undertaking the
part-time course (HSA401) should plan their course in consultation with the
Head of School. Students are required to take:
HSA499
Dissertation
and two of the following elective units:
HSA420
HSA425
HSA431
HSA434
HSA435
HSA437
HSA475
Politics of International Relations,
staff as appropriate
Comparative Politics: Order and
Conflict, Dr WW Bostock
Selected Topics in Australian Politics,
Staff as appropriate
Parliament in Society, Assoc Prof RA
Herr
Special Reading Program, staff as
appropriate
International Relations in Asia, Dr B
He, Dr DM Jones, Dr T Narramore
Contemporary Political Thought, Dr
Unit details (Course and Unit Handbook 2002)
HSA476
HSA432
HSD418
HSA430
9
DM Jones & Dr B He
Issues in Polar and Marine Policy,
Assoc Prof RA Herr
Parliamentary Internship, Assoc Prof
RA Herr
Challenges to Governance, Prof A
Kellow
Politics of Terrorism, Dr T Narramore,
Dr DM Jones
A relevant Honours level unit from another discipline may be substituted for
one of the electives, subject to the approval of the Head of the School of
Government as to its suitability, weighting, and satisfaction of any
prerequisites. The number and pattern of elective units offered may depend on
staff loads and student numbers.
Staff: Dr T Narramore (Coordinator)
Unit weight: 100%/50%
Teaching: seminar based
Prereq: Major, with Grade-Point Average of 6.5 or higher
Assess: dissertation plus 8,000 words per elective
Courses: R4A