Politics and Democracy (11239.1)

Please note these are the 2028 details for this unit
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Politics and Democracy
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra School Of Government Level 1 - Undergraduate Introductory Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the study of democratic theory and its translation into political practice from Plato and Aristotle to the twenty first century international context.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Analyse and advocate solutions to political and democratic problems in historical and contemporary international context;
2. Identify and investigate different political systems and forms of government; the nature and distribution of power in them; the social, economic and cultural contexts within which they operate; and the relationships between them;
3. Appraise and assess the nature of democratic government and consider why democracy has historically been regarded as the worst form of government to the contemporary elevation of democracy as the best form of government;
4. Comprehend and articulate how politics and democracy are mediated to stimulate and negotiate different interpretations of democratic issues and events; and
5. Gather, organise and deploy evidence to construct reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement using data, research and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2027, 2028 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Dr Mary Walsh
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online real-time Dr Mary Walsh
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 15 February 2027 Online real-time Dr Mary Walsh
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 15 February 2027 On-campus Dr Mary Walsh
2028 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 14 February 2028 Online real-time Dr Mary Walsh
2028 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 14 February 2028 On-campus Dr Mary Walsh
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

The textbook for this unit is:

Terence Ball, Richard Dagger, Daniel I. O'Neill, and Jennet Kirkpatrick (2025) Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, 12th Edition, Routledge: New York and London.

  1. Students can purchase an eBook copy from the product page here. They can purchase an e-copy of the text for a 6-month, 12-month or perpetual period. The prices in AUD are below:

Perpetual eBook: $142.00

12 Month Rental $92.30

6 Month Rental: $78.10

  1. Hard copies can also be purchased from the same product page for $158 AUD. Routledge.com offers free shipping on all orders and should arrive between 7-14 days.

Routledge also holds several sales throughout the year, including a back to university sale (And I will let you know about this sale via an announcement on Canvas).

The library will hold copies and there are also earlier editions available in the library.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Students are expected to listen to lectures on-line prior to the weekly tutorials.

Required IT skills

Students are expected to use Word processing and upload all assessments on-line.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

None

Next step

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