Applied Policy Report PG (11800.1)

Please note these are the 2024 details for this unit
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Applied Policy Report PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Online real-time
 UC - Canberra, Online
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra School Of Politics, Economics And Society Post Graduate Level 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)
Writing succinct and factual reports is a crucial part of creating and communicating public policy.
In this unit, students are required to identify a key area of public policy in contemporary Australia at either the local, state or federal level. It may be an area where students currently work or an area of interest for student's potential workplace contribution. Once the area of public policy is identified, students must construct an applied policy report in a workplace context.
Assuming you have been asked to provide an overview and recommendations on ways to move forward in a workplace context, students must identify a key area of public policy. They must outline what the key issues are with the public policy they have chosen and identify issues and/or concerns with communicating the policy or implementing the policy. The report should provide some context to the policy both historically and contemporarily, identify what the current issues are regarding the public policy area and provide recommendations for moving forward with the policy in the greater.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify the key issues of a specialised area of public policy;
2. Contextualise key issues involved in the public policy;
3. Critically reflect upon the stakeholder's perspective involved in the specialised area public policy;
4. Critically analyse key problems and possible solutions in the specialised area of public policy; and
5. Design recommendations for successfully moving forward with the public policy.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
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 - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 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
2025 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 3 12 May 2025 Online real-time Dr Michael Jensen
2026 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 1 19 January 2026 Online real-time Dr Michael Jensen
2026 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 5 31 August 2026 Online real-time Dr Michael Jensen
Not available

Required texts

  1. Althaus, C., Bridgman, P. and Davis, G. (2020). The Australian policy handbook: A practical guide to the policy making process. (6th edn.)  Allen & Unwin.

  2. Mercer, et al. (eds.) (2021). Learning policy, doing policy: Interactions between public policy theory, practice and teaching.  ANU Press. https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n7914/pdf/book.pdf

  3. Weible, C., Cairney, P., & Yordy, J. (2022). A diamond in the rough: digging up and polishing Harold D. Lasswell's decision functions. Policy Sciences, 55(1), 209–222. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/article/10.1007/s11077-022-09451-9

  4. Young, E. & Quinn, L. (2002). Writing effective public policy papers. A guide for policy advisers in Central and Eastern Europe. Open Society Institute. http://www.icpolicyadvocacy.org/sites/icpa/files/downloads/writing_effective_public_policy_papers_young_quinn.pdfLinks to an external site.

  5. Goodnight, G. T. (2012). The Personal, technical, and public spheres of argument: A speculative inquiry into the art of public deliberation. Argumentation & Advocacy, 48(4), 198–210

  6. Toulmin, S. E. (2003). The uses of argument. Cambridge University Press (pp. 1-28, 87-134).

  7. Burke, K. (1989). Symbols and society. University of Chicago Press (pp. 179-191).

  8. Edelman, M. (2001). The Politics of misinformation. Cambridge University Press, p. 18-38.

  9. Williams, J. M. (2007). Style: Lessons in clarity and grace. Pearson Longman, p. 73-106

  10. Field, A. P., & Gillett, R. (2010). How to do a meta¿analysis. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 63(3), 665-694.

  11. Guerin, B., Janta, B., & van Gorp, A. (2018). Desk-based research and literature review. In Evaluating interventions that prevent or counter violent extremism. J. Hofman and A. Sutherland (Eds.) Pp. 63-68. RAND Europe. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2094.html

  12. Specht, D. (2019). Reading, desk research, taking notes and plagiarism. In The media and communications study skills student guide. Pp. 27–45. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book42.d. also available in https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.529958987152176

  13.  

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

  • Referencing style: APA7
  • Only Word (*doc or *docx) to be uploaded
  • Submission via the teaching site in UC Learn; access to draft plagiarism/generative AI checking via Turnitin is available
  • In submitting, students acknowledge that they have presented their own work and that they have acknowledged fully when relying on the knowledge or sources of others
  • Any use of generative AI resources requires prior authorisation from the unit convener

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

The tutorial attendance is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged.
These sessions will provide learners with the opportunity to have synchronous (at the same time) learning experiences with the teaching staff and with your fellow learners from across the unit. In particularly, the tutorial in this unit also provides simulating experience of having a hypothetical advisory board in writing your report as well as being a member of one for the other learners. This is an important component of this unit to develop your ability to anticipate and response to criticism while provide critical input for others. 

Required IT skills

You will need to have access to, and familiarity with using, Microsoft Word and Power Point.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None