ALR214 - Lobbying and Advocacy
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Deirdre Quinn-Allan |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | ALR383 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit is about public affairs strategy and tactics to influence government. In a representative democracy like Australia, public interest may be understood as a guiding principle in shaping government policy. However, the concept of the "public interest" tends to obscure the role of power dynamics and media influence. Building on these ideas, this unit examines the field of public affairs and the use of lobbying and advocacy by nonprofit, corporate, and governmental sectors to mould public opinion and influence government policies to their advantage. The unit explores ways in which public affairs sometimes supports positive policy outcomes, while at other times, it may drive harmful policies that are not in the public interest.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Analyse the relationship between issues management, policy, and public opinion formation within the context of lobbying and advocacy | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Research and analyse an issue impacted by government decision-making from an organisational and stakeholder perspective | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
| ULO3 | Work as an effective member of team using online means to plan, contribute to, and edit a lobbying project to a professional standard | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO3: Digital literacy GLO7: Teamwork |
| ULO4 | Apply principles of ethical lobbying and advocacy to plan a persuasive lobbying and advocacy strategy | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
Assessment
Trimester 1:| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: (Group) Background Briefing | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Week 5 |
| Assessment 2: Lobbying and Advocacy Strategy | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | Week 11 |
| Assessment 3: Online exercises | 800 words or equivalent | 20% | Part A: week 6 Part B: week 10 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
ALR214 Lobbying, Advocacy and Public Opinion has weekly study guide topics on the unit site. Links to readings and resources are located within the study guide topics. Commence each week’s topic via the study guide. Whilst many readings and resources can be found via the University Library via ALR214 link, you should not rely on this list as you may miss learning activities and resources central to assessment.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.