AIP785 - Political Competition: Rules, Actors and Dynamics
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 3: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 3: Evan Joymas |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | AIP784 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-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
How should we understand the competition to control a state and its powers? This unit gives students a comprehensive introduction to political competition through constitutions (the rules of political competition), political parties (the main actors in political competition) and party systems (the dynamics of political competition). Students will explore how and why competition in politics is distinctive by comparing it to market competition in the economy. The unit’s central focus is the comparison of competition in two-party systems (such as the United States), multiparty systems (Germany) and single-party systems (China). Students will learn about how party system types set the context for governance and how they emerge and are maintained as a result of a country’s constitutional structures. They will learn how to identify and interpret party system change. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the value and limitations of the frameworks that have been used by political scientists and constitutional scholars to study political competition.
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 | Identify the responsibilities and functions of the key institutions which constitute the Australian political system, with particular emphasis on the executive arm of government and parliament and their inter-relationship | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication |
| ULO2 | Identify and explain the scrutiny and legislative functions of parliament, together with the associated processes, and assess critically the challenges and outcomes as far as these functions are concerned | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO3 | Identify the various parliamentary committees and their roles, explain associated processes, and with the aid of comparative studies assess critically their efficacy | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO4 | Demonstrate the ability to independently draw together conceptual and empirical materials in an analytic and insightful way, in order to identify an appropriate solution on an issue relating to Australia’s parliamentary system | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Essay | 2000 words or equivalent | 40% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 2: Essay | 3000 words or equivalent | 60% | Information not yet available |
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
The texts and reading list for AIP785 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
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.