1 Semester (but may be taken in intensive mode)

2 Hours per Week or equivalent

Hawthorn

HAP317 Politics Project A or HAP318 Politics Project B (usually with a distinction in at least one of these).

Nil

Related Course/s:

Aims & Objectives:

The aim of this unit of study is to provide outstanding students with first-hand experience of operating in the Australian political environment. The student will develop skills in:

• Carrying out independent research.
• Evaluating evidence on topical issues impartially.
• Policy analysis.
• Managing a research project and meeting strict deadlines.

Teaching Methods:

Two hours of class contact per week plus two days per week in the host organisation. Intensive mode: five weeks of full-time work in the host organisation plus weekly consultation with supervisor.

Assessment:

Preliminary analysis and work plan, research report of 5000 words, reflective essay.

Generic Skills Outcomes:

• Graduates are capable in their chosen professional areas.
• Graduates operate effectively in work and community situations.
• Graduates are adaptable and manage change.
• Graduates are aware of environments.
• Graduates are entrepreneurial.

Content:

Before the internship commences, students will undertake a one-day orientation program in which they are required to undertake a preliminary analysis of the research question and prepare a provisional working plan for carrying out their research project. During the course of the internship, students will work under the supervision of a Swinburne Politics staff member and a senior officer of the host organisation in preparing a research report of 5,000 words.

Reading Materials:

Booth, WC, Colomb, GC & Williams, JM, The Craft of Research, 2nd edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2003.
Fenna, A, Introduction to Australian Public Policy, Longman, Melbourne, 1998.
Sodaro, MJ, Comparative Politics: A Comparative Introduction, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2001.
Windschuttle, K & Elliott, E, Writing, Researching, Communicating: Communication Skills for the Information Age, 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill Australia, 1999.