Please note - Swinburne University of Technology

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AP~OO Public Policy in Australia
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: AP100 or equivalent, two stage two
political studies subjects
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
In this subject the decision and policy-making structures and
processes of the Australian Federal Government are
examined. While the focus is on the Federal Government,
other institutions and actors in the policy process will also,
where necessary, be examined. This could include state
government, business and labour organisations, and other
interest and pressure groups. The approach to the study of
the decision and policy-making process is through a critical
evaluation of the performance and programs of the Hawke
and Keating Labor Governments.
There are lectures and workshops dealing with selected
areas of labor government policy. Students are able to
specialise in an area of government policy and are asked to
submit a policy case study at the end of the semester.
Textbook
Davis, G., Wanna, J.. Warhurst, J. and Weller, D. Public &/icy in
Australia. 2nd ed, St. Leonards: Allen & Unwin, 1993
Reference
Gruen, F. and Grattan, M. Managing Government Labor's
Achievements and Failures Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1993
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SL ~ ~ 3 0 3 Politics of the USSR
(Not offered in 1994)
$
(This subject cannot be taken by students who
have passed AP302 Comparative Politics The
Soviet Union)
No. of houn per week: three houn
Prerequisites: two stage two political studies
su bjects
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
This subject introduces students to the political history of the
Soviet Union from 1924 to the Gorbachev era. It looks at
the decision to collectivise agriculture and embark on a
crash programme of industrialisation in the late 1920s as the
key for understanding Stalin's rise to power and the
establishment of his dictatorship. The political economy of
the stalinist system in the 1940s and 1950s is examined with
the aim of providing a framework for understanding
subsequent attempts at economic and political reform.
Krushchev's rise to power is considered and the limitations
of his populist approach to reform examined. The ousting of
Khrushchev and the establishment in power of Brezhnev is
interpretated as a victory for the party apparatus and the
consolidation of a conservative bureaucratic dictatorship. The
failure of the reforms under Andropov provides the context
for understanding the radicalisation of the Gorbachw reform
agenda. The policies of glasnost and perestroika are
interpreted as a response to the failure of Andropov's
technocratic economic reforms. The priority given by
Gorbachev to democratic political reforms provides a basis
for understanding his loss of the political agenda and the
consequent collapse of the Soviet Union as a communist
state.
References
Hosking, G. A History of the Soviet Union. Rwised edition. London:
Fontana Press. 1990
Schmidt-Haeuer, C. Gorbachev: The Path to fuwer. London: Pan
Books, 1986
AP304 Japan in Asia
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two stage two political studies
subjects
Assessment: by seminar participation and papers
Subject aims and description
A study of Japan's involvement in south-east and east Asia
since 1952. Students will be required to investigate Japan's
relationship with one nation and to examine the
ramifications of Japan's expanding role and influence in the
Asia-Pacific region and the implications of the emerging
patterns of political relationships, investment, aid and trade.
AP308 Seminar in Political Studies
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two stage two political studies
subjects
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
A series of advanced seminars on contemporary issues or an
intensive study of a specific topic in political studies.
The topics to be offered are specific illustrations of one or
more of the following broad themes within political studies:
the politics of modern industrial society, social and political
change in Asia, and the political economy of underdevelopment.
These seminars include considerations of the
methodological questions involved.
In 1994 the subject will be devoted to the study of political
elites in Australia.
AP311 Politics of China B
(This subject cannot be taken by students who
have passed AP310 Politics of China B)
No. of hours per week: three houn
Prerequisites: two stage two political studies
subjects. AP206 is highly recommended. Students
who have not passed this subject are advised to
consult with the course convenor before enrolling
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
By means of detailed case studies in Chinese foreign policy,
this subject aims to develop and explore ways of interpreting
and understanding the People's Republic of China's
relationships with other countries since 1949. The focus is
on countries within the Asian region, including Australia,
and the United States. On the basis of some appreciation of
the issues and problems in domestic politics, topics will
include Maoist foreign policy, international relations, an
examination of the value of cultural and technological
exchanges with developed countries and China's current
"open door" policy.
References
Klintworth, G. China's Modemisation: The Strategic implications for
the Asia-Pacific Region. Canberra: AGPS. 1989
Yahuda, M. Towards the End of Isolationism: Chinair Foreign &/icy
After Mao. London: Macrnillan, 1983
AP3 12 Problems of Contemporary South-East
Asia
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: two stage tuno political studies
subjects. AP104 Australia and South-East Asia is
highly recommended
Assessment: class participation, a short seminar
and a final paper of 3,000 words
Subject aims and description
This subject provides an understanding of the problems of
countries in Australia's region, and the background from