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APIOO
Australian Politics
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: nil
Assessment: by class work and essays
Subject aims and description
This subject is an introduction to Australian politics. To begin
with the subject covers the basic framework of government.
The fo~lowin-~ topics are considered: the electoral system,
the constitutional basis, federalism and the Westminster
system, parliament, cabinet and the public service, the
organisation of the main political parties, and the role and
future of minor political parties. These topics are taught at a
level which presumes no previous knowledge of Australian
politics. However, as the subject progresses students are
introduced to the broader dimensions of politics which
include the role of pressure groups, their basis of support, in
the electorate and in society at large, and their bearing on
Australian democracy.
Preliminary reading
Mayer, D.Y. Democracy in Australia. Melbourne, Dellasta, 1991
or
Jaensch, D. Parliament, Parties and People. Melbourne, Longman
Cheshire, 1991
APIOI
Foundations of Modern Politics
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: nil
Assessment: by class work and essays
Subject aims and description
Th~ subject deals with the origin and development of the
main force shaping world politics since 1945 -namely the
Cold War between the US and the USSR. It deals with their
emergence as world powers, the origin of the conflict in
post-war Europe, and follows the development of US-Soviet
relations from the Truman-Stalin era to the break-up of the
USSR in the early 1990s. Particular emphasis is placed on the
impact of the Cold War on Australia's strategic environment,
the Asia-Pacific region, and topics include the Korean,
Vietnam and Afghanistan wars.
Textbooks
LaFeber, Walter, America, Russia and the Cold Wac 1945-1992. 7th
edn, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1993
References
Ambrose, S.E., Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy Since
1938. 7th rev. edn, New York, Penguin, 1993
Nogee, J.L. and Donaldson, R.H. Soviet Foreign Policy Since World
War /I. 4th edn, New York, Macmillan, 1992
API I 2
Australian Identities
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: nil
Assessment: by essays and tutorial participation
Subject aims and description
This is the first in a sequence of Australian Studies subjects.
This subject examines the relationship between citizenship
and contemoorarv social movements. It beains with an
analysis of the coie ideas which have shap6d Australian
national identity. It goes on to explore the role of gender
identity in the emergence of contemporary feminism. This is
followed by a study of how the shared experience of work
gave rise to the labour movement, and how cultural
heritages have been politically mobilised as ethnic identities.
The subject concludes with an examination of how the
promise of formal equality underlying the nationalist idea of
common citizenship has been contested by these
contemporary social movements.
Preliminary reading
White, R. Inventing Australia: Images and Identity, 1688- 1980.
Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1981
Textbook
Whitlock, Gillian and Carter, D. (eds.), lmages of Austra1ia:An
Introductory Reader in Australian Studies, St Lucia, University of
Queensland Press, 1992.
API 14
Australia and Asia
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: nil
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and description
This subject introduces students to Australia's relations with
the nations of Asia through a series of thematic classes and
case studies. It outlines the contours of the debate
concerning Australia's place in Asia and traces the process of
foreign policy making, outlining institutional structures,
pressure groups and key concepts such as the 'national
interest'. The various elements of foreign policy are
examined -trade, defence and security, aid and political
relations. The course has a historical dimension and
highlights the ways in which policies towards specific Asian
nations have changed over time.
References
Evans, G. and Grant, B. Australia's Foreign Relations in the World of
the 1990s. Carlton, Vic.. Melbourne University Press, 1992
Garnaut, R. Australia and the Northeast Asian Ascendency Canberra,
AGPS, 1989
API 15
Introduction to Modern Asia
No. of hours per week: three hours
Prerequisites: nil
Assessment: continuous
Subject aims and descrip.tion
This subject provides an introduction to modern Asia through
the biographical/autobiographical accounts of four major
leaders who fundamentally altered the political framework of
their countries. They include Mahatma Gandhi, Mao Zedong,
Benazir Bhutto and Corazon Aquino. The course will consider
their contribution within the broader context of nationalism,
revolution and modernisation. It offers important insights into
the history, politics and culture of diverse societies in Asia.
Some of the topics covered include India's nationalist
movement, the growth of communism in China, and
democratisation in the Philippines and Pakistan.
References
Fischer, L. Gandhi. His Life and Message to the World. New York,
Penguin, 1982
Gonzalez-Yap, M. The Making of Cory Quezon City, New Day
Publishers, 1987
Lamb, C. Waiting for Allah: Pakistan's Struggle For Democrat)!
London, Penguin. 1992
Murphey, R. A. History of Asia. New York, Harper Collins, 1992