Unit Outline

This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to American politics. The unit begins with an overview of United States political history, culture and institutions before focusing on the nature and impact of recent presidencies. It examines key issues which dominate contemporary US politics and provides insights into the ideas and actors which influence these debates. The unit concludes by evaluating key trends in US politics and their likely implications.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Apply knowledge of the key concepts and theories of American politics.
2.	Compare and contrast case studies related to American politics.
3.	Evaluate theories and case studies related to American politics.
4.	Communicate knowledge and research results related to the subject matter in the form of essays and face-to-face or online tutorials

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	25 credit points at Introductory level or higher
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	HSA205 AND HSA305 AND HPP215

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Major essay	Week 7	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Take-home exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Tutorial Literature Review	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Major essay

Task Description:

Answer one of the following questions
1. Do American political institutions continue to be exceptional?
2. How has the judiciary’s role in the US system of government evolved? Has the judiciary become too politicised?
3. Critically examine the sources of Congress’s power
4. Critically assess the importance of the US media to the political process in the United States
5. Critically assess the importance of political parties to the democratic process in the United States.

Task Length:

3000 words

Due Date:

Week 7 (18/Apr/2024)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	See MyLO	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Take-home exam

Task Description:

Take-home exam

Task Length:

Final exam

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	See MyLO	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Tutorial Literature Review

Task Description:

Students are required to submit three separate literature reviews of essential tutorial readings throughout the semester. Students are free to choose which week’s readings they wish to review. Each of the reviews contributes equally to the overall assessment grade. Failure to submit on time will result in a zero grade for that particular review.
The exercise should review only one article/chapter from a particular week’s readings (not a comparative exercise). This means that you will write a review of three different readings from three different tutorial weeks.
The aim of the review is to critically engage with the arguments presented in the chapter/article/op.ed. (as opposed to your personal opinion on the quality of the writing).

N.B. you must submit at least 1 critical literature review by week 4. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from the exam and failure of the unit.

Submission:
• Submission via assignment ‘dropbox’ no later than Friday, 4.00 of the corresponding tutorial week.
• Reviews submitted after Friday, 4.00 of the corresponding tutorial week will not be accepted

Reviews will be penalised 5% for every ten words under 500 words, and 5% for every ten words over 550 words

Task Length:

3 x 500-words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	See MyLO	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Cal Jillson, American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change, 11th ed. (Routledge: New York, 2021) - available as an e-book via ‘reading guide’ link