POL2000 Political and Economic Ideas

POL	2000	74136	1, 2008	EXT	Political and Economic Ideas	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOBUS
Academic org:	FOB008
Student contribution band:	1
ASCED code:	090101

Staffing
Other requisites
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Cassandra Star
Moderator: Geoff Cockfield

OTHER REQUISITES

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm

SYNOPSIS

Political and Economic Ideas (POL2000) introduces student to influential economic ideas that have shaped politics. More specifically, the course critically examines the impact of economic thinking on politics and government at different stages during the history of industrialisation. POL2000 adopts an international perspective by comparing different national interpretations of political and economic ideas both in the West, and elsewhere. The course is designed to be relevant to students from a broad range of disciplines and does not require prior knowledge of politics or economics.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item/s that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective is/are shown in parentheses after each objective. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

understand economic thinking and the way it affects politics and government (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Examination)
understand different national interpretations of political and economic ideas (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Examination)
demonstrate the capacity to critically evaluate political and economic theory through comparison and application (Assignment 2, Examination)
demonstrate the capacity to write an appropriately structured report supported by evidence and justification (Assignment 2, Examination)
demonstrate the capacity for written communication by a report using appropriate format and conventions (Assignment 2, Examination)
demonstrate information literacy by finding appropriate literature to inform and support report analysis and recommendations (Assignment 1, Assignment 2)
demonstrate the capacity to apply scholarly conventions through the appropriate use of referencing (Assignment 1, Assignment 2).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Introduction to political economy	10.00
2.	Pre-industrial political economy	10.00
3.	Early industrialisation and classical economics	25.00
4.	The post-war era and Keynesian economics	15.00
5.	The neo-liberal era	15.00
6.	Challenges to neo-liberalism	25.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Summers, J & Smith, B 2006, Communication skills handbook: how to succeed in written and oral communication, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Heywood, A 2007, Political ideologies: an introduction, 4th edn, Palgrave MacMillan, New York.

Lipson, L 1997, The great issues of politics: an introduction to political science, 10th edn, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	40.00
Directed Study	120.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description	Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1	100.00	20.00	04 Apr 2008
ASSIGNMENT 2	100.00	40.00	23 May 2008
2 HOUR EXAMINATION	100.00	40.00	END S1	(see note 1)

NOTES

1.: The examination is scheduled to be held in the end-of-semester examination period. Students will be advised of the official examination date after the timetable has been finalised.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
If you are an international student in Australia, you are advised to attend all classes at your campus. For all other students, there are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval of the examiner, then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
This is a restricted examination. Candidates are allowed access to specific materials during the examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the restricted examination for this course are English translation dictionaries (but not technical dictionaries).
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Student Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene university regulations. These regulations can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm. Students should also read the Faculty of Business Policies and Procedures which can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

1.	Assignments: (i) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner. (ii) Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This MUST be produced within 24 hours if required by the examiner. An electronic copy of assessment items may be requested. (iii) In accordance with university policy, the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances. (iv) The examiner will normally only accept assessments that have been written, typed or printed on paper-based media. (v) The examiner will not accept submission of assignments by facsimile. (vi) Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner to negotiate such special arrangements. (vii) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience.
2.	Course weightings: Course weightings of topics should not be interpreted as applying to the number of marks allocated to questions testing those topics in an examination paper.
3.	Make-up work: Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete - Make up). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non directed personal study.
4.	Deferred work: Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination); IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Internet access: Students will require access to the Internet or a library of academic standard for this course.

This version produced 27 May 2008.