POL2PID
POLITICAL IDEAS AND IDEOLOGIES
POL2PID
2018
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
A core subject for second year students undertaking a Politics major, this subject provides an overview of the ways ideology informs our political landscape. The course begins by considering the varied historical meaning of the term ideology. Following this, it examines ideals of human nature and society underpinning a number of influential ideologies. These include liberalism, neoliberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, nationalism, multiculturalism, religious fundamentalism, and ecologism. In conclusion, the subject considers the claim that the end of the Cold War heralded the 'end of ideology'. We reflect on the merits of this claim in a context of growing social fragmentation and in response to the postmodern rejection of 'grand narratives'.This subject addresses La Trobe's Sustainability Thinking Essential. Sustainability thinking entails deep appreciation of how the choices we make affect the natural, economic, social, political and cultural systems now and in the future.
SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points15
Subject Co-ordinatorGwenda Tavan
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 2 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites 15 credit points of any first year Politics subject and 15 credit points of any Humanities and Social Sciences subject, or subject coordinator's approval
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjects POL3PID
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditions Core subject at second-year level for a politics major in the Bachelor of Arts degree (ABA)
Learning resources
Readings
| Resource Type | Title | Resource Requirement | Author and Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readings | Available online | Prescribed | LMS | LMS |
| Readings | Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, 8th ed | Recommended | Ball, T., Dagger, R. O'Neil, D. (eds) | ROUTLEDGE, 2016 |
| Readings | Political Ideologies: An Introduction | Recommended | Heywood, A. | PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 2014 |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Apply political ideologies to the analysis of practical issues
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activity - Students participate in role plays during tutorials where they respond to certain issues of global significance from the perspective of sustainability. This includes issues around the environment, inequality, poverty, and free market capitalism. Assessment - in preparing the essay, students will need to reflect on the practical implications of one or more of the traditional ideologies; the exam will, in part, include questions on more recent political ideologies and the different practical problems they respond to.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
02. Demonstrate a capacity to read, interpret, and explain the ideas of a number of important political thinkers
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activity - students learn how to summarise the key ideas of theoretical texts that have informed political ideologies. They consider the practical significance of those ideas on a world stage, and the relevance they are likely to have into the future from the perspective of sustainability as the world becomes increasingly populated and interconnected. Assessment - students will summarise and evaluate the arguments of theorists in their research essay
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical problems that gave rise to the different ideologies.
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activity - students will participate in a tutorial activity that discusses a particular sustainability problem from the perspective of two or more political ideologies. Assessment - the exam will include questions on the relation between political ideologies and perceived political crises.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
04. Develop a familiarity with political ideologies, and demonstrate an understanding of their similarities and differences
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activity - students will participate in regular tutorial activities comparing and contrasting the ideas about human nature and an ideal society that characterise different political ideologies. Students are invited to consider the potential of these ideas to help us deal with contemporary and future sustainability problems. Students participate in a consolidation activity where they are quizzed on their understanding. Assessment - general familiarity with the topic and ability to revise and remember what has been learnt will be tested in an exam.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
05. Engage in critical, argumentative research on one or more of the traditional political ideologies
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activity - tutorial exercise where students prepare an essay plan for discussion in class; tutorial exercise on strategies for locating relevant research. Assessment - preparation of a critical research essay that demonstrates a sound knowledge of political ideology.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
06. Produce a group report mapping out the historical senses of ideology
- Activities:
- Teaching & learning activities - group exercise assessing a particular ideology covered in the subject; to be distributed to class for online discussion. Assessment - submission of a group report
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Teamwork including leadership and working in groups,Autonomy and independence,Ethical behaviour,Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
Subject options
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Melbourne, 2018, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorGwenda Tavan
Class requirements
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| one 1,500-word exam | This is a summative piece of assssment | 35 | 01, 02, 03, 04 |
| one 1800-word research essay | This is a summative piece of assessment. | 45 | 01, 04, 05 |
| online activities (inc group report) (equivalent to 700 words) | This is a formative piece of assessment based on individual and group performance and capabilities. | 20 | 01, 02, 03, 06 |