Courses
HSD418
Challenges to Governance
Professor Aysnley Kellow and Professor Rod Rhodes
‘Government’ as a set of institutions is no longer synonymous with ‘government’ as a process. As a result, the term ‘governance’ is increasingly used to account for a growing number of situations where governance occurs without government. The reasons for this reflect not only a shift in the boundaries of the state, and a ‘hollowing out’ of government, but fundamental shifts in the competences of different levels of government, as local and global forces both undermine and overlay the capacity of nation-states in some areas, but strengthen the hand of nation-states in others. The increasing importance of non-governmental actors further complicates this picture. Added to this institutional complexity, the complexity of issues such as global trade and investment, climate change and other environmental risks, and reactions by those threatened or disadvantaged by these developments pose an interesting set of challenges for governance.
HSG102
Politics and Nations
Dr. Richard Ecclestone, Dr. Matthew Sussex, Dr. Terry Narramore, Professor Aysnley Kellow and Professor Rod Rhodes.
Politics and Nations provides an introduction to the central issues in global politics including the changing nature and role of the nation state and the governance structures which are evolving in response to the issues of our age, such as climate change, trans-national terrorism and global poverty. To better understand these issues the unit provides an introduction to the main approaches to international relations as well as the key ideas in political theory.
Module 1: International Relations: Approaches and Issues
This module will give students an introduction to global politics and international relations, one of the most important sub-disciplines of political science. We begin with a brief account of the key developments in world politics before introducing ideas and concepts essential to understanding international relations. We then analyse some of the most significant issues and events in contemporary global politics such as climate change, trans-national terrorism and global poverty. By linking theory and practice we can see how ideas and concepts are used and applied in the real world, and how Australia attempts to shape its position in global politics.
Module 2: Understanding Political Ideas
Module 2 provides an introduction to key ideas in political science such as social order, justice, equality, authority and freedom, ideas which remain central to both domestic and international politics in the 21st century. Having provided an overview of the key debates in political theory the module will explore their relevance to contemporary political issues such as radical protest movements and democratisation in China.
