9826 (v.5) Politics 317 - Electoral Choice and Voting Behaviour in Australia

Area:

Department of Social Sciences

Credits:

50.0

Contact Hours:

3.0

Lecture:

2 x 1 Hours Weekly

Tutorial:

1 x 1 Hours Weekly

Anti Requisite(s):

7935 (v.5) Politics 217 - Electoral Choice and Voting Behaviour in Australia

Syllabus:

Explanations of voting behaviour, factors determining electoral choice in Australia, issues in recent Australian elections, analysis of data from the Australian Election Studies and of political data from the National Social Science Survey, plus a major research paper.

Unit Outcomes:

On successful completion of this unit, students will have- Reinforced and extended their knowledge of electoral systems, party systems and their inter-relationship in Australia. A deeper understanding of political sociology and of different theories of voting behaviour. Learned about different types of voting studies and the methods they use, including the major works by Aitkin and Kemp and the Australian Election Studies. A more detailed knowledge of factors involved in the outcomes of Australian federal elections during the majority of the post-war period. Some experience in using recent data from the Australian Election Studies.

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

No prescribed references.

Unit Texts:

Bennett, S. (1996), Winning and Losing: Australian National Elections. Melbourne, Melbourne University Press. Jaensch, D. (1995), Election! How and Why Australia Votes. Melbourne, Longman Cheshire.

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Final Examination 40%, Major Essay 40%, Tutorial Essay 20%. This is by grade/mark assessment.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 1			Y
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y		Y