Politics - Unit 1
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this unit.
Course Description
In this unit, students learn that politics is about how political actors use power to resolve issues and conflicts over how society should operate. Each area of study focuses on concepts that form essential disciplinary knowledge, and which allow students to gradually build on their understanding of what it is to think politically.
Areas of Study
Power and national political actors
- The sources of political power and legitimacy within a state.
- How political actors use power to achieve political stability and/or change within states.
- The key political actors within states and within Australia.
- How power is legitimised, distributed and used in Australia.
Power and global political actors
- Key global actors, how they use power to achieve national interests and the extent to which they can challenge sovereignty.
- The interests and perspectives of various global actors, and how these inform and shape their actions.
- Global interconnectedness’ impact on the power of global actors.,
- The political significance of global actors.
Assessment
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Outcomes
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Assessment Tasks |
| (school-assessed coursework) |
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Explain the sources of power and legitimacy of national political actors and analyse the political significance of Australian political actors’ use of power in a contested domestic political issue.
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Selected from:
- a political inquiry
- analysis and evaluation of sources
- a multimedia presentation
- a political debate
- a political simulation
- a political brief
- extended responses
- short-answer questions
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| Analyse the power, interests and perspectives of global political actors and evaluate their political significance in at least one global issue. |
As above
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Overall Final Assessment
End of Semester Examination – 1.5 hours.
Information can be obtained from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Victoria, Australia: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
