Politics & International Relations discipline standards statement DRAFT AS AT 28 September 2010 Open for comment The Political Science discipline standards statement is structured as follows. Section One describes the nature and extent of the discipline. Section Two provides a brief summary of the career outcomes for which a Bachelor degree graduate with a major in Political Science would be equipped. Section Three sets out a detailed description of the threshold (core/minimum) skills, knowledge and capabilities of a Bachelor degree graduate with a major in Political Science. The statement concludes with a discussion that is intended to generate debate within APSA. Should we aim higher than these thresholds in our undergraduate majors? Can we agree on what should constitute the building blocks of an undergraduate major? 1. Nature and extent of Political Science Political Science is the study of political behaviour, governance and power. It is concerned with the interaction of interests, institutions and ideas in order to understand the authoritative allocation of resources and values, and the negotiation of conflict and difference. Political phenomena happen at all levels: local, subnational, national, regional, and global. Politics is about who gets what, when, how and why. As a sub-discipline of Political Science, International Relations shares similar concerns but its focus is on politics at the transnational or global level. The discipline of Political Science embraces a diversity of approaches and different analytical traditions. It draws on a broad range of research methods and strategies to investigate, analyse and interpret political phenomena. The qualitative methodologies practised in the discipline include textual analysis, process tracing, historical analysis, discourse analysis, structured, and semi-structured, focus groups, ethnographic techniques, action research, and case study strategies. The quantitative methodologies employed include surveys and opinion polls techniques, statistical analysis, and various forms of modelling. 2. Graduate careers 1
An undergraduate major in political science develops the ability of students to understand, investigate, and analyse political phenomena. The study of Political Science equips students with transferable generic skills in: Political and Social Analysis Policy Analysis Quantitative Research Methods Qualitative Research Methods Communication (oral and written) Problem-Solving The ability to work in teams The study of Political Science will equip students with the transferable skills for careers in areas such as: Foreign affairs Higher education International affairs International organizations Journalism Local government Media Non-governmental & community organisations Policy advocacy Policy research Political and social research Politics Public communication Public policy design & analysis Public relations & lobbying Public service Social service Speech-writing Teaching 3. Threshold Learning Outcomes Upon completion of a Bachelor degree with a major in Political Science, graduates will be able to: 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the nature and significance of politics and governance 2
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of differences in political systems and the contexts in which they operate 3. Apply concepts and theories used in the study of political science to the analysis of interests, ideas, institutions and behaviour 4. Evaluate different interpretations of political phenomena 5. Demonstrate knowledge of the different research methods used to investigate political phenomena 6. Demonstrate the capacity to use the different research methods used to investigate political phenomena 7. Demonstrate the capacity to develop evidence-based argument and evaluation 8. Gather, organise and use evidence from a variety of secondary and primary sources 9. Identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to problems 10. Communicate effectively in oral and written work 11. Recognise the importance of ethical standards of conduct in the research and analysis of politics Questions for debate within APSA We will be required by TEQSA to establish threshold standards. Can we, as the discipline association for Political Science in Australia, agree that we should aim higher in our majors, that is, to impart knowledge and skills that exceeds the threshold? Universities will have the autonomy to aim higher; ideally our discipline will have a united view about this. The second iteration of the UK benchmarking statement has both basic threshold standards and more advanced typical standards. While thresholds may be important in terms of making basic statements about disciplines and facilitating accreditation, they say very little about the quality of the education that will be delivered. Moreover, mere thresholds only hint at the more significant questions that follow on from this kind of exercise: 3
1. Does the Political Science standards statement offer a complete representation of the standards to which we aspire? 2. Are the threshold learning outcomes appropriate as minimum standards for a Bachelor graduate with a major in Political Science? 3. Can each of the 11 draft threshold learning outcomes be measured and evaluated for an internal evaluation (university level) or an external agency such as TEQSA? 4. What kind of curriculum is required to deliver on these learning outcomes? 5. What forms of student assessment are required to ascertain the extent to which outcomes have been achieved? Benchmark statements will not be required to prescribe curriculum but could we agree as a discipline association on certain threshold requirements for the design of the undergraduate majors in political science? It is widely agreed that good curriculum should include the following components: 1. Introduction to the discipline 2. Progression from first to second to third year 3. Introduction to the core theories of the discipline 4. Introduction to the core methodologies of the discipline 5. A capstone experience that consolidates, reinforces and extends learning Other social sciences are prescriptive in their approach to curriculum development. The same is true of political science curriculum in many of the world s leading universities. An exercise in curriculum mapping can help our political science colleagues in their own processes of curriculum development. Moreover, it can enable them to think about what they do differently and why. In terms specific to our discipline, an undergraduate major that incorporated these elements might look like this: 1 st year Introducing Introduction to the Discipline (What is Political Science, its core theories and methods and what distinguishes from other disciplines); Theory (either historical or in the form of political ideas/ideologies), Introduction to Australian Politics, Introduction to International Relations. This could be done through a traditional Politics 101 subject but there may be various institutional pressures which make such a subject unworkable. In most cases then, a small number of focused first year subjects on the basic building blocks of political science will be appropriate. 2 nd year Broadening 4
More advanced theory, public policy, comparative politics, International relations theory, international organisation, foreign policy, gender, political economy as well as specific issues such as the environment, indigenous politics, introductory research methods. 3 rd year Deepening Advanced and applied theory, specific country or regional specialities including more advanced comparative/international analysis, advanced research methods, capstone experience (which could include an internship or a group project). An alternative or complementary approach is to require students to study core components in: Australian Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Research Methods, Comparative Politics, and Public Policy, with the rest of the major augmented by electives. 5