JSB178 Policy, Governance and Justice
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | JSB178 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | JSB081, JSB251,JSB271 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | $2,124 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $996 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,204 |
| International unit fee | $4,368 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | JSB178 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | JSB081, JSB251,JSB271 |
| Coordinator: | Morgan Rees | morgan.rees@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit is designed to introduce students to the practice and theorising of politics and policy making. It will provide you with a foundation to understand the people, systems and structures that influence how our government works. Understanding political dynamics and how good policy-making happens helps prepare students to work in government agencies, or to work more effectively in non-governmental roles concerning law and justice. In addition to providing a conceptual overview of the structures and functions of government, this unit introduces students to the practical elements of policy-making enabling you to develop basic political communication skills.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Identify and explain issues that relate to the development of policy by governments (CLO 1.3, 2.2)
- Describe practices for good policy making and prepare political documents (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 2.4)
- Compare and discuss the relative strengths of alternative policy solutions to policy problems (CLOs 4.2, 4.3, 5.1)
- Communicate effectively for academic and professional purposes and formats, including the use of appropriate information sources, referencing and use of professional practice skills. (CLOs 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.3).
Content
The content of this unit has both theoretical and practical elements so as to ensure that students gain both understanding and some applied skills. It pays particular attention to the legislative frameworks associated with political work and the political context of political decision-making and communication. The unit adopts a practical, real-world approach to help students develop policy analysis and writing skills, but also addresses theoretical aspects of governance, public policy and policy development practices.
- Introduction to political concepts
- Understanding and defining politics issues
- Effective writing in the public sector
- The Constitution and the role of Parliament
- Political communication
- Political context of policy making
- Policy analysis
- Political culture
- Consultation
Learning Approaches
The unit is available in internal and online mode and has a multi-faceted approach to teaching featuring the use of blended learning resources. The learning activities and tasks have been designed to support and develop student skills in all facets of the policy cycle across the community and government sector.
Canvas is a dedicated website for this unit for internal and online students. This helps you access unit materials and keep in contact with the lecturer, tutor and other students.
Internal mode
Internal mode delivery involves one-hour weekly lectures, online readings and exercises, and one-hour tutorials. You are expected to have read the weekly readings BEFORE the lecture and tutorial. Tutorials will help apply your learning to real world contexts through group activities.
Online mode
Online students will have direct contact with a dedicated online tutor. Online tutorials will follow the same schedule as internal tutorials, with activities to help apply your learning to real world contexts. Students are expected to have watched the lecture recording before tutorial.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester, which may include:
- informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
- formal: in writing, e.g. criteria sheets, written commentary
- direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
- indirect: to the whole class.
Assessment
Overview
The unit comprises both formative and summative forms of assessment. Formative assessment is part of the weekly tutorial activities for internal students and through weekly reports for online students. The feedback from tutors on these activities supports students’ successful completion of summative assessment tasks.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Political problem definition
Students will produce a political memo, in the format provided, on a current policy issue (suggestions will be provided on Canvas) from the perspective of a policy officer in a Queensland government department responsible for the issue. This memo will explore the social and political factors that have contributed to the emergence or proliferation of the problem. Students will also use this political memo to examine an example of "best practice" for addressing the problem that has been identified.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Briefing Note
Students are to write a Briefing Note, in the format provided, on the same policy issue that they explored in their problem definition (assessment one) from the perspective of a policy officer in a Queensland government department responsible for the issue. The Briefing Note should engage with the impact of the issue, suggest policy options and implementation strategies that will help alleviate the challenge, and provide suggestions for evaluating the success of the proposed recommendations.
Students will be provided with a template via the Canvas site and tutorials in the second half of the course will help students develop realistic policy recommendations for their chosen issue.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Textbook: Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2018). The Australian policy handbook : a practical guide to the policy-making process (6th edition.). Allen & Unwin.
Other readings for each week will be made available via QUT readings.
All lectures will be recorded and made available via links on the QUT Canvas site together with additional learning recourses.
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2018). The Australian policy handbook : a practical guide to the policy-making process (6th edition.). Allen & Unwin
Risk Assessment Statement
Students are advised that some content in justice units may be confronting. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Online
| Unit code: | JSB178 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | JSB081, JSB251,JSB271 |
Overview
This unit is designed to introduce students to the practice and theorising of politics and policy making. It will provide you with a foundation to understand the people, systems and structures that influence how our government works. Understanding political dynamics and how good policy-making happens helps prepare students to work in government agencies, or to work more effectively in non-governmental roles concerning law and justice. In addition to providing a conceptual overview of the structures and functions of government, this unit introduces students to the practical elements of policy-making enabling you to develop basic political communication skills.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Identify and explain issues that relate to the development of policy by governments (CLO 1.3, 2.2)
- Describe practices for good policy making and prepare political documents (CLOs 1.3, 2.1, 2.4)
- Compare and discuss the relative strengths of alternative policy solutions to policy problems (CLOs 4.2, 4.3, 5.1)
- Communicate effectively for academic and professional purposes and formats, including the use of appropriate information sources, referencing and use of professional practice skills. (CLOs 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.3).
Content
The content of this unit has both theoretical and practical elements so as to ensure that students gain both understanding and some applied skills. It pays particular attention to the legislative frameworks associated with political work and the political context of political decision-making and communication. The unit adopts a practical, real-world approach to help students develop policy analysis and writing skills, but also addresses theoretical aspects of governance, public policy and policy development practices.
- Introduction to political concepts
- Understanding and defining politics issues
- Effective writing in the public sector
- The Constitution and the role of Parliament
- Political communication
- Political context of policy making
- Policy analysis
- Political culture
- Consultation
Learning Approaches
The unit is available in internal and online mode and has a multi-faceted approach to teaching featuring the use of blended learning resources. The learning activities and tasks have been designed to support and develop student skills in all facets of the policy cycle across the community and government sector.
Canvas is a dedicated website for this unit for internal and online students. This helps you access unit materials and keep in contact with the lecturer, tutor and other students.
Internal mode
Internal mode delivery involves one-hour weekly lectures, online readings and exercises, and one-hour tutorials. You are expected to have read the weekly readings BEFORE the lecture and tutorial. Tutorials will help apply your learning to real world contexts through group activities.
Online mode
Online students will have direct contact with a dedicated online tutor. Online tutorials will follow the same schedule as internal tutorials, with activities to help apply your learning to real world contexts. Students are expected to have watched the lecture recording before tutorial.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester, which may include:
- informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
- formal: in writing, e.g. criteria sheets, written commentary
- direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
- indirect: to the whole class.
Assessment
Overview
The unit comprises both formative and summative forms of assessment. Formative assessment is part of the weekly tutorial activities for internal students and through weekly reports for online students. The feedback from tutors on these activities supports students’ successful completion of summative assessment tasks.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Political problem definition
Students will produce a political memo, in the format provided, on a current policy issue (suggestions will be provided on Canvas) from the perspective of a policy officer in a Queensland government department responsible for the issue. This memo will explore the social and political factors that have contributed to the emergence or proliferation of the problem. Students will also use this political memo to examine an example of "best practice" for addressing the problem that has been identified.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Assessment: Briefing Note
Students are to write a Briefing Note, in the format provided, on the same policy issue that they explored in their problem definition (assessment one) from the perspective of a policy officer in a Queensland government department responsible for the issue. The Briefing Note should engage with the impact of the issue, suggest policy options and implementation strategies that will help alleviate the challenge, and provide suggestions for evaluating the success of the proposed recommendations.
Students will be provided with a template via the Canvas site and tutorials in the second half of the course will help students develop realistic policy recommendations for their chosen issue.
This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Textbook: Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2018). The Australian policy handbook : a practical guide to the policy-making process (6th edition.). Allen & Unwin.
Other readings for each week will be made available via QUT readings.
All lectures will be recorded and made available via links on the QUT Canvas site together with additional learning recourses.
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2018). The Australian policy handbook : a practical guide to the policy-making process (6th edition.). Allen & Unwin
Risk Assessment Statement
Students are advised that some content in justice units may be confronting. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.