Program Overview

Program Overview

The Practice of Politics is a university program focused on exploring the range and nature of jobs in politics. It aims to develop students' future capabilities and vision of who they may become, whether as practitioners or researchers.

Course Description

The program, POLITICS 315, is designed to help students develop relevant writing skills for their future careers in government and other political jobs. It uses a future-focused teaching philosophy, dedicating itself to developing students' future capabilities and vision.

Course Structure

The course is run through interactive workshops, covering three main parts:

• Working in politics: The ideal of practicing politics, political jobs, political practitioners, and the highs and lows of working in politics.
• Effective Political Practice: Practical skill training, including workplace writing.
• Ethical Political Practice: Ethical awareness, supporting diversity, dilemmas of being a government adviser, and the art of achieving change.

Assessment

Assignments in the course are designed to engage with the activities and content of the workshops and resources, and to develop students' skills in writing for the workplace. A key assessment task requires students to choose from a set of scenarios and write a memo for a Minister, offering recommendations for practice based on specified academic literature.

Assignment Task

Students are asked to write a memo for a Minister/PM, offering recommendations for practice based on a specified piece of academic literature, with added researched context, presented in a workplace report style using a set template. Scenarios include:

• Writing a memo for the Minister of Defence on condolence payments.
• Writing a memo for the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Chinas South Pacific presence.
• Writing a memo for the Minister of the Environment on deliberative democracy and freshwater governance.
• Writing a memo for the Labour Prime Minister and Labours Political Marketing.

Learning Outcomes

The program aims to develop students' awareness of cultural and ethical issues, workplace writing skills, and the ability to visualize their future careers in politics. It emphasizes the development of practical skills, ethical awareness, and the ability to apply academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Employability

The course is designed to enhance employability by providing students with authentic learning experiences that mimic the workplace. Past students have found the workplace writing and media training valuable in securing roles in government and other political jobs.

Additional Resources

The program may include additional resources such as videos featuring past students discussing the value of the course, and tips for starting out in designing authentic assessments.