21184 Government and Community Sector

Subject level: Undergraduate

Handbook description

This subject familiarises students with the ways governments operate, and relations between community organisations and governments are constructed and conducted.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At completion of this subject, students will be able to understand and explain:

1. the formal structures of Government in Australia
2. what is meant by 'politics'
3. the theoretical debates over 'power' and the way the different theories affect the selection and interpretation of evidence and of policy practice
4. the way the sectors interact in practice
5. recent changes in the role of the Government in welfare, and the role of the community sector in this change
6. start considering what role you, as a community manager, might be able to play in influencing the future relationships between governments and community sectors

Contribution to graduate profile

In the subject, students will formalise and expand their knowledge of governments and the relationships between governments and community organisations. This will encompass both government regulations and government funding. Given the importance of governments to the community sector, it is appropriate to devote an entire subject to this topic.

Teaching and learning strategies

Students will learn through a combination of set readings, lectures, workshop exercises, case studies and written assignments requiring them to apply concepts to their own work environment. Where appropriate, students will also be expected to conduct their own research in order to complete set assessment tasks.

Students will be encouraged to be active rather than passive learners. Each subject will feature 3 Block sessions through the semester, which may include a selection of the following teaching and learning strategies:

• full lectures or mini lectures (possibly including guest speakers)
• large group discussion
• practical group exercises
• small group discussion
• student presentations (individual or group projects)
• workshops on specific practical skills
• role play

Students are also required to maintain a regular reading schedule which may include a textbook, a prescribed set of readings and/or some selected key references. In some subjects there will also be an expectation that students will pursue their own research in areas relevant to their assessment tasks.

Central to the teaching and learning philosophy of this subject, is the integration of work based learning through assessment tasks that require students to apply theory to practice and reflect on this process in the context of their own communities and community organisations.

Specific details of teaching and learning strategies to be used in this subject will be provided during the relevant Block sessions.

Content

• The formal structures of Australian government
• The meaning of 'politics'
• Theories on power
• The interaction of the sectors
• The debate over the incorporation of community organisations as part of the welfare state and some of the consequences for community managers

Assessment

Recommended text(s)

There is no prescribed textbook for this subject.

Indicative references

In addition to the material included in the reader for this subject, your lecturer may provide supplementary readings and/or references during the semester.