Bachelor of International Relations and Political Science (Honours) - 4 years

The Bachelor of International Relations and Political Science (Honours) requires four years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time).

The course is offered by the College of Business, Government and Law.

• Admission requirements
• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Program of study

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.

Course aims

This course aims to:

• support students to develop a comprehensive grounding in the core political science disciplines of international relations, politics and public policy – including the capacity to utilise analytical frameworks
• provide students with an understanding of Australia’s political system and its place within the regional and global context
• prepare students for the workplace and/or further study by supporting them to develop academic and professional competencies in the field of international relations and politics and public policy
• provide students with transferable workplace-related skills and experiences

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course you will be able to:

• formulate a sophisticated understanding of the central analytical concepts within the disciplines of politics, public policy and international relations
• assess issues in international and domestic political contexts using specialist theoretical knowledge
• formulate analysis through effective and efficient communication across different audiences using different media
• evaluate and formulate policies, provide policy and political advice and analysis, and undertake research in the fields of political science and international relations and/or in pursuing further studies
• explain critical and logical reasoning when making independent, informed, evidence-based judgments
• determine effective ways of working independently and as a valuable member of a team, adapting to challenges in different workplace environments with confidence in professional and culturally aware ways

Program of study

To qualify for the Bachelor of International Relations and Political Science (Honours),  a student must complete 144 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below. Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Students achieving a GPA of at least 5 at the end of third year will be eligible to continue into the fourth year of the course. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements will be able to exit with the Bachelor of International Relations and Political Science on completion of 108 units according to the first three years of study in the degree.

Core - Year 1 topics

27 units comprising:

COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication (4.5 units)¹
GOVT1001 Fundamentals of Public Policy (4.5 units)
GOVT1003 Revolutionary Ideas: Political & Economic (4.5 units)
INNO1001 Innovative and Creative Thinking: Recognising Opportunities (4.5 units)
INTR1006 International Relations: An Introduction (4.5 units)
POLI1003 An Introduction to Democracy and Government (4.5 units)

Option - Year 1 topics

Plus 9 units chosen from the following:

AMST1002  America and the World: The United States in a Global Context  (4.5 units)
GOVT1002 Political Change in Australia (4.5 units)
INTR1102 Modern Asia since 1945  (4.5 units)
4.5 units of elective topics³

Core - Year 2 topics

22.5 units comprising:

AMST2002 American Politics (4.5 units)
GOVT2001 Nationalism, Populism & Democracy (4.5 units)
GOVT2003 The International Political System (4.5 units)
POLI2011 Australian Public Policy: Policy Design (4.5 units)
POLI2026 Research Methods in Political Science (4.5 units)

Option - Year 2 topics

Plus 13.5 units chosen from the following²:

INTR2005 The Next Superpower? The Rise of China in the 21st Century (4.5 units)
INTR2006 Debating Human Rights (4.5 units)
INTR2100 Reimagining the Global South (4.5 units)
POLI2002 Government Business and Society (4.5 units)
POLI2005 Politics of the European Union (4.5 units)
POLI2019 Parties, Voting Behaviour and Elections in Australia (4.5 units)
POLI2020 Australian Indigenous Politics (4.5 units)
4.5 units of elective topics³

Core - Year 3 topics

18 units comprising:

GOVT3001 Critical Approaches to International Relations (4.5 units)
GOVT3002 Digital Governance, Cyber Security & the Future of Democracy (4.5 units)
GOVT3004 Capstone: Global Challenges and Political Change (4.5 units)
INTR3001  Australian Foreign Policy  (4.5 units)

Option - Year 3 topics

Plus 18 units chosen from the following:

AMST3013 The Alliance and the Re-Emergence of China (4.5 units)
AMST3015 Internship: United States Consulate (Melbourne) (4.5 units)
AMST3016 Internship Program: Washington DC (9 units)
GOVT3003 Debates in Public Policy (4.5 units)
GOVT3005 International Relations and Political Science Practicum (4.5 units)
INTR3006 The Rise of the Indo-Pacific (4.5 units)
INTR3101 Global Inequality (4.5 units)
INTR3104 Global Workplace (4.5 units)
POLI3007 South Australian Parliamentary Internship (9 units)
POLI3068 Environmental Politics (4.5 units)
POLI3069 The Politics of the Australian Welfare State (4.5 units)
4.5 units of elective topics³

Core - Year 4 topics

27 units comprising:

BUSN7050 Research Methods (4.5 units)
INTR7017 From Topic to Thesis: Honours Workshop (4.5 units)
INTR7015A Honours Thesis (4.5/18)
INTR7015B Honours Thesis (4.5/18)
INTR7015C Honours Thesis (4.5/18)
INTR7015D Honours Thesis (4.5/18)   

Option - Year 4 topics

Plus 9 units chosen from the following⁴:

AMST7016 Honours Internship Program: Washington DC  (9 units)⁵
INTR7001  Honours Individual Supervised Study  (4.5 units)
INTR7002 Debating International Relations (9 units)
POLI7004 The Politics of Climate Change (4.5 units)
POLI7010 South Australian Cabinet Office Internship (9 units)
POLI7011 Honours Individual Supervised Study (4.5 units)
POLI7012 Parliamentary Internship (4.5 units)⁶

Course Rule notes

1.     Under certain conditions the core topic COMS1001 may be replaced with an alternative topic. See COMS1001 for further details.

2.     Students opting to study a language may substitute language topics for up to 9 units of option topics at each year level. To take up this option, students should refer to the Language minors and majors listed within the Course Rule for the Bachelor of Arts

Additionally, students may substitute out the required number of option topics at each year level to complete a recognised minor or major sequence in a cognate discipline (for example, History, Sociology, Criminology, Geography and Environmental Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, etc). To take up this option, students should refer to the minors and majors listed within the Course Rule for the Bachelor of Arts

3.     Electives may be selected from any topic offered by the University that is aligned with a student’s year of study (e.g. a level 3 topic for a student in the third year of the degree), provided entry and course requirements are met.

4.     With the permission of the Topic Coordinator and the Honours Coordinator, students may undertake up to 9 units of postgraduate topics from the INTR topics and POAD topics, with no more than 4.5 units at Level 9

5.     AMST7016  Honours Internship Program: Washington DC  (9 units) may not be undertaken if  AMST3016  Internship Program: Washington DC  (9 units) has been completed

6.     POLI7012  Parliamentary Internship (4.5 units) may not be undertaken if POLI3007  South Australian Parliamentary Internship  (9 units) has been completed