Course Title: Justice Management Policy (Public Policy and Cultural Diversity)

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Justice Management Policy (Public Policy and Cultural Diversity)

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

POLI1067

City Campus

Undergraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012

POLI1073

City Campus

Postgraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006

Course Coordinator: Una Stone

Course Coordinator Phone: +(61 3) 9925 2799

Course Coordinator Email: una.stone@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 37.4.20


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

Public policy shapes our everyday lives by establishing rules and procedures that govern how we interact in society. In its simplest form, the study of policy making involves identifying and examining what governments do, how, why and with what effect. However, closer inspection reveals that the development of policy is much more complex and entails considerable debate, negotiation, bargaining and power dynamics. This is because public policy is about competing ideas values, interests and culture. Individual and societal attitudes towards drugs, for example, will influence whether policies emphasise law and order or harm minimisation.

This course is a fundamental component of the Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice Administration) program, and is designed to develop conceptual and practical skills and knowledge in understanding and analysing public policy processes.  Through this course you will have the opportunity to learn about the impact of changing political, economic, professional and societal trends on public policy development and delivery. The course will identify the practical implications of these trends by exploring ‘real world’ case studies. You will also develop competencies in implementing and monitoring environmental policies as they apply to occupational health and safety.

This course also introduces students to contemporary developments, concepts and practices that have shaped the way in which programs and policies are evaluated.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to evaluation and how they are applied in different contexts. Ethical issues and standards of evaluation practice will be covered, as well as consideration of the politics, utilisation and impact of evaluation


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

At the completion of this course it is anticipated that you will have gained:

OHS competencies related to the management of OHS include:

  • Contribute to the implementation of information and data systems
  • Contirbute to the implementation of OHS strategies, systems and plans
  • Support integration of OHS within the overall management approach
  • Identify OHS implications or proposed changes to the workplace and provide advice regarding these changes
  • Identify implications of all sources of change to managing OHS and provide advice regarding these changes
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the approach to managing OHS

OHS competencies related to implementation and monitoring of environment policies include:

  • provide information to the work team;
  • implement and monitor operational procedures;
  • implement and monitor change and continuous improvement;
  • implement and monitor recording procedures; and
  • implement and monitor an environmental management training program.


At the completion of this course it is anticipated that you will:

  • Understand the significant role that public policy plays in shaping everyday life;
  • Understand and be able to critique the key theories, models, concepts and processes in policy development, implementation and evaluation;
  • Demonstrate capacity to apply relevant learning to areas of professional interest;
  • Demonstrate an ability to describe a wide range of models of evaluation and discuss their benefits and limitations for different situations;
  • Demonstrate an ability to research and utilise public policy literature to explain and critically assess a policy intervention; both orally and in writing; and
  • Be aware of emerging trends and directions in modern government and public policy.


Overview of Learning Activities

A range of learning experiences are planned including lectures, guest seminars, problem solving exercises, group presentations and group debates.


Overview of Learning Resources

The resources for this course comprise lecture materials and handouts, tutorial readings and a prescribed text which you will be notified of in the first class of the semester

You will be expected to read widely, particularly when completing assessment tasks, as the prescribed text only provides an introductory overview of topic areas. Some further useful references will be provided. You will need to spend considerable time collecting resources from the library and on-line electronic journal databases.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment in this course focuses on your ability to synthesis and present knowledge about the nature, process and challenges of developing public policy through the use of contemporary examples. This will mainly occur through written assignments and oral presentations. A detailed assessment task sheet will be provided in the first class of the semester and there will be opportunities throughout the course to clarify and discuss assessment tasks with your tutor and lecturer.