James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2023

LB5243 - State Society and Governance

Subject Description

Public governance involves governments and societal interests attempting to resolve problems in the pursuit of collective goals. This subject critically interrogates state-led and society-led theories of governance. It investigates state-societal relationships in developing a robust framework for exploring governance processes and outcomes and addressing the issue of what constitutes "good" governance. The subject is designed to cater to a wide variety of student interests in different governance domains at different levels of government in the tropics and Asia Pacific.

Learning Outcomes

• Critically review and synthesize competing governance theories to develop a comprehensive framework for analyzing public governance issues
• Generate original knowledge by applying this framework to analysing complex governance issues and reflecting and applying notions of good governance
• Develop creative and effective communication strategies to effectively share knowledge, skills, ideas, and new research insights to relevant audiences
• Demonstrate a systematic investigation and critical understanding of governance concepts and theories in state led and societal organisations

Subject Assessment

• Oral > Presentation 1 - (30%) - Individual
• Written > Critical appraisal/review - (40%) - Group & Individual
• Written > Critical Analysis - (30%) - Individual

Note that minor variations might occur due to the continuous subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.

Assumed Knowledge:  Nil

Corequisites:  N/A

Inadmissible Subject Combinations:  N/A

Availabilities