Policy Advocacy is a graduate course in policy communication, requiring no specialist knowledge or experience of public policy or administration. The course forms part of the ANU Master of Public Policy degree but may be taken by students enrolled in most other master degrees. The course examines strategies and tactics used by policy advocates inside and outside government when marshalling argument and evidence to promote their preferred outcomes. The aim is not to train students in the arts of policy advocacy but to strengthen students' understanding of the nature of advocacy and of place of policy advocacy in the policy process. The course materials draw on many disciplines: history, literature, rhetoric, philosophy, as well as the contemporary social sciences, including social psychology. Examples include many Australian cases but the aim is more general: to stimulate learning about the many ways that policy advocacy shapes policy choice, especially in political systems with open forms of deliberative democracy.

Contribute to practical small-group exercises in policy advocacy

Discuss and debate the value of core readings in policy advocacy

Demonstrate analytical examination of core concepts in the field of policy advocacy

Demonstrate critical analysis of one or more selected case studies in policy advocacy

Reflect on and communicate professional and personal lessons gained in the course

Three written assignments, due at successive points over the semester. A Theory Paper of 2000 words worth 40% of the course grade: students select two or more core concepts from the Brick of readings and compare strengths and weaknesses of each concept. A Practice Paper of 2000 words worth 40% of the course grade: students apply their own choice of core concepts to their own choice of one or more case studies of real-life policy advocacy, with the aim of explaining what distinguishes effective from ineffective advocacy. A Reflective Paper of 1000 words worth 20% of the course grade: students examine their own learning outcomes from the course, taking note of the advocacy exercises, the classroom discussions and their written assignments.

30 contact hours in the lecture room. Voluntary one hour tutorials are offered each week. Students can expect to spend another three hours reading and studying the Brick each week.

Masters-level entry.

Available when enrolling.

Delivery Mode:

Full details are available on the Crawford School website on the POGO timetable. 

Innovations include the regular use of video material illustrating classic advocacy practices used by prominent public leaders. The Brick of required readings draws from many unusual sources, including classical literature such as Homer's Iliad, Thucydides History, and Aristotle's Rhetoric, before moving through outstanding social science texts in contemporary policy advocacy. There are opportunities for students to engage in practice exercises involving advocacy contests between competing small groups. The course website contains many real-life examples of prominent policy advocacy that students may use in class discussions and their assignments.

Co-teaching 

Masters Only.