ATS3705 Knowledge and power in world politics
Faculty of Arts
ATS3705 Knowledge and power in world politics is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS3705
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS3705
No unit lists ATS3705 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: ATS2705
Prerequisite: Twelve credit points of Level 2 Arts units. It is highly recommended that you only take this unit after you have completed two gateway and two cornerstone units in International Relations.
For Bachelor of International Relations - ATS1056, ATS1071, ATS1873 and ATS1945 plus 12 credit points of Level 2 Arts units.
Overview
How does power operate in world politics? What is the relationship between power and knowledge about world politics? This unit introduces you to debates in the discipline of International Relations that focus on epistemological questions (or how we know what we know). You will examine foundational, critical, post-structuralist, feminist and post-colonial approaches to knowledge and power within the discipline and explore their implications for key contemporary issues such as the rise of China and the legacies of colonialism. Contending theoretical perspectives offer different possibilities for interpreting politics and acting politically. The unit aims to develop your critical awareness of the relationship between the politics of knowledge and our options for political practice.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Theoretical analysis pitchPresentation15%
- Theoretical analysisWritten40%
- ReflectionWritten5%
- Take home final assessmentWritten40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Contextualise the discipline of International Relations within the history of the social sciences;
- 2
Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between knowledge and power and its implications for world politics;
- 3
Apply and compare diverse theoretical perspectives in order to define and analyse issues in world politics;
- 4
Demonstrate an understanding of the different possibilities for action that are enabled by contending theoretical perspectives in International Relations;
- 5
Communicate complex ideas in a manner (written and spoken) appropriate to an academic and general audience;
- 6
Demonstrate independent research skills appropriate for the capstone level.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
There are required texts for this unit. Required texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore (https://www.monash.edu/retail/books-and-merchandise-store/Textbooks) and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library (https://www.monash.edu/library).
Where it fits
ATS3705 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2025 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Bill Flanik
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Bill Flanik
- Dr Richard Fosu
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS3705?
ATS3705 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS3705 offered?
In 2025, ATS3705 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS3705?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS3705 have an exam?
No. ATS3705 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS3705?
ATS3705 is part of International relations.