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POLS3104 video presentation assignment
Students are asked to record an 8-10 minute video presentation using Zoom, Kaltura, PowerPoint or
Keynote (if you have a Mac) or similar software and upload it to blackboard. You should use a
webcam to record yourself speaking and should also include a minimum of three and maximum of
six slides.1 Choose one of the following topics to respond to in your presentation:
1) Groups and movements
Social movements, advocacy organisations, and interest groups are said to be influential in shaping
public opinion, election outcomes and policymaking. Hence:
Evaluate the impact that one group or movement has had in a particular democratic system. Which
strategies have they used? Why have these been effective (or not)?
The group, organisation or movement should be international or based in a country besides
Australia. They must also not be the one of the groups given close attention in lecture 8 and seminar
6 (i.e. BLM; Hong Kong democracy movement; Extinction Rebellion). Examples may include (but
are not limited to!):
• Movement for constitutional change in Chile
• School Strike for Climate
• The Yellow Vest movement in France
• The National Rifle Association in the U.S.
If you are not sure whether your chosen example is appropriate, don’t hesitate to ask.
2) Elections
Major electoral reform is difficult, but potentially significant for the function of a democratic system.
Renwick refers to New Zealand’s switch to a mixed-member proportional system in 1993 as one of
the most momentous electoral reforms in the post WWII period. Hence:
Evaluate the impact of the switch to MMP on the politics of New Zealand.
In addressing this topic, you may focus on aspects including but not limited to:
• The party system
• Control of government
• Policymaking and agenda-setting
• Voter behaviour
3) Parties
Katz & Mair (1995, p. 18) describe four models of party organisation: elite (or cadre), mass, catch-all
and cartel.
Choose a political party (from outside of Australia). Evaluate the extent to which this party exhibits
the characteristics described in Katz and Mair’s four types.
In addressing this topic, you may also consider the relationship between party organisation and party
decision-making on issues such as:
• Policymaking when in government (or policy proposals when in opposition)
• Candidate selection
• Electoral campaign strategy
1 If you have more experience in video production and editing, then you may use software such as Adobe
Premiere. However, you should still ensure that your video contains roughly the same amount of content
(charts, references to academic texts etc) that would be present in 3-6 Powerpoint slides. Note that video and
editing quality is not a key criteria for this assignment, so extra time spent on this aspect is unlikely to result in
a higher grade.