VCE Unit 3 – 4 Global Politics 2016-2017
Frequently asked questions
The revised curriculum for VCE Global Politics Unit 3 and 4 replaces the units within
the Australian and Global Politics Study Design 2012-2017.
The revised units include some minor changes to remove ambiguity and refine concepts and
content so that the study remains relevant and applicable to contemporary influences and changes
in global politics.
In Unit 3 Area of Study 1, what is the distinction between the categories of non-state
actors?
The outcome distinguishes between non-state actors that are legal organisations such as NGO’s
and non-state actors that are global terrorist movements. Teachers may choose to do two from
legal organisations or choose one legal organisation and one global terrorist movement. However,
two global terrorist movements cannot be selected for study.
In Unit 3, Area of Study 2, students choose one Asia-Pacific state to study from the
following; Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan and United States of America. Why is
the key knowledge general and not context bound to particular states?
The key knowledge provides consistent content descriptions that can be applied equally to all
states. This allows for the analysis and evaluation of changing and emerging contemporary factors
that shape national interests, differing interpretations of national interest, changing types of power
of the state and foreign policy instruments and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the state in
achieving its national interests.
In Unit 4, Area of Study 2, students will study two of the following four
contemporary global crises: climate change, armed conflict, terrorism, economic
stability. Is the Key Knowledge the same for all crises?
Each global crisis has 4 key knowledge descriptors; the first three are common to all dealing with
cause, responses and proposed solutions and difficulty in achieving effective resolutions. The
fourth descriptor is contextualized to the particular global crisis.
Will the exam format change 2016-2017?
The exam format will remain unchanged 2016-17. In 2016, the examination will reflect changes in
the new 2016 Global Politics Study Design. There will be no changes to the examination
specifications. However, the sample examination will be updated to reflect the changes in the 2016
Global Politics Study Design. The examination specifications and the sample paper will be
republished in January 2016.
Why is the accreditation period 2016-2017?
The accreditation of Global Politics 2016-17 will bring it into alignment with the accreditation period
of the current study design for Australian and Global Politics Units 1 and 2 and Australian Politics
Unit 3 and 4 2012-2017.
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