Ideals, Interests and Power are central concerns in the study of Politics. This course offers you the opportunity to gain insights into these concerns. You will learn to think critically about power: what is it, and how is it allocated? How do people and countries struggle for it? What values motivate them? What are national interests? How are these interests pursued domestically and in the international arena? How ought we to organise our collective lives? You will be exposed to the discipline’s best answers to these and other questions. This course draws on Australian and international examples to help you gain an overview of ‘Who gets what, when and how’ – the fundamental questions of International and Political Studies. Students are not required to have any specific background qualifications in International and Political Studies.