Unit rationale, description and aim
Governments have always kept secrets. For reasons of security and political necessity, it is generally accepted that certain kinds of information will remain ‘classified’. But practices of state secrecy and transparency continue to be debated. How much can and should governments withhold? How does secrecy impact trust in political institutions? How and when are secret institutions held accountable?
Drawing on a range of case studies from authoritarian and democratic regimes, this unit explores how governments have managed secrecy and intelligence work, such as espionage and surveillance, throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and how citizens have responded. Students engage with a variety of intelligence-related sources – particularly formerly classified materials – learning to read carefully and critically, to think and debate in a data-scarce environment. They investigate significant topics and people, analysing the impacts of secrecy and revelation on both communities and institutions.
The aim of the unit is to examine critically practices of state secrecy relating to national security across a variety of contexts, determining their political roles, dangers, and necessities for both governments and individuals. The unit also aims to develop foundational skills in critical reading, research, and constructing evidence-based arguments, preparing students for future and more advanced units.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from 糖心原创 with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Explain theoretical knowledge and factual examples...
Learning Outcome 01
Locate and interpret primary and secondary sources...
Learning Outcome 02
Critically examine ethical and political dilemmas ...
Learning Outcome 03
Construct evidence-based narratives or arguments w...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics may include:
- Theoretical frameworks of secrecy and authority
- State surveillance
- Informants and infiltration
- Domestic and international espionage
- Terrorism and counterterrorism
- Covert operations and debates about “enhanced” interrogation
- Whistleblowers and investigative journalism
- Accountability, legal protections, judicial approaches, and oversight
- Public inquiries and reforms of government secrecy
- Data collection and security
- Representations of classified work in popular culture
- Classified documents, redaction, and the politics of revelation
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks develop students’ research and critical thinking skills, while addressing unit learning outcomes. Three graded tasks progressively build capabilities.
Assessment Task 1: (Research Task) introduces foundational skills in locating and interpreting sources, enabling students to investigate secrecy and intelligence work through guided research. It scaffolds ethical and responsible use of GenAI (where relevant) and provides structured practice in research and reading.
Assessment Task 2: (Analysis Task) extends these skills, requiring analysis and synthesis of complex, often incomplete, sources on secrecy and intelligence work. Students develop evidence-based arguments based on critical reading, demonstrating deeper understanding of contextualisation and the political and ethical dilemmas surrounding clandestine activities.
Assessment Task 3: (Exam) provides authentic and secure assessment conditions where students apply key concepts, knowledge and skills through analysis of unseen sources. This task requires independent application of learned skills, ensuring genuine competency development.
Together, these assessments move from guided practice to independent application, incorporating academic research, writing, and critical reading across varied formats. They balance individual skill development with collaborative learning and maintain academic integrity through varied assessment modes that support different learning needs and career pathways.
To pass the unit, students must achieve an overall grade of 50% or higher.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Research Task The purpose of ...
Assessment Task 1: Research Task
The purpose of this task is for students to develop skills in identifying and reading primary and secondary sources related to practices of state secrecy and intelligence work. With scaffolding, students will locate sources in a data-scarce environment, interpret their contents, and explain their utility and limitations for investigating their chosen topic. Students may be directed to present their research in oral, written, or visual formats, depending on the instruction mode and at the teaching team’s discretion. Skills and content generated in this task will prepare students for the analysis task.
25%
Assessment Task 2: Analysis Task The purpose of ...
Assessment Task 2: Analysis Task
The purpose of this task is for students to demonstrate writing and analytical skills, producing an evidence-based argument that displays critical reading and an awareness of ethical and political dilemmas regarding practices of state secrecy and intelligence work. Students will use research conducted during Assessment Task 1 to build an argument regarding their chosen topic and reflect on the complexities of researching secrecy and clandestine activities.
45%
Assessment Task 3: Examination The purpose of th...
Assessment Task 3: Examination
The purpose of this secure exam is for students to apply knowledge and skills developed throughout the unit to a previously unseen text, demonstrating evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking regarding key ethical and political dilemmas. Students may be directed to present their response in oral or written format, depending on the instruction mode and at the teaching team’s discretion.
30%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit’s pedagogical approach is student-centred, combining multiple learning formats to support diverse learning needs: lectures introduce key concepts and contexts; small-group tutorials facilitate in-depth discussion, analysis, and skill development; guided reading develops critical thinking skills; collaborative activities build teamwork and communication abilities; digital research workshops teach essential archival and database skills; and progressive assessments build from foundational source location and interpretation to independent analysis and synthesis.
Multimode offerings of this unit engage students in active learning through in-class activities involving discussion and hands-on research. Students learn how to read and use difficult, often incomplete, materials to understand clandestine activities, exploring the techniques that scholars use to investigate practices of government secrecy and their impacts over time. Topics are presented chronologically but structured around case studies, allowing students to learn about, then independently investigate, the lives of individuals and communities as well as institutions.
Fully online offerings of this unit engage students in active learning with collaborative online activities. Students form an online community where they share ideas about critically reading and interpreting difficult, redacted source materials. Online activities then guide students in applying these skills through independent investigations of individuals and communities.