College of Social Sciences and International Studies
Electoral Politics
Module POL2127 for 2022/3
Module POL2127 for 2022/3
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2127: Electoral Politics
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Module Aims
Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. Candidates and parties offer competing views of how government should function and what policies should be enacted, and then voters get to choose between these competing visions. Yet, this process of turning voter preferences into political outcomes is not always straightforward. This module aims to:
- Improve understanding of how electoral politics and electoral process shape outcomes such as who gets elected and how governments form.
- Examine how the “fundamentals” such as economic performance affect candidate performance.
- Assess whether or not campaigns have a significant effect on election outcomes (i.e., how much do campaigns actually influence decisions of whether or not to vote, or who to vote for).
- Examine the role of media and advertising in elections (including the role of new and social media).
- Appreciate different and competing theories of voting behaviour.
- Understand the process for recruiting candidates to run for office, with a particular focus on who is encouraged/recruited to run.
- Examine interventions that increase voter turnout and other forms of political participation.
- Promote improved critical thinking to analyse news events and issues related to elections in the UK and abroad.
- Promote understanding of the definition and use of predictive social science models.
- Improve your ability to critically analyse texts and to communicate effectively.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge of electoral politics processes and institutions, and how these differ across different national contexts 2. Appreciate the role of voters, campaigns, candidates, media, and context play in affecting electoral outcomes |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Explain in a critical way how institutions and preferences combine to produce outcomes 4. Demonstrate understanding of the definition and use of predictive social science models |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Demonstrate critical thinking skills, particularly as they relate to evaluating empirical (quantitative) evidence; 6. Demonstrate the ability to work independently within a limited time frame to complete a specified task 7. Demonstrate writing skills and/or other presentation skills to facilitate more powerful communication |