Module POLM155 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM155: The Politics of Populism: Domestic and global challenges
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
The aims of this module are to provide you with a detailed examination of the relation of mutual influence between mainstream and populist political parties. It will examine in detail the role that mainstream political parties have played in the rise of populist parties and discourses and, in turn, the impact of populist parties and discourses on mainstream domestic and foreign policy decision-making. Key case studies will include the impact of far right parties on immigration policy in the EU, the deconstruction of democratic institutions by populists in power in Central Eastern Europe, the foreign policy of Donald Trump, the causes of Brexit, or alliances between mainstream and populist parties in continental Europe. If you take this module and fully participate you will leave with a grasp of key debates in populism studies, and knowledge of historical and contemporary trends in the relationship between populism and contemporary politics.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the role of mainstream parties in the success of populist appeals, and the impact of populist parties on mainstream politics. 2. Gain expertise on populist politics in a specific country, and systematically put this knowledge in comparative perspective. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive understanding of contemporary debates in the field of populism studies. 4. Critically apply the comparative method to the analysis of populist developments in contemporary democracies. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. Conduct independent research and exercise critical reasoning in weighing academic arguments. 6. Demonstrate substantive analytical capacity and structure in written and oral expression. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics.
- The first few classes provide the conceptual basis for the rest of the course. Drawing on contemporary political theory and the history of political ideas, they place the evolving meaning of key concepts such as "The People" and populism, the Left/Right divide, the fringe/mainstream dichotomy and differences between democracy and authoritarianism in historical perspective.
- The second part of the module focuses on trends in the rise of the populist claims and parties over the past few decades in the West. It will provide an overview of these trends, focusing especially on the evolving relationship between mainstream and populist political parties over the last decades. The agency of mainstream parties and their impact on populist success will especially be examined
- The last section of the course will turn to the consequences of radical right populism for both domestic and foreign policy in Europe and the United States.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
22 | 278 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion. |
Guided Independent Study | 100 | Reading |
Guided Independent Study | 58 | Case study writing |
Guided Independent Study | 40 | Presentation preparation |
Guided Independent Study | 80 | Essay writing |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Group class presentations | 15 minutes | 1-6 | Oral |
General seminar participation and engagement in group work | Throughout the course | 1-6 | Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 50 | 4,000 words | 1-6 | Written and Oral |
Case study exercises | 50 | 6 x 500 words assignments | 1-6 | Written and Oral |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Essay (4,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Case study exercises | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
No available re-assessment for the case study exercises.