Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM155: The Politics of Populism: Domestic and global challenges

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

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 ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
22278

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities2211 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion.
Guided Independent Study100Reading
Guided Independent Study58Case study writing
Guided Independent Study40Presentation preparation
Guided Independent Study80Essay 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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Group class presentations15 minutes1-6Oral
General seminar participation and engagement in group workThroughout the course1-6Oral

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay504,000 words1-6Written and Oral
Case study exercises506 x 500 words assignments1-6Written 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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (4,000 words)1-6August/September reassessment period
Case study exercisesEssay (3,000 words) 1-6August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

No available re-assessment for the case study exercises.