Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM158: Digital Politics and Policy

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:

Communications theory
Market developments
Twitterati and political opinion formation
Europe's Digital Single Market
Copyfighters
Telecoms and connectivity
Fintech
Global internet governance
Data protection and privacy
The dark web

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	0

...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 weekly seminars
Guided independent study	80	This includes a variety of private study tasks directed by module leader. These tasks include: reading assignments;
Guided independent study	50	conducting research, preparing the methodology, analysing qualitative texts and writing;
Guided independent study	108	preparation for and completion of: assigned essay;
Guided independent study	20	presentation;
Guided independent study	20	written paper

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
Participation in class exercises based on seminars and discussion.	Weekly attendance and participation in discussion and class exercises. Class exercises will take part in the second half of the seminar.	1-11	Feedback will be provided in a one to one meeting in the module leaders office in Week 6.

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
90	0	10

...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	70	7,000 words	1-11	Written feedback
Written seminar paper	20	2,000 words	1-11	Written feedback
Individual in-class presentation (on the same topic as the written seminar paper).	10	40 minutes	1-11	Written feedback

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 (7,000 words)	1-11	August/September reassessment period
Written Seminar Paper	Written Seminar Paper (2,000 words)	1-11	August/September reassessment period
Individual in-class presentation (on the same topic as the written seminar paper).	Presentation (on the same topic as the written seminar paper) on a one to one basis in front of the module convenor (40 minutes)	1-11	Arranged in terms with convenor.