Postgraduate Module Descriptor


POLM156: The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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:

  • The idea of politics and the political in modern times
  • The emergence and consolidation of the nation-state as the main context for politics
  • Issues of sovereignty, democracy and governance in the nation-state context
  • Multi-level governance and the politics delegation as challenges to democratic governance
  • The crisis of representative politics and new forms of representation
  • The multicultural challenge to the nation state: how to reconcile equality and difference
  • The global challenge: mobility, borders and people in the contemporary political community
  • Global governance and cosmopolitan democracy

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
222780

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities2211 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion
Guided Independent Study155Reading
Guided Independent Study35Presentation Preparation
Guided Independent Study88Essay Writing

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

ELE - ( vle.exeter.ac.uk )

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
Short Essay600 words1-8Oral and written feedback

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
Short essays in answer to pre-set questions303,000 words1-8Written and oral comments
Essay on a chosen topic705,000 words1-8Written comments

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
Short essays in answer to pre-set questionsShort essays (on pre-set questions) 3,000 words1-8August/September reassessment Period
Essay on a chosen topicEssay (on a chosen topic) 5,000 words1-8August/September reassessment Period