Postgraduate Module Descriptor


POLM161: Forced Migration in International Relations

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 topics:

  • The international refugee regime: emergence and evolution
  • International refugee law and refugee status determination
  • Forced migration and International Relations
  • The international refugee regime: UNHCR, international cooperation problems and the politics of humanitarianism
  • The EU dimension: the Common European Asylum System
  • Durable solutions: repatriation, resettlement and local integration
  • Internally displaced persons (IDPs)
  • Environmental displacement
  • Gender and forced migration
  • Peacebuilding, state-building, transitional justice and reparations
  • Biopolitics and refugees

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 and teaching activity2211 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study78Reading for seminars
Guided independent study200Completion of coursework

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
Individual presentations5 minutes1-7Oral 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
85015

...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
Essay554,500 words1-5, 7-8Written/oral
Book review302,500 words1-5, 7-8Written/oral
Presentation in pairs1520 minutes1-7Oral

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 (4,500 words)1-5, 7-8August/September reassessment period
Book reviewBook review (2,500 words)1-5, 7-8August/September reassessment period
Presentation in pairsShort essay (1,000 words) & presentation slides1-8August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Where you have been referred/deferred for the presentation in pair, you will individually complete a written summary of your presentation in essay form and prepare presentation slides.