Module POLM503 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
POLM503: Foreign Policy Decision-Making
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module will aim to:
- To introduce you to key concepts in political psychology and rational choice theory.
- Apply these concepts to contemporary international issues.
- Provide you with an understanding of the psychological opportunities and barriers faced by key decision-makers, as well as how employing a rational choice framework can help governments design effective policies.
- Provide you a dynamic learning environment.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the effects of psychological factors in foreign policy and international relations and basic concepts from rational choice theory 2. Use substantive and methodological tools of analysis to critically interpret current global challenges |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Critically analyse empirical and theoretical material 4. Synthesize competing theories in order to apply them to novel social science problems |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Self-organization under time pressure 6. Demonstrate critical thinking skills, particularly as they relate to evaluate empirical evidence |
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:
- introduction to key psychological concepts in foreign policy and international relations,
- decision-making models,
- decision-making in times of crisis,
- introduction to rational choice theory,
- strategies for political leaders across different regime types,
- the role of public opinion and leader motivations in coercive foreign policies.
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 Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars. These will primarily consist of guided discussions where topics can be explored further through debate. |
| Guided Independent Study | 66 | Reading texts for class |
| Guided Independent Study | 37 | Preparing questions and answers based on weekly readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 45 | Preparing small group op-ed |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Essay preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Preparation for and completion of written take-home assignment |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Other Learning Resources
Other materials and resources will be identified by the module convener in lectures and/or via ELE.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay Plan | 1,000 word essay plan, outlining research question, structure, and methods for final essay | 1-6 | Written |
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 | 60 | 5,000 word essay | 1-6 | Written |
| Small group op-ed (2-4 students) | 40 | Written document (1,500 words) | 1-6 | Written |
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 | 5,000 word essay | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Small group op-ed | Individually authored 1,500 word op-ed | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science Rose McDermott (2004)
Jack S. Levy. 1997. "Prospect Theory, Rational Choice, and International Relations." International Studies Quarterly 41, 1 (March), 87-113
Lake, David, and Robert Powell, “International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach” (1999) Princeton University Press. Chapter One: International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach David A. Lake and Robert Powell 3-38
Thomson, Catarina. “Public support for Economic and Military Coercion and Audience Costs” (2016) British Journal of Politics and International Relations” Vol 18 (2): 407–421
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, “Testing Novel Implications from the Selectorate Theory of War,” World Politics 56(3) 2004 368-388.
Geddes, Barbara, “What do we know about democratization after Twenty Years?”, Annual Review of Political Science 1999 2:115-44.
Pape, Robert. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political Science Review 97(3), 343-361.
Baum, Matthew A. and Philip B. K. Potter. 2008. “The Relationship Between Mass Media, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis.” Annual Review of Political Science 91-109.
