Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM880DA: Interdisciplinarity in the Public Sphere

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The Interdisciplinarity in the public sphere module will help apprentices meet a range of skills (S5, S6, S7), knowledges (K1, K3, K5) and behaviours (B3, B5, B8, B9) implicit in the IATE Systems Thinking Practitioner standard.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of, and be able to critically analyse and evaluate, holism and systems ontologies as they pertain to the modern public sphere 2. Collect and analyse a wide range of data sources for building soft system models.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Critically explore the constellations of stakeholders in a complex problem settings. 4. Evidence a detailed and critical understanding of the systems laws as they pertain to problem-solutions 5. Reflect upon participation in, and contribution towards a collaborative inter-disciplinary problem-solving team
Personal and Key Skills	6. Demonstrate cross-disciplinary team building and problem resolution skills. 7. Critically consider the application of soft systems approaches to extant organisational challenges.

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 to support apprentices:

Gain a detailed and rich contextual understanding of inter-disciplinarity and complexity in the public sphere;
Gain an appreciation for the application of systems thinking and approaches to complex, multi-partner public challenges;
Develop an understanding of the historical and contemporary penetration of systems thinking and methodologies in the public sector and services;
Begin a process of learning about the fundamental laws of systems theory;
Gain a detailed working understanding of the soft-system methodology based on the seven-step method;
Start to develop an understanding of how and where this method might be applied in the host organisation.

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
22.5	67.5

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	22.5	Masterclasses: The masterclasses are where apprentices are given day length teaching and learning, contextualised through practical group exercises.
Guided Independent Study	67.5	Weekly study sessions A day per week spent on guided, independent, group and informational sessions to enhance, contextualise, and practice the learnings from masterclasses.

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
Group presentation	15-20 minutes (5 group members)	3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Oral

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
Applied essay	65	4000 words	1, 3, 4, 7	Written
Self-reflective report	35	2000 words	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	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
Applied essay	Applied Essay 4000 words	1, 3, 4, 7	Next re-assessment period
Self-reflective report	Self-reflective report 2000 words	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Next 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.

Checkland P, & Scholes J. (1999). Soft-System Methodology In Action. London: Wiley