Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3072F: Politics of Protest (Fieldwork)

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module provides you with the opportunity to learn about and test theories of social and political protest using data that you collect yourselves. You will learn basic quantitative data analysis skills and how to test hypotheses derived from the social movements’ literature. Your employability, verbal and oral communication and general research skills will be strengthened.  

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 Skills1. demonstrate competence in survey design and implementation;
2. use intermediate statistical techniques to analyse quantitative data using SPSS;
3. test hypotheses derived from careful reading of social movement theories;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. demonstrate the ability to effectively use analytical skills in both written and oral work;
5. appraise theories of social movements using quantitative evidence;
Personal and Key Skills6. design a survey in groups;
7. present coherent arguments;
8. demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in your written and oral work; and
9. critically apply knowledge of the research process to test hypotheses.

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
Discussion of research design with studentsInformal discussion with students on their project idea1Verbal
Workshop on survey designGroup discussion with students on ideas for survey design1,3Verbal

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
Designing and creating a survey (marks will be allocated on the basis of proven individual contributions; i.e. each student will be responsible for a battery of survey questions)20No more than 12 x A5 pages1,3,6,9Written
Review of method201,000-words1,4,7,8Written
Seminar participation 10Contribution to the 10 2-hour seminars3, 7, 8Written
Individual research project503,000-words2,5,3,7,8,9Written
0
0

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
Designing and creating a surveyDesigning and creating a short survey (2-pages of A4 per individual student)1,3,6,9August/September assessment period
Review of methodReview of method (1,000 words)1,4,7,8August/September assessment period
Individual research project Individual research project using secondary data (3,000 words)2,5,3,7,8,9August/September assessment period
Seminar participationOne-to-one viva with course convener3,7,8August/September assessment period