Module POC3020 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3020: The Politics of War
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
The aim of this module is to introduce you to contemporary interdisciplinary approaches war, with a particular focus on critical interventions made by scholars within the humanities and social sciences. The module will locate war within its wider social, economic and political context, encouraging a broader understanding of the causes, consequences and legacies of war. You will be introduced to a range of theoretical approaches to war, for example feminism. You will engage with a number of case studies, including: the contemporary wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Remembrance Day in Britain, the Holocaust and the protests against the Vietnam War. Cultural representations of war in art, novel, film and museums will be critically interrogated, with a focus on race, gender and class. The ultimate aim of the module is to encourage you to think critically about war-making, commemoration and militarism.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate breadth and depth in the understanding of various strands of critical thought as they have been applied to the social, political and economic legacies of war 2. demonstrate detailed and comprehensive understanding of how war has been theorized and evaluated from different critical perspectives 3. demonstrate excellence in the application of various theoretical perspectives in the analysis of concrete examples of war and its consequences |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. relate the academic study of politics to questions of public concern in order to develop well-reasoned arguments and conclusions 5. apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to offer comprehensive analysis 6. think critically and independently about events, ideas and institutions with minimal guidance |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. synthesize challenging literature and effectively articulate complex ideas in written and oral form 8. demonstrate ability to plan and undertake tasks, individually and with others, with minimum guidance, to reflect critically on the learning process and make use of feedback 9. identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance 10. design and deliver presentations to peers with minimal guidance 11. demonstrate ability to interact effectively within a team/ learning group, facilitate group discussions and to select appropriate material suitable for inclusion in discussion |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The module is taught through weekly 2 hour seminars and includes several film screenings with discussion.
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: Why study war?
War, embodiment and experience
War, culture and representation
Collective memory, ritual and politics
Militarism and big business
Industrialised warfare, masculinity and the body in the First World War
Remembrance Day and memorials after the First World War in Britain
FILM SCREENING: Saving Private Ryan
Second World War in American Film
FILM SCREENING: The Thin Red Line
Contested memories of the Second World War in Germany: Dresden
Bearing Witness and Visual Culture after the Holocaust
War and resistance in the Nuclear Age
The Vietnam War remembered
Guest lecture Dr David Jackson, former Royal Marine
British nationalism and the Falklands War
9/11, Ground Zero and the cultural history of the War on Terror
FILM SCREEING: Paradise Now
Helmetcams and media coverage of the war in Afghanistan
FILM SCREENING: The Hurt Locker
Precarious Bodies in War
Postmodern mourning and twenty first century sacrifice
Soldier testimony and anti-war resistance
Wounded veterans, rehabilitation and contemporary injury politics
Critical Reflection and Guidance for Assessment
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
...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 activities | 44 | 22 weekly seminars (2 hours each) |
| Independent Guided Study | 256 | Independent study: reading and preparing for seminars (around 5 hours per seminar); researching, planning and producing assessments (approximately 96 hours) and approximately 50 hours revising for, and undertaking, the oral examination. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interim seminar participation and self-assessment | 800 words | 1-11 | Written and verbal |
| Seminar participation | N/A ongoing throughout module | 1-11 | Verbal |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 0 | 80 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral examination | 50 | 45 minutes in pairs (approx. 23 minutes per student) | 1-7 | Written and verbal |
| Seminar participation and self-evaluation (1500 words) | 20 | Seminar participation and self-evaluation (1500 words) | 1-11 | Written and verbal |
| Group presentation and student-led seminar | 30 | 30 minutes presentation + Q & A (approx. 10 minutes per student). Student-led seminar (approx. 1 hour) | 1-11 | Written and verbal |
| 0 | ||||
| 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 assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral examination | Oral examination (individual, 20 minutes) | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Seminar participation and self-evaluation (1500 words) | Seminar participation and self-evaluation (1500 words) | 1-11 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Group presentation and student-led seminar | Individual presentation to module convenor (approx.20 minutes) | 1-11 | August/September re-assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Where work is re-assessed, students must answer different question/ discuss different topics and issues.
