Module POC3072F for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3072F: Politics of Protest (Fieldwork)
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 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.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. 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 Skills | 4. 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 Skills | 6. 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. |
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:
1. Measuring social movement dynamics
2. Old and new social movements compared
3. Structural and biographic availability
4. Emotions and motivations
5. Protest as anti-politics
6. Survey design
7. Entering and cleaning data in SPSS
8. Assumptions of parametric data
9. Measures of association
10. Basic regression
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 122 | 0 |
...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 | 5 | 5 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 5 | 5 x 1 hour seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 10 | 5 x 2 hour computer workshops |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 3 | Group survey design workshop |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 5 (plus travel time) | Field trip for data collection |
| Guided Independent study | 43 | Private study: reading material set on reading list |
| Guided Independent study | 15 | Preparing review of method |
| Guided Independent study | 64 | Preparing research report |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussion of research design with students | Informal discussion with students on their project idea | 1 | Verbal |
| Workshop on survey design | Group discussion with students on ideas for survey design | 1,3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 20 | No more than 12 x A5 pages | 1,3,6,9 | Written |
| Review of method | 20 | 1,000-words | 1,4,7,8 | Written |
| Seminar participation | 10 | Contribution to the 10 2-hour seminars | 3, 7, 8 | Written |
| Individual research project | 50 | 3,000-words | 2,5,3,7,8,9 | Written |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designing and creating a survey | Designing and creating a short survey (2-pages of A4 per individual student) | 1,3,6,9 | August/September assessment period |
| Review of method | Review of method (1,000 words) | 1,4,7,8 | August/September assessment period |
| Individual research project | Individual research project using secondary data (3,000 words) | 2,5,3,7,8,9 | August/September assessment period |
| Seminar participation | One-to-one viva with course convener | 3,7,8 | August/September assessment period |
