Module POC3109 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3109: Politics in a Global Urban Age
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 aims to introduce and analyze political debates within interdisciplinary research on the global urban transition. We will connect key disciplinary concepts, arguments, and authors in Politics and International Relations to the burgeoning interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical research on global cities, global urbanization, planetary urbanization, assemblage urbanism, urbanisms in the Global South, and feminist and decolonial urbanisms, amongst other literatures. This module will enable you to analyze claims about global urbanism in relation to contemporary politics and to engage in place-specific debates about urbanization and urban transitions as debates about political futures. Additionally, this module aims to support connections between practical and theoretical learning by including a local field-trip.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Describe and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of major theoretical approaches to the politics of the global urban transition, both as individual approaches and as a systematic whole that presently defines the field. 2. Explain in detail the theoretical and practical challenges of developing political analyses of the global urban transition and coherently evaluate multiple approaches to addressing these challenges, based on independent research. 3. Analyze rigorously a particular case of urban transition as a debate over definitions and possibilities of contemporary and future politics. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Synthesize and critically assess a defined field of political research, systematically and effectively. 5. Demonstrate the capacity independently to extend and revise political concepts to account for new fields of theoretical and empirical research. 6. Engage effectively with interdisciplinary research and question the significance of this work for analyses of contemporary political life from multiple perspectives. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Work independently and in groups to engage in spontaneous discussion and defence of arguments in class, to prepare presentations for class discussion, and to show leadership in contributing to a productive classroom. 8. Work independently to research, formulate, write, and present rigorous critical analyses that engage a diverse and complex mix of theoretical and empirical content. 9. Demonstrate an open and reflexive approach to intellectual work and the limits of knowledge through periodic review assessments of module content, including field excursions. 10. Demonstrate a self-reflexive academic practice that is both independent and collaborative, including: assessing strengths and weaknesses, prioritizing goals and work plans, and integrating feedback into plans for future work. |
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:
The Urban and the Political: What’s the Problem?
- Polis, State, Global Urban: Where in the World is ‘Politics’?
- Framing the Challenge: Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology?
Key Approaches to the Global Urban Transition
- Global Cities/The Global City
- Planetary Urbanization
- Urban Networks and Assemblage Urbanism
- Cities and Urbanization in the Global South
- The Politics of Urbanism as a Way of Life
Case Studies: Politics and the Urban in Transition
- Okanagan Valley, Canada
- Cornwall, UK
- Student led case study analysis
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 | 128 | 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 Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour Seminars Students will be given guided opportunities to provide opening commentary, questions, or interventions for seminar discussions. Students will be expected to engage with their peers and provide constructive feedback on occasion. |
| Guided Independent Study | 43 | Private study students are expected to read suggested texts and make notes prior to seminar sessions. More specifically, students are expected to devote approximately: 43 hours to weekly readings and seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Formative, peer review, and self-assessment activities |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Independent research, reading, and writing |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Practical/creative research project |
| Guided Independent Study | 5 | Presentation preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
City Lab: www.citylab.com
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem Statement: Debates and Stakes | 500 words | 1-2, 4-6, 7-9 | Written |
| Critical Research Essay Proposal | 300 words + 5 annotated sources | 1-6, 8-10 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debate | 20 | 20 minutes (prepared statements + open debate) | 1-10 | Written & verbal |
| Portfolio: Critical Reflections/ Field Journal | 30 | 3 x 650 words + 3 images (one field-based reflection) | 1-6, 8-10 | Written |
| Critical Research Essay | 50 | 3,000 words | 1-6, 8-9 | Written |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debate | Position Paper Argument & Counter-Argument 1000 words | 1-10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Portfolio: Critical Reflections/ Field Journal | 3 x 650 words + 3 images (one field-based reflection)words | 1-6, 8-10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Critical Research Essay | 3,000 words | 1-6, 8-9 | August/September reassessment period |
