Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3115: Political Campaign Strategy

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

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

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:

understanding the historical development of political campaigns in the twentieth century
evaluating the democratic quality of political campaigns
demonstrating knowledge of the most recent political and technical advances in polling, micro-targeting, political finance and
understanding the basics of media strategies for election campaigns
develop their own campaign plan

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

...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	22	11 x 2 hours seminars
Guided independent study	60	directed reading;
Guided independent study	28	essay preparation;
Guided independent study	40	campaign plan preparation.

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
Draft of Campaign Analysis	500 words	1-7	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
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
Essay	40	2000 words	1-7	Written
Campaign Plan	40	2000 words	1-7	Written
Class Participation	20		1-7	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
Essay	Essay (2000 words)	1-7	August/September re-assessment period
Campaign Plan	Essay (2000 words)	1-7	August/September re-assessment period
Class Participation	Oral Presentation (30 minutes)	1-7	August/September 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.

Ronald A. Faucheux, Winning Elections: Political Campaign Management, Strategy and Tactics (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003)

Michael John Burton and Daniel M. Shea, Campaign Craft The Strategies, Tactics and Art of Political Campaign Management, 4th Edition, (Praeger Publishers, 2010 )

Michael McNamara, The Political Campaign Desk Reference A Guide For Campaign Managers and Candidates Running for Elected Office 2^nd edition (Outskirts Press, 2012)