Module POL1027 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL1027: Strategic Theory and Contemporary International Conflict
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
It is envisaged that the syllabus will include the following topics in the following order although precise content and order may vary: introduction to rational choice theory, basic concepts in game theory and the strategic approach, power and managing insecurity, the role of the public in coercive foreign policies such as military interventions and the imposition of economic sanctions, inter-state conflicts, civil conflicts, ethnic conflicts, transnational terrorism, alliances, arms races, and the logic of deterrence.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26.5 | 123.5 | 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 | 16.5 | 11 x 1.5 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 10 | 10 x 1 hour tutorials |
| Guided Independent Study | 123.5 | Preparation and completion of coursework: 40 hours of tutorial preparation 83.5 hours of assessment preparation and completion |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Other Learning Resources
Other resources: Other materials and resources will be identified by the module convener in lectures and via ELE and by tutors in tutorials.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class presentation | 5 minutes | 1-9 | Written |
| Online quiz | 30 minutes | 1-9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 60 | 2 hours | 1-9 | Written |
| Essay | 40 | 1500 words | 1-9 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | Examination (2 hours) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | 1500 word essay | 1-9 | August/September reassessment 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.
Karen Mingst & Arreguin-Toft: 2011. Essentials of International Relations, 5th edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Co.
Lake, David, and Robert Powell, “International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach” (1999) Princeton University Press. Chapter One: International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach David A. Lake and Robert Powell 3-38 and Chapter Three The Strategic Setting of Choices: Signaling, Commitment, and Negotiation in International Politics James D. Morrow 77-115.
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, “Testing Novel Implications from the Selectorate Theory of War,” World Politics 56(3) 2004 368-388.
Geddes, Barbara, “What do we know about democratization after Twenty Years?”, Annual Review of Political Science 1999 2:115-44.
James D. Fearon. 1995. "Rationalist Explanations for War." International Organization 49, 3 (Summer), 379-414.
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita: “Testing Novel Implications from the Selectorate Theory of War” World Politics 56(3) 2004 368-388.
Thomas Schelling. 1966. Arms and Influence. New Haven: Yale University Press, chs. 2-3.
Robert Putnam. 1988. "Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games." International Organization, 42, 3 (Summer), 427-460.
Robert Powell. 2002. "Bargaining Theory and International Conflict." Annual Review of Political Science 5: 1-30.
Kellstedt, Paul, and Guy Whitten, “The Fundamentals of Political Science Research” Cambridge University Press. Second edition (2013).Chapter 2 only pages 31-38.
Morrow, James “Game Theory for Political Scientists” Princeton University Press (1994). Chapters 1 and 2
Robert Powell, “Bargaining Theory and International Conflict,” Annual Review of Political Science, 2002
David Lake, “Rational Extremism: Understanding Terrorism in the 21st Century,” Dialogue-IO, Spring 2002.
Crenshaw, Martha (1998). The Logic of Terrorism: Terrorist Behavior as a Product of Strategic Choice. In W. Reich (Ed.), Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind : Washington D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins.
Pape, Robert. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political Science Review 97(3), 343-361.
Baum, Matthew A. and Philip B. K. Potter. 2008. “The Relationship Between Mass Media, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis.” Annual Review of Political Science 91-109.
Aldrich, John H., Christopher Gelpi, Peter Feaver, Jason Reifler and Kristin Thompson Sharp. 2006. “Foreign Policy and the Electoral Connection.” Annual Review of Political Science 9: 477–502.
James Fearon: “Why do some Civil Wars Last so much Longer than Others,” Journal of Peace Research 41 (3) 275-301.
