Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3225: Understanding Civil War

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

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:

Introduction and causes of civil war; civil war datasets reliability

Dynamics of civil war including fighter recruitment, insurgency strategies, and civilian targeting

Research design in studies of civil war

Conflict resolution

New topics in the study of civil war such as rebel governance, rebel state-building, and student wishes

Presentation of research designs

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 & Teaching Activities	44	22 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study	51	Revision and review of class activities
Guided Independent Study	80	Reading assignments
Guided Independent Study	20	Preparation and writing of two critical response papers
Guided Independent Study	40	Preparation and writing of case study
Guided Independent Study	5	Preparation for Presentation
Guided Independent Study	60	Preparation and writing of research design

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
Class participation	Throughout the year	1-2	Written
Presentation of research design (individual)	10 minute presentation	1 or 2, 4-6	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
Case study of civil war in light of theory	35	2000 words	1 or 2, 3, 5 & 6	Written
Research design	50	3000 words	1 or 2, 4-6	Written
Two critical response papers	15	400 words each	1 or 2, 3	Written
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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
Research design	Research design (3,000 words)	1 or 2, 4-6	Aug/Sep re-assessment period
Two critical response papers	Two critical response papers (400 words each)	1 or 2, 3	Aug/Sep re-assessment period
Case study of civil war in light of theory	Case study (2,000 words)	1 or 2, 3, 5 & 6	Aug/Sep re-assessment period