Module POL2079 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2079: Contemporary Public Debate in an Age of 'Anti-Politics'
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 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
1. Theorising the ‘Age of Anti-politics’ :
- Defining the public sphere
- The politics of representation and the media
- The political economy of the media
- The ‘mediatisation’ or ‘stylization’ of democratic politics
- The rise of populism
2.Theorising Knowledge and the Public Sphere
- Exploring Marxist, liberal and feminist perspectives on the sources and types of knowledge and its role in politics
- Examining the role of experts and expertise in political debate
3- Case Studies
Students can choose to research and present one of the following possible topics:
- The politics of climate change
- Austerity vs. anti-austerity
- Public vs private debate regarding the NHS
- Gender Pay Gap
- The benefits and dangers of immigration
- Same-sex marriage
- Renewal of the Trident Missile System
- Membership of the EU and the EU referendum
- Islam and terrorism
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 27.5 | 122.5 | 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 | 27.5 | 11 x 1.5 hour lectures and 11 x 1 seminars |
| Guided independent study | 122.5 | Independent study guided by module leader to include: Reading and seminar preparation (60 hours); Research, analysis and compilation of presentation (10 hours); Preparation and completion of essay (25 hours); Preparation and completion of examination (25 hours); Following module-related political news events (3 hours). |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 1 page | 1-7 | Verbal |
| Group presentation | Group meeting to discuss structure and content of presentation and 20 minute presentation per group | 1-7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 50 | 25 |
...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 | 25 | 1500 words | 1-7 | Written comments |
| Take home examination | 50 | 1 week, 2000 words | 1-8 | Written comments |
| Group presentation | 25 | 20 minutes per group | 1-8 | Oral/ written feedback |
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 (1500 words) | 1-7 | August/ September re-assessment period |
| Take home examination | Take home examination (1 week, 2000 words) | 1-8 | August/ September re-assessment period |
| Group presentation | Written report covering the topic of presentation to be discussed with module leader (1,500 words) | 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.
Daase, Christopher Caroline Fehl, Anna Geis and Georgios Kolliarakis (eds.) (2015) Recognition in International Relations,[Online] Available at: http://0-www.palgraveconnect.com.lib.exeter.ac.uk/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9781137464729.0006. (Accessed: 6 January 2016).
Dobson, Andrew (2014) Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Drake, Michael S. (2010) Political Sociology for a Globalizing World , Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dryzek, John, S. (2006) Deliberative Global Politics. Discourse and Democracy in a Divided World , Cambridge: Polity.
Fraser, Nancy and Kate Nash (2014) Transnationalizing the Public Sphere , Cambridge: Polity.
Hardy, Jonathan (2014) Critical Political Economy of the Media. An Introduction, Abingdon: Routledge
Herman, Edward & Noam Chomsky, (2008) Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media , New York: Verso Press.
Saward, Michael (2010) The representative claim , Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Akkerman, Tjitske. (2003) ‘Populism and Democracy: Challenge or Pathology?’ Acta Politica 38 (2), pp. 147-159.
Bale, Tim, Van Kessel, Stijn and Taggart, Paul. (2011) ‘Thrown around with abandon? Popular understandings of populism as conveyed by the print media: a UK case study’, Acta Politica, 46 (2). pp. 111-131
Hall, Stuart. 2006 [1981]. ‘Notes on Deconstructing “the Popular,”’ in Storey, John (ed). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. Harlow: Pearson.
Hay, Colin (2007). Why we Hate Politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Jones, Owen (2014) The Establishment: and how they get away with it, London: Allen Lane.
Moffitt, Benjamin and Tormey, Simon. (2014) ‘Rethinking Populism: Politics, Mediatisation and Political Style’, Political Studies 62(2): 381-397.
Dean, Jonathan (2014b). ‘Tales of the Apolitical’. Political Studies 62 (2), 452-467.
Flinders, Matthew. (2012). Defending Politics: Why Democracy Matters in the 21st Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Painter, Anthony. (2013) Democratic Stress, the Populist Signal and Extremist Threat: A Call for Mainstream Statecraft and Contact Democracy. London: Policy Network.
Street, John. (2004) ‘Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and Political Representation’, British Journal of Political Science and International Relations Vol. 6, No. 4, 435-452.
Mair, Peter. (2013). Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy
Bobbio, N. (1996) Left and Right: The Importance of a Political Distinction. Cambridge: Polity Press.
