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• College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2102: Explaining Public Policies

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:

1. How Do We Explain Policies? What Gives a Theory its Power?

2. Multiple Streams Framework and the Role of Luck, Chance and Contingency

3. Multiple Streams Framework Case Study – Tobacco Control

4. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and Why Policies Change (Sometimes…)

5. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory Case Study – Capital Punishment in the USA

6. Narrative Policy Framework and the Persistent of Stories and Myths in Policy

7. Narrative Policy Framework Case Study – Foreign Policy and Iraq or US Gun Control

8. Policy Learning – Do Policies Ever Improve Over Time?

9. Policy Learning Case Study – 'Gay Propaganda' Bans in the UK and Russia

10. Target Populations – How Policy Decisions Construct Citizens and Democracies

11. Target Populations Case Study – LGBT Citizens Treatment in Law

N.B. Please note these case studies are indicative, some weeks we may branch out to further empirical examples

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

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.

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.

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

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.

Re-assessment notes

For the group tutorial presentation, reassessment can be offered during the semester if appropriate and available.

Indicative Reading List

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