Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3172: Political Participation

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

In many of the longest-established democracies, voter turnout and party membership are in decline, particularly among the young. Many people distrust and disdain politicians and the political process in general. With a focus on seeking explanations for such current problems of representative democracy, the module provides an introduction to the international literature on political participation. Among other things, it explores the significance of political knowledge, generational differences in political participation, the motives for ‘extreme’ forms of political participation such as revolution and revolt, and the extent to which new forms of political participation may have taken the place of the old.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. List, describe and demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts associated with political participation 2. Identify appropriate empirical evidence that can be used to test claims about political participation Made by theorists, politicians and political commentators
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Identify and discuss the major political concepts and deploy them in appropriate circumstances. 4. Engage in sympathetic interpretation and reasoned criticism of theories 5. List, describe and evaluate different interpretations in the light of appropriate evidence 6. Use logic and reasoning to evaluate arguments 7. Apply abstract theoretical ideas and concepts to actual events and outcomes 8. Construct well-structured rigorous arguments based on logical deduction
Personal and Key Skills	9. The ability to study independently and in groups deliver presentations to peers, communicate Effectively in speech and writing 10. communicate orally and appropriately use ICT 11. research & critically valuate information and apply techniques and theories in appropriate contexts 12. design and run presentations and demonstrate reliability and commitment to the ongoing process of class discussion

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.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
40	50	10

...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
Essay	50	2,000 words	All
Weekly reading summaries	40	200 words each	All
Seminar presentation	10	20-30 minutes	All

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.