Module POL2102 for 2020/1
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2102: Explaining Public Policies
This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.
Module Aims
The module helps you understand and explain why policies take the form they do. After the introductory lecture, the module is taught in five 2-week cycles; a theoretical framework will be introduced in the first week and then applied to an empirical setting in the second week through research-led teaching. The tutorials will mirror these lectures and will include student presentations based on the corresponding topics. In addition to encouraging students to think like policymakers, the module will provide links to employability and future career pathways such as the Civil Service, lobbying and policy advisor roles.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate understanding of the nature and evolution of core concepts regarding public policy 2. analyse policy problems through key conceptual lenses |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. critically assess the utility of different public policy-oriented theories and methods deployed in policy analysis 4. apply key theoretical tenants to concrete, empirical examples |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills (via PowerPoint presentations, course work and assessed essays) 6. successfully use IT for the retrieval and presentation of information |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
1. How Do We Explain Policies? What Gives a Theory its Power?
2. Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) and the Role of Luck, Chance and Contingency
3. Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) Case Studies – Global Tobacco Control and Climate Change
4. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) and Why Policies Change (Sometimes…)
5. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) Case Studies – Civil Nuclear Power and Capital Punishment in the US
6. Social Construction of Target Populations (SCTP) – How Policy Decisions Construct Citizens and Democracies
7. Social Construction of Target Populations (SCTP) Case Studies – LGBT Citizens Treatment in Law and Artificial Intelligence
8. Policy Learning – Do Policies Ever Improve Over Time?
9. Policy Learning Case Studies – Hormones in Beef Trade War and Brexit
10. Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) and the Persistent of Stories and Myths in Policy
11. Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) Case Studies – Arab Spring and US Gun Control
12. Combining Theories and Module Recap
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:
| 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 Activities | 16.5 | 11 x 1.5 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 11 | 11 x 1 hour tutorial. Tutorials are based on lecture topics. |
| Guided Independent Study | 5.5 | Preparation for seminar presentation |
| Guided independent study | 40 | Preparation and writing of essay |
| Guided independent study | 37 | Preparation and revision for examination |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Reading for tutorials |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 300 words | 1-6 | Verbal, one-to-one |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | 45 | 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 | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 45 | 2,000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Examination | 45 | 1 hour | 1-6 | Written |
| Group Tutorial Presentation | 10 | 15 minutes | 1-6 | Written |
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(2000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Exam(1 hour) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Group Tutorial Presentation | Individual or group presentation with tutor (15 minutes) | 1-6 | Throughout the semester |
Re-assessment notes
For the group tutorial presentation, reassessment can be offered during the semester if appropriate and available.
