Module POL3228 for 2020/1
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3228: From the Shadows into the Light: Political Advisers and Policy Making
This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 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:
PART I: Advisers and their institutional habitat
- Who is a political adviser? Delimiting the subject of study. The concept of political adviser
- Where do political advisers work? The institutional habitat of advisers - Administrative traditions in comparison
- What is the profile of political advisers? Educational and socio-demographic background of the adviser elite.
- Why are advisers employed? Politicization and policy capacity
PART II: Advisers and policy making
- What do political advisers do? A classification of advisers’ substantive policy roles
- What is the dimension of advisers’ work? Working with civil servants, other advisers and stakeholders.
- What is the content of political advisers work? Content of policy advice, policy analytical tools and use of knowledge by advisers
PART III: Advisers and their relationship with civil servants and politicians
- How do political advisers interfere with the civil servants? From the traditional binary political-administrative relationship to a “menage a trois”.
- How do advisers interact with politicians and how much influence do they have? Advisers and the circles of trust surrounding politicians.
PART IV: Advisers and accountability
- From the shadows into the light, are political advisers accountable and to whom?
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 | 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 | 44 | 22 x 2 hour seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 88 | Reading set texts and wider reading |
Guided Independent Study | 3 | Preparing for guest speakers |
Guided Independent Study | 40 | Conducting research and preparing for the short answer questions |
Guided Independent Study | 100 | Conducting research and writing the essay |
Guided Independent Study | 24 | Preparation for individual presentation in class |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Short answer questions 1 | 1 A4 | 1, 3, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
Short answer questions 2 | 1 A4 | 1, 3, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
Short answer questions 3 | 1 A4 | 1, 3, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
Short answer questions 4 | 1 A4 | 1, 3, 6, 7 | Written feedback |
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 |
---|---|---|
80 | 0 | 20 |
...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 | 80 | 6000 words | 1-7 | Written feedback |
Individual presentation in class | 20 | 15 minutes | 1-7 | Oral peer feedback in class |
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 (6000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Individual presentation in class | Redo individual presentation (15 minutes) | 1-7 | As soon as possible after the presentation date and latest before the end of term 3 |