Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC1023: Participating in Politics

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module provides a clear and inspiring introduction to different types of political participation in democratic countries. The module will enable you to reflect critically and creatively on the idea of a democratic phoenix, which purports that we do not need to worry about disengagement from politics – people are simply engaging in different ways. It will introduce you to the main ways of engaging in politics, and illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of political participation.

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. analyse and understand the channels open for citizens to participate in politics in democratic countries 2. understand, evaluate and apply a range of concepts and theories about political participation to understand how and why political participation varies cross countries; 3. appreciate the efficacy of different types of political participation for achieving social or policy change;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. identify and discuss core political concepts around political participation; 5. understand how survey evidence is (mis)used in the study of political participation;
Personal and Key Skills	6. apply scholarly reflections to own political participation; 7. present coherent arguments in a call to action for political participation; and 8. communicate effectively in your written and oral work.

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:

Defining political participation and its place in a democracy
Electoral / party participation
Lobbying / contacting an MP
Petitions: on- and off-line
Wearing badges / ribbons
Legal demonstrations
Radical actions (occupations, sit-ins)
Strikes
Youth engagement
Boycotts / buycotts
Civic engagement / voluntary organisations

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
26.5	123.5	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	16.5	11 x 1.5 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	10	10 x 1 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study	85	Private study. 8.5 hours preparing for each seminar (x10)
Guided Independent Study	20	Engaging in political actions and writing scholarly reflections
Guided Independent Study	18.5	Preparing call to action

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).