Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2124: Political Analysis

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

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

Module Aims

To introduce undergraduate students to key political theories, approaches and debates in political science.

To familiarise students with core concepts and methods for the analysis of politics and international relations.

To enable students to understand and conduct political analysis of contemporary social and political issues.

To provide students with analytical skills with which to design their political own research

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. demonstrate an understanding of key theories and approaches of political analysis and the capacity to critically engage and evaluate political research; 2. demonstrate an understanding of core concepts in political analysis and be aware of their epistemological assumptions; 3. apply theories and methods of political analysis to design political research.
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. demonstrate ability to define complex political problems, identify their significance and select appropriate approaches for investigating and critically evaluating them; 5. demonstrate knowledge of political concepts and their contextual/social/political implications; 6. demonstrate ability to apply knowledge to a political problem/ case study; 7. demonstrate ability to select, integrate and present coherently and reflectively, orally and in writing, relevant political/theoretical arguments.
Personal and Key Skills	8. communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately, orally and in writing, in a manner appropriate to the discipline/ different contexts; 9. demonstrate ability to manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies and to develop own arguments and opinions with minimum guidance; 10. demonstrate ability to work independently and to manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities, exercises and assessment including identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover at least some of the following topics:

Writing a research proposal
Qualitative methods
Quantitative methods
Questionnaire design
The logic of political surveys
Textual analysis
Feminist Methods in International Relations
Archival Research, Genealogy and Problematisation
Aesthetics, Visualisations and Visual Methods
Decolonizing methodologies
Writing a Literature Review

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
29	121	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	27.5	11 x 2.5 hour weekly seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	1.5	3 x 30 minute supervision meetings
Guided Independent study	40	Preparation for seminars
Guided Independent study	81	Completion of coursework

Online Resources

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

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
Kanopy;
podcasts;
blogs and vlogs;
cultural productions (songs; music videos; films; performances);
policy briefs;
annual reports from selected international organizations