Module POC2124 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
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 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz in-class (2 quizzes/term) | 20 questions | 1-3 | Oral |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Review | 70 | 3,000 words | 1-10 | Written Feedback |
| Research proposal | 30 | 1,500 words | 1-10 | Written Feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Review | 3,000 words Literature Review | 1-10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Research proposal | 1,500 words Research proposal | 1-10 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Indicative Basic reading:
Ackerly, Brooke A., Maria Stern, and Jacqui True, eds. Feminist methodologies for international relations. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Aradau, Claudia, et al. Critical security methods: New frameworks for analysis. Routledge, 2014.
Donatella della Porta, Keating Michael, Approaches and Methodologies in Political Science, CUP, 2008.
Halperin Sandra, Heath Oliver, Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills, OUP, 2016.
Jackson, Patrick Thaddeus. The conduct of inquiry in international relations: philosophy of science and its implications for the study of world politics. Routledge, 2010.
Kellstedt Paul, The Fundamentals of Political Science Research, CUP, 2013.
King Gary, Keohane Robert, Verba Sidney, Designing Social Inquiry, PUP, 1994.
Klotz, Audie, and Deepa Prakash, eds. Qualitative methods in international relations. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Lamont, Christopher. Research methods in international relations. Sage, 2015.
Lebow, Richard Ned. Constructing Cause in International Relations. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Rech, Matthew F., et al. "An Introduction to Military Research Methods." The Routledge Companion to Military Research Methods (2016)
Salter, Mark and Can Mutlu (eds). Research Methods in Critical Security Studies. Routledge, 2012.
Shepherd, Laura J. (ed) Critical Approaches to Security, Routledge, 2012.
Toshkov Dimiter, Research Design in Political Science, Palgrave, 2016.
