Module POC3117 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3117: The Politics of Climate Change
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 aims to help you examine why the issue of climate change is so difficult to address. While being rooted in concepts from political science, it aims to provide you with a platform through which the climate change problematique can be analysed from different disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. Through a mixture of activities your learning will be organised around key aspects of climate change governance, namely: politicisation of science, the political economy of climate change, fairness in international negotiations’ and evaluating climate policy.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. evidence a significant depth of understanding about the role and perspectives of different actors involved in climate policy; 2. demonstrate an excellent level of knowledge about the complexities of addressing climate change across different policy sectors and governance scales; 3. evaluate critically policy initiatives to tackle climate change; 4. identify examples of climate policy good practice, and produce a critical evaluation of the lessons that can be drawn; 5. recognise and offer detailed explanations about the difficulties in reaching a meaningful global agreement on climate change. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 6. think critically, analyse debates and present coherent arguments on politics; 7. evaluate critically the effectiveness of policy; 8. understand and explain in-depth the reasons for and barriers to policy intervention; 9. critically apply theories of political science and international relations to real-life political situations. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 10. effectively communicate complex topics in a coherent and well-structured manner. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The politicisation of climate science
- The political economy of climate change
- Climate policy evaluation
- Communicating climate change
- International climate policy
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 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 | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 78 | Reading and seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Course work preparation and writing |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study plan | 500 words | 1-3 | Written and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 65 | 2,500 words | 1-10 | Written |
| Position paper | 35 | 1,500 words | 1-10 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 2,500 word case study | 1-10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Position paper | 1,500 words | 1-10 | August/September reassessment period |
