Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL1045: International Politics of the Global South

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

Module Aims

1) To introduce students to the historical construction and evolution of the Global South in international politics

2) To critically discuss theories of International Relations (IR) that pay particular attention to the Global South as well as non-Western contributions to IR

3) To identify key features of foreign policy, security and regionalism in the Global South, as well as the Global South’s impact on the global governance

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 Skills1. Demonstrate a contextualised understanding of the historical evolution of the Global South in international politics as well as the key contemporary features of foreign policy, security, regionalism and global governance in/from these areas;
2. Demonstrate the capacity to critically situate and engage with IR theories that deal with the Global South, originating from both the Global South itself and the Western mainstream/core of the discipline;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issues in politics and IR;
4. Place contemporary political issues in larger contexts;
5. Deploy critical arguments in analysing political issues and evaluating sources;
Personal and Key Skills6. Work independently and in a group, including the presentation of material for group discussion;
7. Demonstrate analytical skills and the ability to digest, select and organise material;
8. Demonstrate writing skills including the ability to produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline, practice in articulating and defending positions on tutorial topics.

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Individual reading summary5 minutes1-7Oral

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay501,500 words1-8Written
Examination501.5 hour1-8Written

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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (1500 words)1-8August/September reassessment period
ExamExam (1.5 hours) 1-8August/September reassessment period