Module POL2026 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2026: Political Analysis: Behaviour, Institutions, Ideas
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
To introduce you to the key approaches to the study of politics and to some of the main theoretical debates on the relationship between political action, structures and ideas. The study of these approaches will be linked to the development of key concepts and ideas in political research. More specifically, the module aims to provide you with an introduction to the nature, limitations and possible applications of various ways of studying political behaviour, political relations and institutions, and political ideologies and values.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. identify, categorise and explain the basic nature, limitations and the study of politics; 2. assess and judge a range of approaches to the study of politics; 3. understand, assess and compare a range of key concepts integral to the study of politics; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. identify and discuss the major concepts in Politics and IR and deploy them in appropriate circumstances; 5. engage in sympathetic interpretation and reasoned criticism of theories and approaches in Politics and IR; 6. list, describe and evaluate different kinds of interpretations to political action and institutions in the light of appropriate evidence; 7. use logic and reasoning to evaluate arguments about Politics and IR; 8. apply abstract political ideas and concepts to actual events and outcomes; 9. construct well-structured rigorous political arguments based on logical deduction; 10. place the empirical analysis of politics within a conceptual and theoretical context and to move from the concrete to the abstract and vice versa; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 11. study independently and in groups; 12. deliver presentations to peers, communicate effectively in speech and writing; 13. appropriately use ICT; 14. research & critically evaluate information; and 15. apply techniques and theories in appropriate contexts. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Presentation | 5-8 minutes | 11-13 | Written comments and feedback |
| Optional Formative Essay | 1,000 words | 1-10, 14-15 | Written comments and personal feedback in office hours if requested. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module | 25 | 1,000 words | 1-10, 14-15 | Written comments provided in an Assessment Sheet; personal feedback in office hours if requested. |
| Two short essays in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module. To be submitted as part as the same assessment | 75 | 3,000 words (in total) | 1-10, 14-15 | Written comments provided in an Assessment Sheet; personal feedback in office hours if requested. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module | One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module (1,000 words) | 1-10, 14-15 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Two short essays in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module | Two short essays in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module (3,000 words (in total)) | 1-10, 14-15 | August/September re-assessment period |
