Module POL2079 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2079: Contemporary Public Debate in an Age of 'Anti-Politics'
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to provide you with a critical understanding of the ways in which public debate, and the knowledge claims produced therein, shape (or not) democratic politics in Britain. More concretely, you will explore debates about the mediatisation of politics, the politics of knowledge production, and the ideas and practices underlying contemporary modes of representation in the public sphere/civil society. In all cases, we you shall engage in both theoretical and empirical analysis.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate awareness of key ideas and concepts in the study of contemporary democracy and the public sphere 2. develop, articulate and justify your own theoretically informed ethical and political responses to key issues of contemporary debate |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. examine, critique and analyse both the theoretical and empirical concepts/resources mobilised in debates about the mediatisation of politics, the politics of knowledge production, and the ideas and practices underlying contemporary modes of representation in the public sphere/civil society 4. develop coherent and theoretically informed analyses of several contemporary issues of public contention |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. collect, analyse and evaluate relevant secondary and primary sources 6. communicate effectively and accurately, orally and in writing demonstrate critical-thinking and effective communication in speech and writing 7. work independently and with peers to meet common research and assessment deadlines effectively 8. work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 1 page | 1-7 | Verbal |
| Group presentation | Group meeting to discuss structure and content of presentation and 20 minute presentation per group | 1-7 | Verbal |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 50 | 25 |
...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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 25 | 1500 words | 1-7 | Written comments |
| Take home examination | 50 | 1 week, 2000 words | 1-8 | Written comments |
| Group presentation | 25 | 20 minutes per group | 1-8 | Oral/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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (1500 words) | 1-7 | August/ September re-assessment period |
| Take home examination | Take home examination (1 week, 2000 words) | 1-8 | August/ September re-assessment period |
| Group presentation | Written report covering the topic of presentation to be discussed with module leader (1,500 words) | 1-7 | August/ September re-assessment 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.
Daase, Christopher Caroline Fehl, Anna Geis and Georgios Kolliarakis (eds.) (2015) Recognition in International Relations,[Online] Available at: http://0-www.palgraveconnect.com.lib.exeter.ac.uk/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9781137464729.0006. (Accessed: 6 January 2016).
Dobson, Andrew (2014) Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Drake, Michael S. (2010) Political Sociology for a Globalizing World , Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dryzek, John, S. (2006) Deliberative Global Politics. Discourse and Democracy in a Divided World , Cambridge: Polity.
Fraser, Nancy and Kate Nash (2014) Transnationalizing the Public Sphere , Cambridge: Polity.
Hardy, Jonathan (2014) Critical Political Economy of the Media. An Introduction, Abingdon: Routledge
Herman, Edward & Noam Chomsky, (2008) Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media , New York: Verso Press.
Saward, Michael (2010) The representative claim , Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Akkerman, Tjitske. (2003) ‘Populism and Democracy: Challenge or Pathology?’ Acta Politica 38 (2), pp. 147-159.
Bale, Tim, Van Kessel, Stijn and Taggart, Paul. (2011) ‘Thrown around with abandon? Popular understandings of populism as conveyed by the print media: a UK case study’, Acta Politica, 46 (2). pp. 111-131
Hall, Stuart. 2006 [1981]. ‘Notes on Deconstructing “the Popular,”’ in Storey, John (ed). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. Harlow: Pearson.
Hay, Colin (2007). Why we Hate Politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Jones, Owen (2014) The Establishment: and how they get away with it, London: Allen Lane.
Moffitt, Benjamin and Tormey, Simon. (2014) ‘Rethinking Populism: Politics, Mediatisation and Political Style’, Political Studies 62(2): 381-397.
Dean, Jonathan (2014b). ‘Tales of the Apolitical’. Political Studies 62 (2), 452-467.
Flinders, Matthew. (2012). Defending Politics: Why Democracy Matters in the 21st Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Painter, Anthony. (2013) Democratic Stress, the Populist Signal and Extremist Threat: A Call for Mainstream Statecraft and Contact Democracy. London: Policy Network.
Street, John. (2004) ‘Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and Political Representation’, British Journal of Political Science and International Relations Vol. 6, No. 4, 435-452.
Mair, Peter. (2013). Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy
Bobbio, N. (1996) Left and Right: The Importance of a Political Distinction. Cambridge: Polity Press.
