Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2102: Explaining Public Policies

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

Module Aims

The module helps you understand and explain why policies take the form they do. After the introductory lecture, the module is taught in five 2-week cycles; a theoretical framework will be introduced in the first week and then applied to an empirical setting in the second week through research-led teaching. The tutorials will mirror these lectures and will include student presentations based on the corresponding topics. In addition to encouraging students to think like policymakers, the module will provide links to employability and future career pathways such as the Civil Service, lobbying and policy advisor roles.

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 Skills	1. demonstrate understanding of the nature and evolution of core concepts regarding public policy; 2. analyse policy problems through key conceptual lenses.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. critically assess the utility of different public policy-oriented theories and methods deployed in policy analysis; 4. apply key theoretical tenants to concrete, empirical examples.
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills (via PowerPoint presentations, course work and assessed essays and exam answer); 6. successfully use IT for the retrieval and presentation of information.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

1. How Do We Explain Policies? What Gives a Theory its Power?

2. Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) and the Role of Luck, Chance and Contingency

3. Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) Case Studies – Tobacco Control and Alcohol Pricing

4. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) and Why Policies Change (Sometimes…)

5. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) Case Studies – Civil Nuclear Power and Capital Punishment in the US

6. Social Construction of Target Populations (SCTP) – How Policy Decisions Construct Citizens and Democracies

7. Social Construction of Target Populations (SCTP) Case Studies – LGBT Citizens Treatment in Law and Artificial Intelligence

8. Policy Learning – Do Policies Ever Improve Over Time?

9. Policy Learning Case Studies – Hormones in Beef Trade War and Brexit

10. Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) and the Persistent of Stories and Myths in Policy

11. Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) Case Studies – Arab Spring and US Gun Control

12. Combining Theories and Module Recap

N.B. Please note these case studies are indicative, some weeks we may branch out to further empirical examples.

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
27.5	122.5	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 Activities	16.5	11 x 1.5 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	11	11 x 1 hour tutorial. Tutorials are based on lecture topics.
Guided Independent Study	5.5	Preparation for seminar presentation
Guided independent study	40	Preparation and writing of essay
Guided independent study	37	Preparation and revision for examination
Guided Independent Study	40	Reading for tutorials

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).