Module POL2127 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2127: Electoral Politics
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
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:
-How the “fundamentals” (such as economic performance and how long the incumbent party has been in power) help explain election outcomes
-How electoral rules shape electoral outcomes (e.g., “Duverger’s Law” in first past the post single member district system versus proportional representation systems)
-Whether or not campaigns have an effect on election outcomes/the effect of campaign activities on
-Competing theories of voting behaviour
-The role that scandal plays in affecting the electoral prospects of parties and candidates
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26.5 | 123.5 |
...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 | 16.5 | 11 X 1.5-hour lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 10 | 10 X 1-hour tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 123.5 | A variety of private study tasks directed by module leader. These tasks may include: Reading assignments Preparing assessments Following political news events |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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.
Van der Eijk, Cees, and Mark Franklin. Elections and voters. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2009.
Cox, Gary W. Making votes count: strategic coordination in the world's electoral systems. Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Aldrich, John H., Jamie L. Carson, Brad T. Gomez, and David W. Rohde. Change and Continuity in the 2016 and 2018 Elections. CQ Press, 2019.
Sides, John, Chris Tausanovitch, and Lynn Vavreck. The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2022.
