Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3120: War and Public Opinion

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

Module Aims

You will able to demonstrate knowledge of the complex and dynamic relationship between public opinion and foreign policy. You will learn the important role that public opinion plays in guiding the foreign policy choices of democratic states. You will be exposed to multiple competing theoretical approaches will be able to articulate similarities and differences to these competing approaches. Particular emphasis will be placed how to read and evaluate quantitative data analysis. This is a quantitatively oriented course. There are no quantitative prerequisites (the instructors will give all relevant training to perform well in the course, but you should be prepared to engage with quantitative work). Taken together, this class will help your skills in applying theory to data, and subsequently using data to inform theory.

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. use substantive and methodological knowledge to critically analyse public opinion data about international affairs, foreign policy, and war; 2. demonstrate knowledge in basic and advanced methodologies and tools of analysis used by public opinion researchers;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. analyze a broad spectrum of research designs applicable to the study of politics and international relations; 4. synthesize competing theories in order to apply them to novel social science problems;
Personal and Key Skills	5. demonstrate critical thinking skills, particularly as they relate to evaluating empirical (quantitative) evidence; 6. demonstrate writing skills to facilitate more powerful communication; and 7. work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.

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:

What the public knows (and doesn’t know) about foreign affairs
Situational factors that shape public opinion about war
Principal Policy Objective (PPO) and support for war
Elite signals and rhetoric
Understanding the contested role of casualties
Group identity
Expectations of success
Media effects and framing
Individual level factors that shape public opinion and elite perceptions about war
Personality
Emotions and Morality

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
40	260	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 Activity	40	20 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study	100	Reading assignments
Guided Independent Study	100	Essay preparation: conducting research, and writing the finished product (c.50 hours per essay)
Guided Independent Study	60	Preparation for and completion of examination

Online Resources

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