Module POL3124 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3124: Anarchism and World Ordering
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
By approaching the development of 'the international' from the perspective of anarchist international political theory, you will come to see the world through a unique set of lenses. This will help clarify your own views on a range of topics form global capitalism to international law, climate change and US empire. This research-led module will provide a deep and broad understanding of anarchist approaches to world ordering and explore how anarchist practices themselves shape the contemporary world order. The module follows a broadly chronological structure, showing how anarchists have responded to the world ordering projects of their opponents, and how contemporary anarchist theory might help us think about world ordering more generally. The aim is to use historical experiences of anarchist theory and practice to shed light on the origins and trajectory of the contemporary neo-liberal world order and to evaluate these sets of critiques in the light of wider debates in International Relations and political theory.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. contrast historic and contemporary world orders; 2. identify the contrasts and similarities in anarchist thought as it evolved over time; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. demonstrate understanding of anarchist approaches to international relations; 4. critically engage mainstream accounts of international relations from an anarchist perspective; |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. present complex arguments with clarity and concision; 6. identify spurious conclusions and distinguish rigorous from merely persuasive argument; and 7. express complex ideas clearly in both written and oral form. |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Reading summary | 5 minutes | 1-7 | Written |
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 |
---|---|---|
90 | 0 | 10 |
...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 group presentation | 10 | 15 minutes | 1-7 | Written |
Presentation report | 5 | 500 words | 1-7 | Written |
First summative essay | 40 | 3,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
Second summative essay | 45 | 3,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Group presentation and report | Reflective essay (1,000 words) (15%) | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
First summative essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Second summative essay | Essay (3,500 words) | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
The 1,000 word replacement essay will be submitted by each student that was unable to present.
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.
Uri Gordon, Anarchy Alive!: Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory (London: Pluto Press, 2008).
Ruth Kinna, The Continuum Companion to Anarchism (New York: Continuum, 2012).
Ruth Kinna, Anarchism: A Beginner's Guide. Revised. ed. (Oxford: Oneworld, 2009)