Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3136: Political Psychology

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The course is roughly organized around “20th Century” and “21st Century” approaches to questions in Political Psychology:

20th Century approaches

  • Psychoanalytic Approaches
  • Rational Choice Theory
  • Philip Converse and His Legacy
  • Schema Theory
  • The Online Model
  • Racial Attitudes
  • Zaller’s RAS Model

21st Century approaches

  • Affective Intelligence
  • Neuropolitics
  • Evolution of Machiavellian Intelligence
  • Genopolitics
  • Race and Neuroscience
  • Physiological measures

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
492510

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities4422 x 2 hour seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity 55 x 1 hour lab sessions
Guided independent study163Completing assessment tasks: Reading, research and writing
Guided independent study88Preparing for seminars: Reading and research

Online Resources

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

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Socratic method20 minutes1-6Verbal comments
In class practice examination45 minutes1-6Written feedback
Pop quizzes4 written quizzes (10 minutes each)1-6Written feedback

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
60400

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Short essay201,500 words1-6Written feedback
Long essay403,000 words1-6Written feedback
Examination401.5 hour examination1-6Written 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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Short essay1,500 words essay1-6August/September reassessment period
Long essay3,000 word essay1-6August/September reassessment period
Examination1.5 hour examination1-6August/September reassessment period