Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3194: Rethinking the Politics of Communities

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

Module Aims

This module will:

  1. Familiarise you with the history of critical perspectives on the political theory of communities
  2. Introduce you to a series of ways in which the theory of communities has been radicalised in recent political theory
  3. Introduce you by way of a series of case studies to concrete examples of how the concept of community is functioning in contemporary political practices
  4. Reflect on the role the concept of community is likely to play in future developments of political 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 Skills1. Articulate what is distinctively political about the concept of community
2. Identify and critically evaluate one or more case studies of how theory and/or practice of community is informing contemporary political activities
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Deploy political theory to assess the significance and import of contemporary theorising of community for politics and public/social policy
4. Evaluate the relative insightfulness of competing theoretical interpretations of political phenomena
Personal and Key Skills5. Engage in constructive peer-evaluation
6. Work effectively in collaboration with peers

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
Research proposal1000 words1-6Peer view, verbal comments

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
10000

...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
Essay403,500 words1-4Written comments
Case study research project605,000 words1-6Written comments

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
EssayEssay (3,500 words)1-4August/September reassessment period
Case study research projectCase study research project (5,000 words)1-6August/September reassessment period