Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3247: Politics of Biology

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

Module Aims

This module aims to:

Introduce you to the interplay between how we understand the living world and how we relate to each other in society;
Expand your awareness of the various and complex relations between political ideology, social power, science, and values;
Provide you with some of the critical tools needed to negotiate these relations in the modern world;
Encourage independent research into contemporary and historical issues that can be examined using the perspectives introduced by the module.

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. Demonstrate critical awareness of the complex relations between political ideology, social power, science, and values. 2. Apply perspectives introduced in the module to a variety of contemporary or historical debates that bring politics and biology into conversation with each other.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Critically reflect on the political and social ramifications of changing understandings of science. 4. Display good awareness of a range of conceptual frameworks that can be used to understand the complex and changing interaction between science and society.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Demonstrate awareness of the multiple ways in which scientific knowledge can be interpreted and used. 6. Demonstrate awareness of mutual interaction between knowledge and social relations/power. 7. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively. 8. Communicate effectively in speech and writing. 9. Demonstrate research and analytical skills through seminar discussions and module assessments. 10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases, and other IT resources for the purposes of seminar and assessment preparation.

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
Draft Research Report & Essay Plan	1000 words	1-10	Oral or 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
100	0	0

...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
Research Report & Essay Plan	25	1000 words	1-10	Written
Essay	75	3000 words	1-10	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
Research Report & Essay Plan	Research Report & Essay Plan (1000 words)	1-10	August/September reassessment period
Essay	Essay (3000 words)	1-10	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Re-assessment assignments will take the same form as the original summative assessments.