Module POL3261 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3261: Becoming an Actor in World Politics: International and Transnational Recognition
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
1) To introduce students to the politics of international recognition of states, secessionism and contested statehood
2) To bridge traditional (legal and state-centric) understandings of international recognition in IR and the social theory of recognition
3) To expand traditional views of international recognition into the concept of transnational recognition, applying the latter to a variety of processes of state and non-state actor emergence in world politics
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate understanding and situate debates on the international recognition of states and contested statehood 2. Critically apply insights from the social theory of recognition to both state and non-state actors in world politics |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issues in politics and IR; 4. Place contemporary political issues in larger contexts; 5. Deploy critical arguments in analysing political issues and evaluating sources; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Work independently and in a group, including the presentation of material for group discussion; 7. Demonstrate analytical skills and the ability to digest, select and organise material; 8. Demonstrate writing skills including the ability to produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline, practice in articulating and defending positions on tutorial topics. |
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:
- State recognition in international law and politics
- Secessionist movements and unrecognised/contested/de facto states
- Recognition in social and political theory
- Interstate recognition in IR: (mis)recognition or ‘disrespect’ as driver for state behaviour and cause of war
- Interstate recognition in IR: mutual recognition as respect/status between states, case of rising powers
- Recognition of governments: coups d'état, civil wars, decolonisation conflicts, foreign occupation
- Transnational recognition of non-state actors: social movements, civil resistance movements, national liberation movements, rebel movements, parties to civil wars
- (Mis)recognition in identity conflicts
- Recognition in conflict resolution/peacebuilding: ‘thick recognition’ in transformation of intractable conflicts, reconciliation and just peace
- Case studies (term 2) to be determined by class
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
...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 Activities | 44 | 22 x 2-hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 88 | Reading for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 144 | Completion of coursework |
| Guided independent study | 24 | Preparation of case study presentation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
