Module POC3137 for 2022/3
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POC3137: The Politics of Knowledge and Ignorance
This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.
Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.
Module Aims
To introduce students to key theories of knowledge and how they relate to core political concepts, approaches and debates in the contemporary world.
To enable students to apply these different theoretical/analytical lenses to political issues of interest to them.
To provide students with a challenging provocation about their own assumptions of knowledge
To support students to develop their original proposal.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical work in knowledge politics and critical debates inherent 2. Apply theory to critically analyse contemporary examples of knowledge politics |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Critically analyse theoretical and empirical materials using appropriate theoretical concepts and frameworks. 4. Define complex political problems and identify their relative significance. 5. Exercise informed judgement concerning the practical implications of different standpoints 6. Locate arguments within their historical contexts. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Construct a reasoned and logical argument through well-structured speech and writing 8. Communicate effectively through well-structured speech and writing. 9. Work independently and with peers to achieve common goals. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover at least some of the following topics:
- Theories of knowledge, discourse and power
- Epistemological injustice
- Self-knowledge and sexual politics
- Knowledge economies - ownership and commodification of knowledge
- Government and secrets / freedom of information
- Knowledge and evidence in policy making and political life
- Environmental knowledges and controversies
- Dissertation proposal development
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...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 activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour weekly seminars |
| Guided independent study | 128 | Reading assignments 58 hours Formative assessment preparation 10 hours Presentation preparation 20 hours Critical Knowledge Project 40 hour |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Review | 1000 words | 1-9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Project | 100 | 2750 | 1-9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Project | Written 2750 words | 1-9 | August/September re-assessment period |
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.
Power/Knowledge. Selected writings by Michel Foucault Edited by Colin Gordon
The Politics of Knowledge. Edited by Fernando Domínguez Rubio and Patrick Baert
Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Miranda Fricker
The Epistemology of Resistance. /Jose Medina
- On Colonial Unknowing. Ed Manu Vimalassery et al. Special issue of Theory & Event20 (4) 2017
Decolonisation of Universities: the Politics of Knowledge. Edited by Jonathan D. Jansen
The Politics of Sex Amia Srinivasan
