Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2026: Political Analysis: Behaviour, Institutions, Ideas

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of these main topics:

The study of Politics: Explaining, Understanding, Evaluating
Rational choice and political action
Rational actors or rational fools? Substantive and procedural rationality
Collective action and social choice
Trust in Politics
Social Capital and democratic participation
Do Institutions matter?
Constructing political reality
Feminism and Ideologies
Concepts in political language and political analysis
Norms and political argument

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
26.5	123.5	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 & Teaching activities	16.5	Overview of topics by module convenor in weekly Lectures
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	10	Small group discussion of key texts in weekly Tutorials
Guided independent study	40	Reading and preparation for tutorials
Guided independent study	83.5	Research and writing of essays

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 assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Optional Formative Essay Outline	300 words	1-9	Written comments and personal feedback in office hours if requested

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
One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module	30	1,200 words	1-9	Written comments provided in an Assessment Sheet; personal feedback in office hours if requested
One essay in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module	70	2,200 words	1-9	Written comments provided in an Assessment Sheet; personal feedback in office hours if requested

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
One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module	One short essay on a topic covered in first part of module (1,200 words)	1-9	August/September re-assessment period
One essay in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module	One essay in answer to questions on topics covered by the second part of module (2,200 words)	1-9	August/September re-assessment period