| Unit name | Challenges in World Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI10009 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Herring |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
What are the most pressing challenges in world politics today? How do responses to global challenges relate to theoretical perspectives about world politics? Which perspectives are dominant, and which are marginalised in global, regional, national and local politics? In this unit you will address the most significant contemporary challenges in world politics through an issue-based approach to learning that is theoretically informed. In the process, you will be invited to reflect on key ideas in a range of fields of politics. You will also be asked to consider which challenges are the most important and how thinking differently about them could change the ways they are understood and addressed.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a mandatory unit for all year 1 students on the Politics and International Relations programmes. You will be introduced to different challenges in world politics and to theoretical perspectives for interpreting those challenges. You will also be invited to think critically about how to take action in relation to those challenges.
An overview of content
In this unit you will encounter a challenge-focused introduction to world politics that is theoretically informed. By examining contemporary challenges and the ways in which such issues are conceptualised and theorised, you will be introduced to world politics as a multi-dimensional process of contestation over agendas, priorities, power, interests, values and identities. You will explore how some perspectives become dominant while others are marginalised and silenced, and how perspectives and challenges change. You will develop an understanding of how theory shapes challenges in world politics as well as how theory provides tools for understanding those challenges.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will develop your empirical knowledge base concerning perspectives and debates over which are the most important contemporary challenges in world politics, how they should be framed, how they relate to each other and what should be done about them. You will learn about the various roles played by diverse actors (including states, corporations, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and social movements) in identifying those challenges and shaping how they are addressed. You will gain knowledge and understanding of theory, and the roles it can play in facilitating and inhibiting change. As a result, you will be better equipped to analyse and participate in addressing challenges in world politics as priorities and approaches change.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify and demonstrate an understanding of important challenges in world politics.
2. Identify and demonstrate an understanding of different theoretical perspectives on world politics
3. Analyse the relationships between theory and the selection and framing of challenges in world politics.
4. Construct and communicate arguments about challenges in world politics that are empirically grounded and theoretically informed.
The unit is delivered through a combination of in-person lectures and small group seminars. Lectures provide you with a broad introduction to the various challenges and perspectives considered in the unit. Seminars offer you the opportunity to explore, critique and deepen your understanding and to engage in discussion with peers and members of staff. Additional asynchronously delivered material may be provided to aid your understanding of and engagement with the unit material.
The combination of whole cohort and small group sessions offer you variety of ways to achieve the unit ILOs and prepare for the summative assessments.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Seminar sessions will provide you with the opportunity to explore and discuss weekly readings and topics and engage in discussions around a challenge-based approach to contemporary world politics and the ways in which different perspectives inform theory and practice in relation to those challenges. Seminars will contribute to the development of your challenge-based critical thinking and communication skills and provide a forum for you to engage in peer-to-peer feedback and discussion.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan:
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment in the failed element(s). This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLI10009).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
