| Unit name | Analysing Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI10007 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. de Abreu Maia |
| 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?
How do the institutions that govern us work, and where did they come from? Is there more to ‘politics’ and political analysis than parties, elections, and voting? Who has power in society, and what does it mean to be politically active? How do the different possible answers to such questions shape our understanding of issues such as democracy or populism, and our personal or societal responses to them? In this unit you will gain insight into fundamental questions of politics as a field of study and a domain of social action in which you are a participant. You will engage with a range of contemporary and perennial issues in political life, developing your ideas in conversation with your tutor and peer-group as well as with lecturers. You will develop an understanding to various approaches to the study of politics and of the range of methodologies deployed in political thinking. You will be introduced to the different core scholarly skills in research, critical thinking, and expression that you will bring to bear on your subsequent studies and beyond.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a mandatory unit for all year 1 undergraduate students on the Politics and International Relations programmes. It acts as a foundation to the study of the subject: You will be introduced to concepts, problems, actors, and ideas that are central to the discipline. This will help you to identify what aspects of ‘politics’ matter most to you while gaining the essential practical and intellectual skillset required to make a success of your degree programme in Politics & International Relations.
An overview of content:
This unit will introduce you to the key questions and approaches in the analysis of politics. It will offer an introduction to what is involved in the study of politics and international relations. It covers some of the definitions of politics as a subject as well as some of the different approaches used in its study and the range of methodologies deployed. You will attain the various study-skills necessary to examine political issues. You will also engage in the comparative study of forms of political organisation across several models of governance, various institutions, and layers of political activity. The unit will enable you to recognise and respond to contemporary political problems, such as the rise of/in populism, both as an academic and as a political actor in your own right. Covering a variety of sites of political action and contestation, this unit will explore how to identify, contextualise, and develop your own response to a range of political issues.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
Your engagement with this unit will facilitate you in developing your own perspective on political life. Critically, you will be able to begin the process of developing the empirical and conceptual foundations on which your personal analytical outlook on politics will rest, as you enhance your knowledge and expertise further across your degree programme. As a result of the unit, students will have a firm grounding in some of the key issues involved in the study of politics and be able to apply them in their own understanding of the world.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify different approaches and methodologies involved in the study of politics and international relations;
2. Demonstrate a range of study skills contained in/essential to scholarly enquiry;
3. Demonstrate and understanding of an important literature concerning political outcomes in a range of significant cases;
4. Identify social relations, problems, and ideas that shape political life across different levels of analysis;
5. Analyse the role and make-up of political actors, structures, and processes.
The unit is delivered through a combination of in-person lectures, seminars. Lectures are set out to provide students with a broader introduction of the various themes, concepts, case studies and methods. Seminars offer the opportunity to explore, critique and deepen the students’ understanding and engage in discussion with peer and members of staff. Students will also be able to work on developing and applying their analytical skills. Additional asynchronously delivered material may be provided to aid students’ understanding and engagement with the unit material.
The combination of whole cohort and small group sessions offers students a variety of ways to achieve the unit ILOs and prepare students for the summative assessments.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessment will take the form of 'in session' participation whereby students will be able to demonstrate critical thinking and questioning in response to reading. Students will also be required to complete an online training course familiarising them with the requirements of academic integrity.
There will also be at least two sessions focussed on developing the basis for the summative assessments (these will be timetabled as part of the seminar schedule for this unit).
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. POLI10007).
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.
