GI4053 - What is Politics For? Political Aims and Ideas (2023/24)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2023/24 | ||||||||||||||||
| Module title | What is Politics For? Political Aims and Ideas | ||||||||||||||||
| Module level | Certificate (04) | ||||||||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
| School | School of Social Sciences and Professions | ||||||||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Assessment components |
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| Running in 2023/24(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
On this module you will be introduced to the main ideas underlying the study of politics focussing on discovering what are the dominant ideologies that have shaped politics and what are their principal contentions.
You will investigate the relationship between citizens and the state; the nature of the state; the principles of the main approaches to politics including conservatism, socialism, liberalism, anarchism, feminism, nationalism, and environmentalism; and the definitions and applications of rights and equalities.
Prior learning requirements
None. Available for Study Abroad
Syllabus
The syllabus will include:
1. Introduction - What is politics and why study it?
2. Political Ideas vs Political Practice: what is the state?
3. Conservatism: what is being conserved?
4. Liberalism: putting rights into practice
5. Socialism: putting equality into practice
6. Anarchism and Libertarianism: radical equality or radical rights?
7. Complex Equality: race, sex, religion, age, ability …
8. New Political Movements: feminism
9. New Political Movements: Environmentalism
10. Democracy
All Learning Outcomes are covered by the syllabus.
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Teaching consists of a weekly two hour lecture followed by a one hour seminar. Lectures will involve a combination of taught lectures, videos, skills workshops, and the use of primary and secondary documents and websites. During the module seminars will combine a variety of methods including discussion based on pre-set questions and role plays. Blended Learning will be a key component of the module, building on existing face-to-face contact time via a virtual environment, and offering additional resources for students to develop further their subject knowledge and skills. Lecture notes and primary and secondary documents for use in class will be posted online, as will web links for academic and governmental websites, as well as video links. Some recorded material by the module convenor may also be made available online.
Materials for use in class will be posted at least one week in advance online to allow students to reflect on the subject and prepare. Questions for class discussion will be available from the beginning of the module via the Module Guide available on weblearn, which will include a list of resources students can use to answer the questions and study the subject in greater depth.
Skills development will form a central component of the module, including specific sessions on essay preparation and writing, complimenting skills workshops featured on other Level Four modules provided by PIR.
The transferable employability skills students should have developed include:
1. The ability to communicate effectively in speech (the ability to work under pressure in seminars, where students must demonstrate the ability to respond to questions orally) and writing (for example, writing an essay using commonly accepted standards of definition, analysis, grammatical prose, and documentation);
2. Research skills, including the ability to synthesise and analyse arguments, to read and understand texts on international relations, and to exercise critical judgement;
3. The capacity to work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management, as well as co-operating with other students to achieve common goals.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Understand the nature and range of what is political,
2. Understand the main political theories, their origins, and their connection to a range of present-day issues
3. Appreciate the complexity of such political principles as rights and equality
4. Present an argument in both oral and written formats
5. In broader terms, students will develop an understanding of the contested and problematic character of inquiry in this, as in any, discipline. This is a key employability skill.
Assessment strategy
The module is assessed through a variety of instruments. 50% of the assessment is allocated to a short essay of 1000 words that students select from a set of topics made available at the start of the module. 25% of the assessment is allocated to a 60 minute in course test on topics covered in the first half of the module syllabus. The remaining 25% of the assessment is allocated to the student’s performance in weekly seminars throughout the module.