Secrets, Lies and Spies
| Module title | Secrets, Lies and Spies |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2065 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Owen Thomas (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
When should prime ministers and presidents deceive the public? When should they deceive each other? Alternatively, should statesmen act openly and honestly with the public and each other? What are the political, as well as ethical, implications of these acts of openness and deception for real life?
This module encourages you to examine the ethics and politics of openness, secrecy and deception in politics, with particular reference to issues of security, foreign policy and international relations, and to the issues raised in liberal democracies and by western political thought. In the first half of the module we will investigate how different approaches to openness and deception in international relations have emerged out of the history of political thought and the history of government. In the second half of the course, we will reflexively consider how these perspectives can be applied, or are in some cases already embedded in, the scholarly analysis of contemporary issues. Topics include: propaganda, the democratic oversight of the intelligence services, the use of transparency as a foreign policy tool, and the ethical and political implications of ‘leaking’.
No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students. Some knowledge of western modern political thought and International Relations, and a familiarity and enthusiasm for current affairs, will be an advantage.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will:
- Introduce you to theoretical and conceptual approaches to the analysis of openness and deception in politics, whilst emphasising how these perspectives emerged from particular historical contexts and problems.
- Encourage you to apply these approaches to the analysis of contemporary real world acts of openness and deception in politics, but also to use these cases to reflexively evaluate the approaches themselves.
- Allow you to develop your own rigorous and independent perspective on the role and implications of openness and deception in public life.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Discuss, analyse and evaluate competing theoretical perspectives on openness and deception, particularly in relation to security, foreign policy and international relations.
- 2. Apply these perspectives to contemporary practices and debates relating to openness and deception, whilst being aware of the limitations and contingent assumptions of each perspective.
- 3. Use this analysis to highlight political implications, such as hidden effects or normative questions, which arise out of these contemporary practices.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Apply complex theoretical approaches to real life examples.
- 5. Recognise and unpick theoretical assumptions embedded in existing popular and academic analyses of contemporary issues.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Provide a clear, logical and independent analysis of a given political issue. Communicate this analysis to a range of different audiences.
- 7. Understand assessment criteria, engage in constructive peer-evaluation and produce feedback.
- 8. Collaborate effectively with peers in order to present ideas and facilitate discussions.
- 9. Critically reflect on your own perspective, performance and contribution toward group tasks.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Introduction to Module: Definitions, Events, Popular Discourse
- Reason of State: If you can’t feign, you can’t reign?
- Liberalism and Public Reason: Can Liberal Democracies Deceive?
- The Gaze of Transparency
- Propaganda and the Media
- Freedom of Information and the Quality of Deliberation
- Selling the Iraq War: An Honourable Deception?
- International Transparency and Inspection Regimes
- Intelligence Oversight: Security vs. Human Rights?
- The Politics of Leaking: The Pentagon Papers, Wikileaks and Snowden
- Debate
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 15 | Composing entries for online discussion forum |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading assignments and preparing responses for seminar questions |
| Guided independent study | 40 | Research and composition of essay |
| Guided independent study | 28 | Research and preparation of parliamentary debate |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice debate and peer feedback | 5 minutes | 1-9 | Written and oral |
| Online discussion forum contribution | 10 x 200 words | 1-8 | Written and oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Activity | 65 | 2x1200 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Debate activity | 35 | 500 written speech, 5 minute presentation, 1 minute spontaneous question, debate participation | 1-8 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Activity | Portfolio Activity (2x1200words) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Debate activity | Written debate contribution 1,200 words | 1-8 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Bok, Sissela. Lying: Moral choice in public and private life. Random House LLC, 2011.
Bok, Sissela. Secrets: On the ethics of concealment and revelation. Random House LLC, 1989.
Mearsheimer, John J. Why leaders lie: the truth about lying in international politics. Oxford University Press, 2011.Rappert, Brian. How to Look Good in War, London, Pluto Press, 2012.
Florini, Ann. "The end of secrecy." Foreign Policy (1998): 50-63.
Florini, Ann, ed. The right to know: transparency for an open world. Columbia University Press, 2007.
Gill, Peter, and Mark Phythian. Intelligence in an insecure world. Polity, 2006.
Doig, Alan, and Mark Phythian. "The national interest and the politics of threat exaggeration: The Blair government's case for war against Iraq." The Political Quarterly 76.3 (2005): 368-376.
Glees, Anthony, Philip HJ Davies, and John NL Morrison. The open side of secrecy: Britain's intelligence and security committee. Social Affairs Unit, 2006.
Birchall, Clare. "Introduction to ‘Secrecy and Transparency': The Politics of Opacity and Openness." Theory, Culture & Society 28.7-8 (2011): 7-25.
Glees, Anthony, and Philip HJ Davies. Spinning the Spies: Intelligence, Open Government and the Hutton Inquiry. Social Affairs Unit, 2004.
Runciman, Walter Garrison, ed. Hutton and Butler: Lifting the lid on the workings of power. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Chambers, Simone. "Behind closed doors: publicity, secrecy, and the quality of deliberation." Journal of Political Philosophy 12.4 (2004): 389-410.
O'Neill, Onora. A question of trust: The BBC Reith Lectures 2002. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Vincent, David. The culture of secrecy: Britain, 1832-1998. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Moran, Christopher. Classified: secrecy and the state in modern Britain. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Viroli, Maurizio. "From politics to reason of state." Cambridge 11 (1992): 33.
Waldron, Jeremy. "Hobbes and the Principle of Publicity." Pacific philosophical quarterly 82.3â??4 (2001): 447-474.
Gaonkar, Dilip Parameshwar, and Robert J. McCarthy. "Panopticism and publicity: Bentham's quest for transparency." Public Culture 6.3 (1994): 547-575.
Luban, David. "The publicity principle." The Theory of Institutional Design (1996).
Sagar, Rahul. "On Combating the Abuse of State Secrecy*." Journal of Political Philosophy 15.4 (2007): 404-427.
Doyle, Michael W. "Three pillars of the liberal peace." American Political Science Review 99.03 (2005): 463-466.
Lipson, Charles. Reliable partners: How democracies have made a separate peace. Princeton University Press, 2013.
Marquardt, James J. Transparency and American primacy in world politics. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2011.
Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Random House, 2008.
Miller, David. Tell me lies: Propaganda and media distortion in the attack on Iraq. Pluto Press, 2004.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
http://vle.exeter.ac.uk
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 21/07/2014 |
| Last revision date | 23/01/18 |