Governing the Good Life: Contemporary International Studies
| Module title | Governing the Good Life: Contemporary International Studies |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2086 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Karen Scott (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 12 |
|---|
Module description
How can governments support The Good Life? What part does it play in political ideology and political discourse? Is measuring happiness an appropriate goal for government? This module follows on from POC2085 Imagining The Good Life: from the Agora to The American Dream and moves from the theory of The Good Life to its governance and practice. Through a range of case studies we will look at how various nation states and international organisations have attempted to conceptualise and govern The Good Life. You will learn how different social, political, economic, cultural and historical contexts have shaped different philosophies of wellbeing across the contemporary world. You will gain awareness of the similarities and differences in these philosophies and how they relate to dominant political economies and governance regimes. This module uses case studies from Africa, North and South America, Asia, Australasia and Europe. You will have the opportunity to learn about culturally specific philosophies of the good life and how these are related to political histories and economies in those countries. Through a wide variety of case studies you will learn, for example, how different visions of a good life within a country are integrated within mainstream politics and policy, and how good life philosophies can provide coherent narratives or become sources of conflict in times of political transition.
The module is only suitable for students have completed POC2085Imagining The Good Life: from the Agora to The American Dream.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module you will acquire substantive knowledge about a wide variety of contemporary Good Life narratives across the world and how these relate to political governance and practice. You will learn how these ideas travel across different countries and cultures and you will develop analytical skills to assess their importance for political governance.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a substantive knowledge of the ways in which contemporary philosophies of the Good Life have been applied, their political significance and critiques of them.
- 2. Demonstrate an awareness of the diversity of applications of the Good Life and the ability to analyse their relationship to each other and to international issues
- 3. Engage with notions of the Good Life in theory and practice.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Identify, discuss and evaluate the major components of case studies covered and their argumentative articulation.
- 5. Engage in both reasoned interpretation and reasoned criticism of the ways the Good Life has been applied.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Evaluate different interpretations of The Good Life in relation to different political contexts
- 7. Demonstrate appropriate communication skills orally and written
- 8. Formulate well-articulated conclusions based on a variety of sources
- 9. Demonstrate a capacity for independent study and research.
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:
- Governing The Good Life: Introduction to the rising international interest in wellbeing
- Bhutan: Gross National Happiness
- South Africa: Ubuntu after apartheid
- India: Swaraj, self-development and self-rule
- Ecuador: Buen Vivir and plurinationalism
- UK: Measuring National Wellbeing
- US: Chasing the American Dream
- New Zealand: The Waitangi Tribunal and Te Kupenga
- South Korea: ì?°ë¹? Wel-bing and wellbeing
- International transfer of ideas: EU, UN, OECD
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 & Teaching activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Preparation for seminars (30 hours) |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading set texts (30 hours) and secondary material (15 hours) |
| Guided independent study | 53 | Assessment (53 hours) |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay outline | 500 words | 1-9 | Verbal and written comments |
| Individual presentation | 5 minutes | 1-9 | Verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 20 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 3500 words | 1-9 | Verbal and written comments on review |
| Seminar participation | 20 | Seminar self-reflective report - 1000 words | 1-9 | Verbal and written comments on review |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3500 words) | 1-9 | August / September re-assessment period |
| Seminar participation | One to one viva (for those with mitigating circumstances) | 1-9 | End of term 2 |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Bache, I. and Reardon, L (2013) An Idea Whose Time has come? Explaining the Rise of Well-Being in British politics’. Political Studies 61: 898-914
Bok, D. (2010) The Politics of Happiness. Princeton: Princeton University
Calisto Friant, M and Langmore, L. (2015) The Buen Vivir: A Policy to Survive the Anthropocene? Global Policy Volume 6 . Issue 1.
Cullen, J. (2003) The American Dream. Oxford University Press.
Hirata, J. (2005) How Should happiness Guide Policy? Why Gross National Happiness is not opposed to Democracy.
http://www.gpiatlantic.org/conference/papers/hirata.pdf
Priesner, S. (1999) Gross National Happiness – Bhutan’s Vision of Development and its Challenges available at
Waring, M. (1988) If Women Counted. HarperCollins: San Francisco.
Dalziel, P., Matunga, H. and Saunders C., (2006) Cultural Well-being and Local Government: Lessons from New Zealand . Australasian Journal of Regional Studies Volume 12 Issue 3 pp267-280
| 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 | 15/02/2016 |
| Last revision date | 22/06/2016 |