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The Politics and Policies of Youth Engagement

Module description

Engaged, enraged, or apathetic? The narrative of young people's engagement or rather disengagement, is complex and evolving. It is often presented as both a symptom and a cause of the deterioration of democracy. But... what do we actually mean by engagement and which democracy is supposed to be deteriorating?  
 

Whilst the decline in traditional forms of participation is most apparent in the youth cohort in the UK and countries of the EU, the module asks you to consider what barriers to participating young people face, and question whether liberal democracy is a sustainable model for yours, and future generations’ engagement in a global context. It will challenge you to consider the role of conceptualisation and political discourse in how policy responses to youth engagement develop. In doing so, the module seeks to promote the potential for democratic renewal found in young people’s perspectives and practices. 

There are no pre-requisites for the module. It is suitable for both specialist and non-specialist students and recommended for those studying Politics/International Relations, as well as those on interdisciplinary pathways.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module will provide you with: 

• Proficient knowledge of several theoretical explanations for the causes of youth disengagement, including the role of social capital, socialisation, political literacy, exclusion, and efficacy.  
• A detailed understanding of the nature and sustainability of democratic practice in established systems, within which the issue of youth engagement is framed 
• The opportunity to assess policy responses to the issue in the UK and a selection of EU countries, including the agenda and discussions of the new UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Political Literacy 
• A global perspective on the changing nature and need for youth engagement in civic and political life 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Critically assess the key theories of youth disengagement in relation to causes and consequences
• 2. Explain the conceptual and practical changes to participation from a global perspective, utilising basic quantitative data
• 3. Identify and discuss political issues and framing in youth participation policy and discourse

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Recognize and apply conventions of writing for different political purposes
• 5. Utilise theoretical arguments to examine empirical case studies

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Demonstrate competence in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
• 7. Implement the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in discussion and feedback with peers
• 8. Write clearly and coherently to construct rigorous arguments

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover for example the following topics:  

• The decline of democracy; which ‘democracy’ and why? 
• The challenges and opportunities in the measurement and conception of participation 
• Alternative, alienated and apathetic: causes and consequences of youth disengagement 
• Young People’s Politics: Brexit, the Climate Crisis, Inequality, Protest and Political Literacy  
• Comparative approaches: central policy responses to youth disengagement in the UK and EU, with a focus on civic education and the rise of deliberative democracy
• Global participation; with a focus on the MENA region post ‘Arab spring’ and the contemporary protests in Asia 

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

As students will select their own focus from a pre-set list of topics, where it is a deferred assessment, it can be undertaken as usual. If it is a referred assessment, students must select a different topic for whichever element they are re-taking.  

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading: 

• FOX, S. (2014). ‘Is it Time to Update the Definition of Political Participation? Review of “Political Participation in Britain: The Decline and Review of Civil Culture’, Parliamentary Affairs. 67, pp. 495-505. 
• GAGNON, JEAN & EMILY BEAUSOLEIL (2017) 'Resist and Revivify: Democratic Theory in a Time of Defiance', Democratic Theory 4:1, pp. 1-10 
• HUEBNER, C., 2021. How young people in Scotland experience the right to vote at 16: evidence on 'Votes-at-16' in Scotland from qualitative work with young people. Parliamentary Affairs 
• MCCAFFRIE, BRENDAN & SADIYA AKRAM (2014) ‘Crisis of Democracy? Recognizing the Democratic Potential of Alternative Forms of Political Participation.’ Democratic Theory 1:2, pp. 47–55 
• PONTES, A., HENN, M. and GRIFFITHS, M.D., (2018) ‘Towards a conceptualization of young people’s political engagement: a qualitative focus group study’, Societies, 8 (1): 17 
• RAINSFORD, E., (2020) ‘Introducing youth proofing to survey research with young people’, SAGE Research Methods Cases 
• RAGUI ASSAAD & FARZANEH ROUDI-FAHIMI  (2019) ‘Youth in the Middle East and North Africa: Demographic Opportunity or Challenge?’, Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) 
• SLOAM, J., (2014) “The Outraged Young": Young Europeans, Civic Engagement and the Social Media in a Time of Crisis’, The Networked Young Citizen: Social Media, Political Participation and Civic Engagement. London: Routledge, p. 161-179 
• UZUN, BEGUM (2013) “Quebec ÖÄ?renci Grevi ve Yeni Gençlik Siyaset(ler)i: Kayıp Bir KuÅ?ak mı, Genç Olmaktan Kaynaklanan Deneyimler Üzerinden Aktivizmin Yeniden Ä°nÅ?ası mı?” (Quebec Student Strike and New Youth Politics: A Lost Generation or Re-invention of Activism based on Youthful Experiences?), Birikim, 287: March  
• WEINBERG, J., (2021) ‘Civic education as an antidote to inequalities in political participation? New evidence from English secondary education’, British Politics 

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages 

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Other resources will be provided by the module convenor during the course of the module 

Key words search

Youth, Engagement, Participation, Policy, Democracy, Theory