National and Community Identity
| Module title | National and Community Identity |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2018 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Joanie Willett (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
Identity politics is a topic which infuses all levels of political debate, from big questions around ethnicity and race, to smaller, and more subtle questions, such as what can I absorb into my identity? This latter puzzle carries enormous implications that reverberate throughout both domestic and global politics. In this module you will explore how identities function both within communities and groups, but also regarding an individuals sense of self, and what problems and possibilities this opens.
The first part of the module develops a range of theoretical tools, which later are applied to specific and topical case studies, encouraging students to think critically around some ‘taken for granted’ issues.
Whilst prior studies of politics would be an advantage (particularly around political analysis, international studies and policy), interdisciplinary students would also find this a satisfying topic within which to engage.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module explores the politics of identity, through the concepts of memory, belonging, otherness and difference.
In practical terms, it introduces students to the idea of communities as imagined narratives which have a function within society, which is extended to national identity where we consider questions relating to the extent to which identity is learned or an accident of birth. The module next takes in the idea that identity is not just about ‘belonging to’, but also about asserting ‘difference from’ other groups. This, and belonging has an impact not just on how groups see themselves, but also how they are perceived by others which affects the kinds of opportunities and courses for action that lie open to group members. The effects of this have impacts throughout local, national and global politics, extending to the terms of political discourse and social justice.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate a substantive understanding of the importance that identity plays for individuals and communities, and the impact that this has locally and globally.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 2. use primary and secondary sources to identify and construct arguments on a policy and theoretical level. They will also be able to make informed judgements about the implications of abstract concepts, and assess possible outcomes.
- 3. Understand and apply key concepts around the politics of identity
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. formulate complex arguments about theory and policy, with clarity and precision in written and oral presentations.
- 5. formulate their own conclusions based on differing forms of evidence.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
Imagining the community and narratives of identity.
The function of identity
National identities
The politics of memory
Identity and ‘difference’,
The construction of difference.
Power, rurality, and the politics of representation.
Case Study : Cornish Nationalism.
Case Study : Britain and the legacy of colonialism..
Case Study: Europe, the nation, and refugees
Identity and political discourse.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 130 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 10 | 10 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and teaching activity | 10 | 10 x 1-hour seminars, some of which will be student led with formal presentations and student facilitation of discussion |
| Guided Independent study | 5 | Preparation for student led seminar |
| Guided Independent study | 40 | Preparation for 1st Essay (summative) |
| Guided Independent study | 40 | Preparation for 2nd Essay (summative) |
| Guided Independent study | 45 | Private study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection on student led seminar | 300 words per student | All | Written and verbal feedback on review |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 60 | 2,200 words | All | Written and verbal feedback on review |
| Policy brief | 40 | 1,250 words | All | Written and verbal feedback on review |
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 (2,200 words) | Essay (2,200 words) | All | August\September reassessment period |
| Policy brief (1,250 words) | Policy brief (1,250 words) | All | August\September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES – Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Anderson, B. Imagined Communities; Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (London: Verso, 1991, Revised Edition).
Connolly, W. Identity/Difference: Democratic Negotiations of Political Paradox, (London, Cordell University Press, 1991)
Croucher, S. 2018. Globalization and Belonging: The Politics of Identity in a Changing World Rowman and Littlefield.
Durkheim, E. Suicide, A Study in Sociology (London: Routledge, 1987 [1897]).
Eriksson, M. 2008. (Re)Producing a ‘peripheral’ region – Northern Sweden in the news. Geografiska Annaler Series B 90 (4) pp. 369–388.
Gilroy, P., 2013. There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation. Routledge Classics
Freud, S. Civilization and Its Discontents (London: Penguin Books, 2004 [1930]).
L, Hinchman., S, Hinchman (eds) Memory, Identity, Community; The Idea of Narrative in the Human
Sciences (New York: State University of New York Press, 2001).
Hutchinson, J. Nations as Zones of Conflict (London: Sage Publications, 2005).
Lawson, T., 2014. Memorializing Colonial Genocide in Britain: The Case of Tasmania. Journal of Genocide Research 16 (4). 441-461
Modood, T., 2013. Multiculturalism.
Norton, A. Reflections on Political Identity (London: John Hopkins, 1988).
Nietzsche, F. On the Genealogy of Morality, K, Ansell-Pearson (ed) (Cambridge: Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought, (1994) [1887]).
Said, E. Orientalism (London: Penguin Books, 2003).
Smith, A. Nationalism and Modernism (Oxon: Routledge, 1998).
Tonnies, F. Community and association : Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft (Imprint London : Routledge & K.Paul, 1955).
Payton, P (ed) Cornish Studies Series 1-18, University of Exeter Press.
Viet Thanh Nguyen. 2016. Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War. Harvard University Press
Willett, J. 2016. The Production of Place: Perception, Reality, and the Politics of Becoming Political Studies 64 (2) 436-451.
Zack, N. 2018. Reviving the Social Compact: Inclusive Citizenship in an Age of Extreme Politics. Rowman and Littlefield
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Web-based and electronic resources:
- ELE (Exeter Learning Environment (Moodle)) – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
| 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 | 01/10/2011 |
| Last revision date | 10/02/2023 |
