Entangled Life: Radical Democracy in Practice
| Module title | Entangled Life: Radical Democracy in Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC3026 |
| 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) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This is a practical module, applying the insights of its pair, Radical Democracy in Theory, to real world problems. The module centers around the preparation of a consultancy report to tackle an issue in the local community. Students will have a unique opportunity to apply exciting new developments in political theory to empirical research problems and find practical, policy solutions.
You will be commissioned by a local community organisation to work as a part of a research team drawn from your fellow students. In groups of between 2-4 students* you will use your consultancy brief to write a research proposal, conduct fieldwork, and write a report, which you will present to the local community. Your report will apply the concept of the complex adaptive assemblage to practical questions, enabling students and the community to look at familiar problems in different ways.
No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.
*The work will be as a group, but assessments will be individual.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In this module you will: consider the applicability of radical political theory to real world problems and policy solutions; consider the applicability in developments in our understanding of power, time, and agency; and question the relationship between humans and our wider environments.
You will also enhance your employability by developing skills and experience in your role as a notional ‘consultant’. You will follow a brief through project design, analyses and reporting. You will engage directly with stakeholders and consider the transformative and analytical potential of ideas in real world situations, including the affective impact of things on other things; and the complex and adaptive interrelationships and connections between and amongst our multiple communities.
The consultancy work placement is based on the theoretical approach elaborated in Entangled Life: Radical Democracy in theory. It draws on skills and ideas within other political theory modules and Green politics modules on the syllabus.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Make and engage with the specific link between political theory and fieldwork research;
- 2. Demonstrate nuanced fieldwork research skills and critical analysis;
- 3. Through practical application, develop your knowledge, understanding, and engagement with complexity theory and the implications that this has for radical democracy;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Make informed judgements about the policy implications of abstract concepts, and critically assess possible outcomes;
- 5. Develop sympathetic interpretations in the light of appropriate evidence;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Follow a research brief to develop relevant and considered solutions;
- 7. Formulate nuanced arguments about theory with clarity and precision, communicated in written and oral form;
- 8. Engage directly with stakeholders and members of the community; and
- 9. Develop group working skills and capacities.
Syllabus plan
Although the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the the syllabus will contain some or all of the following areas of study:
- Introduction: Key concepts for exploring entangled lives.
- Receive consultancy brief.
- Writing research proposals.
- Background to consultancy locality: The long reach of history.
- Background to consultancy locality: The natural environment.
- Background to consultancy locality: the contemporary community.
- Meeting the Community.
- Fieldwork day.
- Managing and analysing data using radical political theory.
- Writing a well-developed consultation report.
- Consultancy presentations.
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 | 20 | 10 x weekly 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 90 | Reading in preparation for group work / individual contribution |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Assessment preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 5 minutes per person | 1-9 | Verbal and written comments 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Proposal | 25 | 1,000 words | 1-9 | Verbal and written comments on review |
| Research Report | 75 | 2,500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Proposal | 1,000 word research proposal | All | Referral/Deferral period |
| Research Report | 2,500 word research report | All | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Students on this module are expected to collaborate strongly and professionally with other members of their research team, sensitive to mixed ability groups and personal circumstances. Where a student has been unable to participate in group work, and there is no other alternative but for a student to defer, individual deferral submission lengths apply.
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 submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Sara Ahmed, 2004, The Cultural Politics of Emotion Edinburgh University Press
Blumer, H. Symbolic Interactionism; Perspective and Method (California: University of California Press, 1969).
DeLanda, M, 2011A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity Continuum
Stuart Kaufman, 1996. At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self Organisation and Complexity Oxford University Press
Charmaz, K. Constructing Grounded Theory; A practical guide through Qualitative Analysis, (Delhi: Sage Publications, 2006).
Flick, U. An Introduction to Qualitative Research (London: Sage, 2006, 3rd Edition).
Thrift, N. (2008). Non-Representational Theory: Space/Politics/Affect. London: Routledge.
Massey, D. (2005). For Space. Sage: London.
Bhandar, B., Godenberg-Hiller. (2005). Plastic Materialities. Durham: Duke University Press)
Strauss, Anselm. Corbin, Juliet (eds). 1997. Grounded Theory in Practice, (Sage: London).
Strauss, Anselm. Corbin, Juliet. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. (Sage: London).
Margaret Wetherell. 2012. Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science of Understanding. Sage Publications.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 31/01/2014 |
| Last revision date | 10/02/2023 |
