Programme Specification for the 2022/3 academic year
BA (Hons) Global Politics
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) Global Politics | Programme code | UFA3HPSHPSCK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Full Time |
Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Campus(es) | Cornwall Campus |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
The BA Global Politics will provoke you to reflect on relations of power that shape our everyday lives and how our everyday actions may reproduce or transform social structures. You will consider relations between private and public, state and society, local and global, urban and rural and cultural and economic. We will confront some of the biggest political challenges facing the world today, such as increasing social inequality, structural racism, the climate emergency, the resurgence of right wing populism, public disillusionment with politics, the refugee crisis, global pandemic, surveillance capitalism, creeping fascism and the increasing use of emergency powers by states. We will challenge you to reflect on how we might shape socio-economic and political processes, which often seem beyond our control, and to put your ideas into action.
A degree in Global Politics will equip you with the skills that business, government and third sector organizations are looking for in graduates in order to respond to a rapidly changing world. We will help you to build practical skills in political communication (such as public speaking, writing a policy brief, team-building and training in equality, diversity and inclusion). You will have the opportunity to put these skills into action through problem-based learning in a real-world setting (such as by developing a political campaign strategy, providing a policy brief for an NGO or producing advice for citizens about how to access legal and social justice).
This programme is only available at University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, renowned for its setting in the Cornish landscape and for its specialised environment of supportive learning, accessible staff, and world-leading interdisciplinary research and teaching. You can pursue a rigorous, intellectually challenging, and career-oriented programme that unites the world-class resources of the University of Exeter with the particular strengths in critical interdisciplinary research and teaching for which Penryn Campus is renowned, situated in the environmentally beautiful and politically complex setting of west Cornwall.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
- To offer an excellent Honours-level education in Global Politics that explores the relation between political agency and global social forces in a supportive and responsive learning environment.
- To develop your competence in subject-specific knowledge in Global Politics and to develop your core academic and personal and key skills.
- To produce graduates who can engage imaginatively in the process of understanding and analysing complex and sophisticated problems using critical approaches that blend detailed and broad levels of analysis.
- To maximise your learning and enjoyment through an optimal mixture of lectures, seminars, field-based learning and supervised research projects, which is commensurate with your needs and abilities as you progress through the programme.
- To assess your ability and progress through a range of methods, including essays, examinations, research projects, oral presentations, group role plays, and seminar participation.
- To develop graduates who are imaginative, critical thinkers and problem solvers; creative team players; engaged leaders; confident and adaptable individuals; and active global citizens.
4. Programme Structure
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
The BA Global Politics is a three-year full-time programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into three stages. Each stage is normally equivalent to an academic year. The programme is further divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits.’ The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload.
Stage 1
Compulsory Modules
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| POC1031 | Political Communication | 15 | No |
| POC1023 | Participating in Politics | 15 | No |
| POC1026 | Power, Inequality and Global Justice | 15 | No |
| POC1028 | Modern Political Theory | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
Select a further 60 credits of optional modules, at least 30 credits of which must be taken from stage 1 Politics options:
https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/politics/students/ugmodules_cornwall/
Stage 2
Compulsory Modules
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| POC2103 | Introduction to Postcolonialism | 15 | No |
| POC2124 | Political Analysis | 15 | No |
| POC2108 | Political Geographies: Local to Global | 15 | No |
| POC2120 | Power and Democracy | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
Select a further 60 credits of optional modules, at least 30 credits of which must be taken from stage 2 Politics options:
https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/politics/students/ugmodules_cornwall/
Stage 3
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| POC3040 | Dissertation | 30 | No |
| POC3095 | Environmental Knowledge Controversies | 15 | No |
| POC3097 | The Politics of Gender, Sex and Sexuality | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
Select a further 60 credits of optional modules, at least 30 credits of which must be taken from stage 3 Politics options:
https://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/politics/students/ugmodules_cornwall/
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Demonstrate through written and oral work a solid understanding of theories and approaches in Global Politics. |
| The assessment of these skills is through a combination of:
The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
8. Draw comparisons between empirical evidence and theoretical approaches from a variety of different cases. | These skills are developed throughout the degree programme, but the emphasis becomes more complex as you move from stage to stage. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work, oral work (both presentation and class discussion), and other interactive and collaborative learning practices that require engaging and assessing multiple perspectives. | The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined.
These skills are assessed through a combination of:
seminar participation (8-16) |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
18. Undertake independent study and work to deadlines. |
Collective and individual.
| These skills are assessed in Global Politics modules through a combination of:
The criteria of assessment pay full recognition to the importance of the various skills outlined. |
7. Programme Regulations
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
You will be located in the College of Social Sciences and International Studies (Penryn Campus) which has working relationships with the other departments involved in this programme. The College has built a large library collection on the Cornwall campus. College staff make maximum use of on-line materials, including e-journals, EEBO, JSTOR and EBSCO, in the teaching programme. An inter-campus loan facility also gives Cornwall students full access to the University Library on the Streatham and St Luke's campuses, where the collection comprises over a million volumes and 3000 current periodical subscriptions. You may also make use of the special collections held in Cornwall and Exeter, including the maritime history collection at the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, and the Cornish Studies Library at Redruth. For dissertation work, in particular, you have an excellent range of libraries and archives within the county, and are also encouraged to use collections outside Cornwall, for which letters of introduction are written as necessary.
The College provides a Personal Tutor System for students based on the principles contained in the TQA Manual Code of Good Practice for Personal Tutor Systems. You are allocated a personal tutor who will be available for discussion of any problems or queries The tutor is available through office hours but also sees the tutee as a matter of course three times a year: once at registration (September/October); once for a structured annual appraisal of their performance during the inter-semester break (January); and once to discuss examination results and overall performance at each stage (June). The appraisal is particularly important – here, you discuss a pre-completed self-appraisal with their tutor, and agree an ‘action plan’ to consolidate and improve performance over the coming year. Personal tutors report to the Programme Leader. The Personal Tutor Scheme is overseen by the Head of Department.
The College ensures that a full record of your attendance, marks and seminar contribution is maintained over the duration of the programme. The College uses the BART system to monitor records of attendance and submission of work and to deliver marks, and for both departments seminar contributions will be monitored through Exeter Learning Environment (ELE) submissions.
Information Technology (IT) Services provide a wide range of services at the Cornwall Campus throughout the University including open access computer rooms, some of which are available 24 hours, 7 days a week. Helpdesks are maintained on the Cornwall and Exeter campuses, while most study bedrooms in halls and flats are linked to the University's campus network. E-mail is a standard channel of communication between students and staff. Student support materials, e.g. module descriptions are available on the Cornwall CSSIS web-site and reading lists are available on-line via ELE.
There is an ELE site for modules in Global Politics, built and maintained by the module convenor and a member of Cornwall campus IT Services staff, part of whose time is devoted to ELE at Cornwall.
The College and the University are pleased to welcome students with disability and provide extensive support services. Accessibility Services will develop a Personal Learning Plan for any student with disability, and this plan will enable the College to maximise the accessibility of the programme with support from the Personal Tutor in consultation with the College Disability Liaison officer and other members of the College. Almost all modules are classroom based and can be made accessible to students with a broad range of disabilities. You are encouraged, where possible, to contact their Personal Tutor and the Disability Liaison Officer in the semester before the Dissertation to enable forward planning.
In accordance with University policy, students in on our SH programmes in Politics at the Cornwall Campus are represented on the Student/Staff Liaison Committee for Politics and International Relations. This allows students to contribute directly to the enhancement of educational and other provisions directly to the Programme Co-ordinator of the programme.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)
12. Indicators of Quality and Standards
The programme is not subject to accreditation and/ or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).
13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards
The University and its constituent Colleges review the quality and standard of teaching and learning in all taught programmes against a range of criteria through the procedures outlined in the Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) Manual Quality Review Framework.
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) Global Politics
19. UCAS Code
Not applicable to this programme.
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | 360 |
ECTS credits | 180 |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
23. Dates
| Origin Date | Date of last revision |
|---|


