Programme Specification for the 2024/5 academic year
BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations | Programme code | UFS3HPSHPS04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Full Time |
Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
This exciting and distinctive programme combines the study of Politics and International Relations with rigorous training in research design and statistical data analysis. BSc Politics and International Relations offers the opportunity to examine key questions in the field of politics and international relations, while also gaining data analysis skills that are increasingly in demand from employers in the UK and abroad. You will study how government is constituted and how politics takes place on a global scale. You will explore the foundations of the study of politics in terms of its objects of analysis, the nature of political knowledge and the design of political research. You will examine the various forms of politics through history and in thought. You will interrogate the questions of the political including the various forms of government, the nature of public policy and administration, of war and peace, and of resource scarcity and distribution. You will address these questions via traditional lectures and tutorials as well as innovative group work, simulations and technical training.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
1. To provide an excellent education across the range of political studies, from core to specialist, in a supportive and responsive learning environment that is enriched by research.
2. To enable you to understand and use the main concepts, approaches and theories of the discipline; to analyse, interpret and evaluate political events, ideas and institutions; and to relate the academic study of politics to questions of public concern.
3. To develop your competence in subject-specific, core academic and personal and key skills.
4. To offer you a wide range of choice, insofar as this choice is consistent with the coherence and intellectual rigour of the degree.
5. To equip you to be questioning and productive members of society.
4. Programme Structure
The BSc Politics and International Relations degree is a 3 year programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into 3 ‘Stages’. Each Stage is normally equivalent to an academic year. The programme is also 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, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work. This single honours programme is studied over three years and is university-based throughout that time.
The 'level' of a module (designated by the first number in the module code) indicates its position in the progressive development of academic abilities and/or practical skills. The degree programme contains compulsory and elective modules and, under the University's rules on modularity, as part of the degree programme students may take up to 30 credits a year outside their main degree subject, choosing from modules in another department within the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, or within another College. You may take Elective Modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in each stage of the programme as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. Modules and other study components can be taken only with the approval of the Discipline/Unit (normally given by the student's personal tutor). Assessment at Stage 1 does not contribute towards the overall mark for the degree programme, although an overall pass is necessary for progression to Stage 2.
Interim Awards
Under exceptional circumstances a student may exit the programme with a Certificate of Higher Education on completion of 120 Credits (with at least 90 at NQF level 4) or a Diploma of Higher Education on completion of 240 credits (with no more than 150 credits at NQF level 4, and at least 90 credits at NQF level 5).
5. Programme Modules
The BSc Politics and International Relations degree programme is made up of compulsory (core), and optional modules, which are worth 15 or 30 credits each. Full-time undergraduate students need to complete modules worth a total of 120 credits each year.
Stage 1
Stage 1: 75 credits of compulsory modules, 45 credits of optional modules.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSI1005 | Introduction to Social Data | 15 | No |
| SSI1006 | Data Analysis in Social Science 1 | 15 | No |
| POL1019 | Power and Democracy | 15 | No |
| POL1017 | Globalisation of World Politics | 15 | No |
| POL1000 | Critical Skills for Politics and International Relations | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
In addition, students take 45 credits from Level 1 of the Politics and International Relations programme.
View option modules here
Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability
Stage 2
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSI2004 | Research Design in the Social Sciences | 15 | Yes |
| SSI2005 | Data Analysis in Social Science 2 | 15 | Yes |
Optional Modules
Students must also take 90 credits from modules at Level 2 of the Politics and International Relations programme.
View option modules here
Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSI2002 | Data Analysis in the Workplace | 15 | No |
Stage 3
Stage 3: 30 credits of compulsory modules, 90 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSI3019 | Quantitative Dissertation | 30 | Yes |
Optional Modules
Students must select 90 credits from Level 3 of the Politics and International Relations programme.
View option modules here
Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability
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. Employ quantitative analysis of political data. | 1 and 4 are developed across all programme stages moving from broad areas of politics in stage 1 to progressively core specialised aspects at stages 3 and 4. 2 and 3 are present in some form in all Politics modules. Development of 2 is ensured through the requirement of the students to take two theory modules in stage 1 and at least one theory module in stages 1 and 2. 3 is also ensured through directed module choice embedded in programme pathways at stages 1 and 2. | These skills are summatively assessed through a combination of term-time essays, presentations and examinations. The combination of and length of essays, presentations and exams will vary from one module to the next according to credit value in conformity with College Assessment Norms. |
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: | |
5. Gather, organise and deploy evidence and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources. | These skills are developed throughout the degree programme with progression in stages 1 and 2 as students move from stage to stage. 7 is developed through self assessment of assignments, staff feedback on formative assignments and student self appraisal. | 5 and 6 are assessed through term-time essays, oral presentations and examinations. |
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: | |
8. Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing. | 8 is developed through presentations, class discussions and written assignments. 9 and 10 are developed through presentations and written assignments. | 8 and 10 are assessed through presentations, written assignments, and examinations. 9 is assessed through written assignments that require ICT for the retrieval and presentation of information. |
7. Programme Regulations
Classification
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
Personal and Academic tutoring: It is University policy that all Colleges should have in place a system of academic and personal tutors. The role of academic tutors is to support you on individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support for the duration of the programme and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.
As an undergraduate student in the College of Social Sciences and International Studies you will be allocated a Personal Tutor at the commencement of your studies. In normal circumstances your Personal Tutor will remain your tutor throughout your study programme. Your Personal Tutor is normally available through scheduled office hours, but should also see you as a matter of course three or four times a year (depending on your year of study); these meetings may typically commence soon after registration. These meetings will take place once or twice mid-year to discuss your progress and to perhaps consider Personal Development Planning (ePDP) and once to discuss your overall performance. The ePDP is a particularly useful developmental tool which you are encouraged to utilize and which is accessible though the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE).
You should feel that you are able to approach your personal tutor for advice, pastoral support or academic support in a wider sense.
Library, ELE and other resources provided to support this programme:
The Library offers you core services for learning and research. Whilst the various locations house a large collection of materials and services, many of our resources are available online through this website http://as.exeter.ac.uk/library/ for you to use at home, work or wherever you are located for your study. Each discipline has a subject librarian on hand to help you to find resources and we also work with tutors to digitize reading lists for inclusion in the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE).
Exeter Learning Environment (ELE) is used throughout the University to make course materialsavailable online. You will be able to access module information, presentations, handouts, reading materials as well as interacting with other students and your tutors. Many tutors use ELE to run assessments and set coursework assignments. In addition to the materials provided by your tutors, there are various other resources available on ELE to help you in your studies, for example, you will be able to access your ePDP, the University’s online PDP system, which has been developed to help you keep an ongoing record of your academic, work and extra-curricular experiences, and help you develop action plans and personal statements.
The University provides a range of IT services, including open and training clusters of PCs (available on a 24/7 basis). In the Social Sciences and International Studies College this includes a 24/7 suite in Amory, based in the Law Library and a second one in the St Luke’s Campus Library. These suites are accessible by swiping your university card. The majority of the College also has access to the university’s wireless network. Network access isavailable from the majority of rooms in University halls of residence through the ResNet system.
All of these suites have the standard ‘palms’ printing systems in them (printing from credit held on your university card).
Helpdesks are maintained on the Streatham and Cornwall campuses.
Student/Staff Liaison Committee enables students & staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
10. Admissions Criteria
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
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
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
BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations
19. UCAS Code
L292
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | 360 |
ECTS credits | 180 |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] Politics and international relations
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 26/2/14 |
Date of last revision | 30/3/15 |
|---|
