BA Politics and International Relations (Cornwall)

POC1003: British Government and Politics

This module will use the question of how pluralist British Politics is, to take students on a journey through under-examined aspects of British histories, cultures, and politics. In many respects it tackles the themes of traditional British Politics courses, but will provide a fresh new set of perspectives which begins from some of the inequalities which ripple through contemporary Britain. Our aim is that by exploring different positionalities and perspectives, some of the long-standing fracture lines in British society and politics can become better understood. Further, the module presents a version of politics in which power is dispersed throughout civil society, rather than held centrally in Westminster. We will explore the idea that the body politic is something that we all have the capacity to shape, and that we are all a part of, rather than something that is remote and inaccessible.

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POC1021: Key Concepts in Politics and International Relations

How and when did China, Russia, North Korea or Cuba become the 'bad guys' in mainstream popular culture and the news? Why does mainstream news prioritize the US' foreign policies over Brazil's, for instance? What do we mean by realist, constructivist or idealist approaches in IR? Are such 'old school' concepts still relevant in an increasingly globalized world where borders appear to be blurred? What other approaches has IR, as a discipline, shied away from and why is it important that we centre our analysis around them? Our global world, some would argue, is at an important historical juncture: the environment, sexual rights and space exploration have become major debates alongside increasingly populist states. How do we make sense of this variety? Who has the power to implement such analyses? Our module attempts to make sense of our world by drawing together classic and contemporary analysis in IR. We will draw on scholarly works whilst examining them in tandem with historical and current events.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students. The module is suitable for students studying Politics, History or International Relations.

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POC1033: Political Communication

Is communication ever not political? Since power and decision-making is central to the study of politics, many forms of communication have political dimensions. Informal, personal interactions can reflect or challenge power dynamics. Communication does not need to be explicitly ‘political’, to reinforce or disrupt existing structures and norms in ways that shape public debate. We will examine forms of political communication, such as incivility in social and political life, rhetorical speeches, opinion pieces, state apologies, debate, citizens assembly deliberation, referendum campaigns, responses to controversial statues and comedy. We will also explore the skills needed to engage in effective and inclusive political communication. You will therefore develop your own capacities as an effective and inclusive communicator through practice-based learning in both a group and an individual project.

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POC1036: Generative AI and Sustainable Futures: Ethics, Society, and Scholarship

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the production, communication and evaluation of knowledge across higher education, professional environments and society. This module provides you with the foundational understanding and practical competencies to become AI‑literate within their degree programmes. It equips you with a clear grasp of how Generative AI operates, develops your ability to use AI tools effectively and ethically, and encourages critical engagement with the opportunities and challenges AI presents for the Humanities, Social Sciences and Law. You will examine the technical principles underlying large language models and related systems, gaining insight into their capabilities, constraints and modes of operation. This technical grounding is complemented by structured opportunities to apply AI tools to academic research tasks, including project planning, source interrogation, argument development and the communication of ideas. Throughout, the module emphasises the importance of evaluative judgement: you will learn how to assess the quality, accuracy, reliability and biases of AI‑generated materials, and to make informed decisions about appropriate use. A distinctive feature of the module is its sustained engagement with the broader implications of AI for sustainability, social and environmental justice, legal processes and political life. You will explore how debates within your own disciplines intersect with the development and deployment of AI technologies, enabling you to situate your learning within wider scholarly and societal conversations. The module also incorporates personal skills auditing and guided professional development, supporting you in building responsible, reflective and future‑facing approaches to AI use. It prepares you not merely to use AI tools, but to understand, question and evaluate them as emerging and influential components of academic practice and contemporary society.

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HIC1010: Foundations of Environmental Humanities

This module introduces you to the insights provided by a range of humanities disciplines dealing with urgent issues of climate and environmental change. You will be introduced to key concepts and ideas and will track the emergence of Environmental Humanities as a new interdisciplinary field. You will get to learn about cultural, ethical, historical, social, political, legal and literary perspectives representing environmental humanities inquiry. You will study an array of theories, themes, issues, questions, and debates within the humanities in dialogue with the sciences. We will address issues associated with knowledge, meaning, justice, crisis, and sustainability.

The module aims to introduce you to the main themes, theories and discussion in current Environmental Humanities research, by focusing on cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches. You will develop a broad understanding of the relationship of nature, culture, history, science, technology, politics and economy in the context of today's climate and environmental crises. You will develop knowledge of the multi-layered and historically contingent relationship of nature, culture, politics, economy and science. We will discuss different perspectives on environmental, social and multi-species justice.

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HIC1605: European History: Politics and Society

This introductory module explores themes, ideas, and developments in history and historiography that are fundamental to understanding the past and its study. It does so through a chronological framework that maps onto key points in British and European history and scholarship. We consider the emergence and development of key concepts in European history including nationalism, democracy, and revolution, among others. We will also address questions and debates about periodization throughout European history. Within this framework, you will analyse key ideas, events, and individuals, as well as debate approaches taken by other scholars, past and present.

This module aims to introduce you to some of the foundational concepts, key events, and important individuals in European history. Mirroring the long chronologies of other core modules, you will gain insight into developments in European society and culture, while also attaining a foundational understanding of the general overview of European history. You will gain the ability to make connections between the core modules at first-year. This general understanding will give you a good grounding to look in greater detail at some of these and later events in the rest of your degree.

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HIC1610: An Introduction to Histories of Science and Environment

This module introduces you to the history of scientific and other systematic approaches to non-human nature in different parts of the globe from 1500 to the present day. You will develop a broad knowledge and critical understanding of the way historians, sociologists and other scholars have studied the complex and changing relationship between humans and the non-human environment. These will enrich your ability to understand how interdisciplinary approaches within the humanities and social sciences can yield powerful insights into the roots of our environmental crises and dilemmas.

This module aims to give you a broad understanding of the ways in which human cultures have interpreted and exploited their non-natural environments from 1500 to the present. These include Western scientific, non-Western and indigenous processes for making and applying knowledges. You will acquire a broad understanding of connections between, on the one hand, beliefs and practices concerning 'nature' and sustainability, and on the other. the wider contexts of politics, economics, imperialism, industrialisation, gender, race, conflict, religion and spirituality. The module will give you the ability to challenge assumptions made about such fundamental concepts as nature, environment, science and knowledge. It aims to enrich your ability to apply interdisciplinary approaches to critically understand a range of environmental issues that have become global crises.

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HIC1611: Global History: Twentieth Century Transformations

This module introduces key social, cultural, economic, and political themes in modern global history, with a particular focus on the twentieth century. Moving from colonialism and world wars through nationalism, migration and race, global governance, decolonisation, the Cold War, environmentalism and globalisation, it traces both global interconnectedness and moments of rupture. You will work closely with primary sources alongside secondary readings to engage with historians’ interpretations and develop your own evidence-based arguments.

This module aims:

· to develop your understanding of major patterns of global historical change in the modern period, approached from comparative international and cultural perspectives;

· to build your understanding of how global processes and micro-historical experiences inform one another, using case studies drawn from across the module;

· to strengthen your skills in historical enquiry, particularly in analysing primary sources for themed portfolio assessments, relating them to wider historiographical debates, and presenting your arguments clearly in written and oral form.

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POC1022: Violence in World Politics

This module will help you to understand the different conceptual approaches that enable a critique of violence in the contemporary international system.

Violence is an ever-present feature of international politics. Violence can be a direct and physical act, such as war and terrorism. Violence can also be a non-physical and anonymous act of neglect or abuse, such deprivation and abandonment. Violence can also be performed through culture and institutions. In this module we will examine a series of questions: What is violence? Where and how does it happen in world politics? What causes it? When is it justifiable? Is violence inevitable, or can violence be reduced, and even eliminated? By studying violence, we will examine some of the greatest challenges and issues in international politics today: war and terrorism; economic inequality; religious and secular justifications for violence; environmental, cultural and urban destruction; borders; sexual violence; and new technologies. Through the lens of International Relations scholarship, you will research, engage with, and critique different ways of conceptualising both the root causes of violence and the possibilities for change.

There are no pre-requisite or co-requisite modules required in order to take this module.

The aim of this module is to:

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POC1026: Power, Inequality and Global Justice

This module will help you to ask critical questions about the assumptions behind contemporary practices of power in the contemporary international system.

You will understand what it means to ask critical questions by exposing and deconstructing a range of empirical practices in world politics. Through this critical questioning, we will explore the issues and possibilities for global justice in the contemporary international system. In this module we will examine a series of questions: How can we think critically? How do we find out what is going on in the world? Why do we obey? Why is the world divided territorially? Do colonialism and slavery belong in the past? Why are some people better off than others? What makes the world dangerous? What can we do to change the world? Who do we think we are? How can we end poverty? You will be exposed to a variety of approaches or 'framings' of world politics and encouraged to develop your own perspectives and reasoned arguments about them.

There are no pre-requisite or co-requisite modules required in order to take this module. This module is particularly recommended for students who intend to pursue modules in International Relations at levels 2 and 3.

The aims of this module are to:

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POC1029: Work Placement

No prior knowledge skills or experience is required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

For this module you will complete 35 hours of work experience with an employer of your choice. The aim of this module is for you to gain employment experience, skills for finding and securing the perfect job, and to see how your academic learning translates into a post-university environment.

We will have a series of workshop sessions to help you with the skills required for finding/securing your work placement, including CV writing and practical sessions talking about day-to-day issues within your placements.

You will arrange your placements yourselves, using the assistance of the Employability resources on campus, and may undertake your placement at any point up until the end of April. This will allow you to undertake work experience in other parts of the UK/world if you so choose.

This module will help you to gain experience in a graduate level working environment, building contacts, skills, and knowledge to help you start out on your career post university, or try out a field that you think that you might be interested in but need to understand more.

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POC2087: Security Studies

This module will introduce you to the field of Security Studies, allowing you to critically engage with a range of contemporary practices in the current international system that are performed in the name of security. Popular and official discourse in contemporary international relations is littered with references to a need to protect and improve 'security'? But what does that mean? How does an actor practice 'security'? Does seeking more security make us less insecure? And is there a tension between securities and liberties? In this module, we will examine different theoretical and conceptual understandings of security and of security practices in international relations. You will have the opportunity to examine a range of issues, including: the politics and ethics of nuclear deterrence; the strategy of warfare; the ethics of torture and human rights, security and race; security and gender; the role of technology and the pre-emptive security practices of the War on Terror.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

This module will:

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POC2124: Political Analysis

This module will introduce you to political analysis in order to prepare you for your dissertation in third year. You will engage with a range of theories and approaches to the study of Politics and International Relations. You will be challenged to reflect on the assumptions that underpin various analytical lenses, which in turn shape the questions that can be asked and answered. As experts in their field, staff will offer political issues to be analysed and work through a number of different approaches and methods, using real world examples of research on that issue. Through the module you will be guided on choosing a suitable topic for your dissertation, conducting a literature review, generating your own focussed research questions, and designing an independent research project.

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POC2136: Politics, Policy and Economics

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POC2005: American Politics

Students of Politics need to understand different political systems around the world. While the United States is very familiar to us it has a political system that is fundamentally unlike that of Britain or most countries in Europe. Indeed, the way it elects its president, for example, is unique. This module provides an introduction to American democracy, from its foundations in the Constitution and federalism, to its political culture, institutions and processes, and the policies that emerge from it all. It examines the design and rationale for the American political system and the implications it has for governing and the policy making process. We will also examine how reforms to governmental institutions and processes might influence the way citizens interact with government. Throughout the module we will make comparisons between the American system and other democracies around the world.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

This module comprehensively examines the political system of the United States, from its foundations with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, through the way its institutions work, to contemporary debates about gun control and health care. We will use theories and findings from the study of US Politics to understand politics in each of the domains we study. We will survey classic and contemporary work in these fields.

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POC2018: National and Community Identity

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.

This module explores the politics of identity, through the concepts of memory, belonging, otherness and difference.

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POC2041: The Political Psychology of Elites

When we study the decisions of political leaders, we often think about them in terms of the power relations between states. Or we look at leaders as rational actors determined to maximize benefits and minimize costs. In other words, we ignore what is often referred to as the 'black box', or the psychological processes and dynamics that lie behind decisions. Political psychology focuses explicitly on the 'black box.' In this module, you will examine psychological explanations of elite policy decision-making, focusing mostly on foreign policy cases such as the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq. Political psychology is a relatively new subfield of Politics that has provided a wealth of new insights and approaches to the study of politics, many of which you will encounter in this module.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

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POC2047: Work Placement

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

For this module you will complete 35 hours of voluntary work experience with an employer of your choice. The aim of this module is for you to gain employment experience, skills for finding and securing the perfect job, and to see how your academic learning translates into a post-university environment.

We will have a series of workshop sessions to help you with the skills required for finding/ securing your work placement, including CV writing, and practical sessions talking about day-to-day issues within your placements.

You may arrange your placements yourselves using the assistance of the Employability resources on campus, and may undertake your placement at any point up until the end of April. This will allow you to undertake placements in other parts of the UK/ world if you so choose.

This module will help you to gain experience in a graduate level working environment, building contacts, skills, and knowledges to help you start out on your career post university, or try out a field that you think that you might be interested in but need to understand more.

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POC2085: Imagining the Good Life: From Agora to the American Dream

In this module we will work together to think critically about the core political question that has exercised theorists for over two millennia. What is a Good Life and how can society be organised to achieve it, for who or what? What role should the state have in conceptualising and creating a good life for its citizens and others? What function should a vision of The Good Life play in organising society? These questions are still relevant, if not crucial, as taken for granted systems and world orders are becoming increasingly unstable. What social imaginaries should create a new vision for the future, one that perhaps should extend beyond old ideas of 'the social'? In this module we will engage with some key theories of The Good Life from ancient to modern times, covering the different concepts of human and planetary flourishing. What roles should virtue, resilience, happiness, pleasure, justice and liberty. How could we think about duty to other humans, species and entities in relation to our own good lives? We will assess the continuing relevance of those ideas in relation to national and global governance and pressing contemporary issues.

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POC2103: Introduction to Postcolonialism

In this course you will examine postcolonialism as a field of study that is intrinsic to understanding world politics and International Relations, by focussing on the ways in which the contemporary global order is constituted by the experience and practice of colonialism. The course also revisits some of the lingering impasses encountered in classic postcolonial debates by placing them in conversation with futurity studies in order to ponder alternative possibility/ies and modes of knowledge production. As such, questions related to cultural production, the environment, and aesthetics are integral to it.

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POC2108: Political Geographies: Local to Global

Our political identities, communities, debates, and activities both take place and make place . The conditions we live in, and our sense of alternatives, are shaped by the specifics of the places in which we are located. And how we navigate these conditions and pursue these alternatives - how we engage in politics - give material and symbolic shape to the world we inhabit. Drawing on critical feminist and decolonial contributions, this module engages the politics of how we position ourselves in the world, in our research and in everyday life. This module begins by introducing debates about the language of local and global space, place and politics. Similarly, it introduces interdisciplinary 'methods' by examining the politics of knowledge: how we define, feel, understand, and communicate politics, space and place, not only through writing but also through aesthetics and images, sensory encounters, and outdoor activities. The module then examines the dominant modern political geography of the state, from which we get specific versions of individual, local, regional and international space. Finally, we will use current political issues - such as (but not bound to) decolonization movements, urban development battles, refugee claims, climate emergency and Indigenous sovereignty claims - to assess how contemporary political life might generate different forms of space and place. We will read across disciplines of politics and IR, geography and geopolitics, and environmental, feminist, Indigenous, and postcolonial political geographies. By the end of the module, you will be able to describe and critically engage different accounts of political space and place, and the forms of political subjectivity, political community, and political analysis that emerge from these accounts.

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POC2123: Politics of the Middle East

Famous satirist Karl reMarks remarks that God created the MENA region for the specific and noble purpose of permanently supplying global audiences with 'Breaking News.' Have you ever wondered how and why a region as vast and heterogeneous as the Middle East has become strictly associated with authoritarianism, women and LGBT population's oppression, and permanent wars? This module is an exciting opportunity to rethink politics - broadly speaking - in the Middle East. It unpacks the complexities of state-society relationships by examining them at the domestic, regional and global levels and by drawing on an array of scholarly and popular sources. What emerges is a complex region that seriously pushes us to re-assess our understanding of democracy, resistance, agency and modernity. The module adopts a largely decolonial approach that downgrade state-centric analysis and asks questions relevant to minorities and racial inequalities in the region.

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module. Although the module is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students, some degree of interest in the region is expected on the part of the student. The module is suitable for students studying Politics, Comparative Politics, History or International Relations.

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POC2128: Global Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism is on the rise around the world, whether in the form of growing hostility to Western democracy promotion, the roll-back of democratic governance in countries thought to have ‘transitioned’ to democracy or the growing popularity of populist politics within established democracies. Increasingly, democratic governance seems to be revealing itself as an historical anomaly, rather than a consolidating trend. But what is authoritarianism? How can we trace it? What drives it?

This module aims to help you answer these questions, and more, by exploring the international and domestic factors that sustain authoritarian politics. It will introduce you to the range of theoretical approaches, as well as the conceptual and methodological challenges in the study of authoritarianism, which will be explored through a variety of case studies, from the ‘classical’ authoritarian regimes to those considered ‘democratic’.

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POC2133: Politics of Gender, Sex and Sexuality

This module explores key ideas on gender, sex, and sexuality, providing a critical grounding in feminist and queer theory. It applies a decolonial feminist lens to women's movements and feminist theories in the West and beyond. It also examines intersectionality, analyzing how marginalized identities—such as gender, sexuality, race, disability, and religion—intersect with gender. While the focus is on gender rather than women, we will primarily discuss women's rights and also consider masculinity and men's movements.

The aims of this module are to:

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HIC2009: Ecology and Empire

This module examines how colonialism has shaped both the environment we inhabit and the ways we imagine our relationship to it. Through the lens of environmental history, it traces the ecological consequences of imperialism, the colonial formation of environmental knowledge, and the entanglement of globalisation, land politics, and sovereignty. Students will explore how anticolonial and environmental movements have contested these legacies and consider what it means to think beyond them.

You will engage with a range of historical sources—including archives, letters, photographs, and maps—and develop skills in interpreting them through postcolonial and settler‑colonial perspectives. By situating imperial and global histories within environmental frameworks, the module addresses questions such as:

• What is imperialism, and how has it shaped the world around us?
• How does an environmental history lens change our understanding of colonisation and decolonisation?
• In what ways has colonialism organised knowledge about the natural world, and how might we move beyond those frameworks?

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HIC2040: Stolen Histories: Colonialism, Looting, and the Illicit Trade of Cultural Heritage

How did West African material culture like the Benin Bronzes end up in European museums? Why does their journey matter? What do objects and artworks such as these mean to us now, in the 21st century, as we live with the legacy of empire? What do they tell us about culture, power, and the links between finance and politics? To whom do these artefacts belong? This module will explore the complexities of decolonising spaces and disentangling repatriation claims using an interdisciplinary approach integrating perspectives from history, anthropology, art history, and museum studies.

This module will be of interest to students who want to explore the historical context of stolen objects to understand how and why they were taken. You will have the opportunity to explore the world of fake objects and forged artworks, shipwreck looting, the illicit trade in antiquities, war zone collecting, and debates surrounding contemporary 3D reproduction printing. We will examine how museums respond to issues surrounding the sale of objects, the politics of museum closures, and the disposal of collections across different geographical regions. You will develop skills in analysing material culture, using objects as primary sources.

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HIC2041: Critical Elements of Environmental Humanities: Cultures of Earth and Water

How can the humanities help us understand and respond to the ecological and climate emergency? How do these emergencies challenge traditional approaches to the study of human culture and ‘nature’? This module approaches these urgent questions through the study of landscapes and waterscapes as both a physical and ideological entity. Every landscape and waterscape is shaped by the often unintended consequences of its human and nonhuman histories. On this module you will investigate landscapes and waterscapes (from oceans to rivers and lakes) shaped by a range of connected processes such as mining and extraction, farming, energy production, conservation and recreation, pollution and waste. We will examine the multiple, often competing meanings that landscapes and waterscapes hold across societies and cultures, both locally and globally. We will engage critically with the visible and invisible legacies of colonialism and extractivism. We will also seek out possibilities for hope in acts of and in the regeneration of ruined landscapes and waterscapes.

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HIC2338: Germany 1500-Present: Cultural and Political Histories

This module will examine the cultural and political history of Germany and its regions within a longue durée framework. It will particularly look at how attempts to define the 'who,' 'what' and 'where' of local and national communities shaped the unfolding of German history. Different answer to these questions often made the difference between war and peace, life and death, and democracy and dictatorship. The module will begin in the early modern period with the earliest attempts to imagine the nation on the map and will proceed to an era of modern nationalism—examining the failure of liberal ideas of nation of 1848, political unification under Bismarck, and popular ideas of Germany as a 'nation of regions.' Moving from the Second Empire to the Weimar Republic and the mass violence of the Third Reich, we will conclude by examining attempts after 1945 to rethink local and national communities within a new federalist democracy and a unified Europe.

• The module will introduce you to the shaping of local, regional and national communities in German history across the longue durée.
• It will examine the ideologically variant contexts in which ideas of community were formed and the tools used in their shaping. Notions of Germany as a 'nation of regions' will represent a particular focal point.
• Over the course of module, you will be asked to reflect critically on how, within the context of German history, differing ideas about community had broader social, cultural and geopolitical ramifications.

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HUC2013: Enlightenment and the Age of Reason: Philosophy, Politics, Society

Today we take for granted that scientific rationality, individual autonomy, universal human rights, and notions of 'progress' are key features of the modern world, but how did this happen? This module explores the social, cultural, and political conditions in Britain, Europe, and the wider world in the period c. 1650-1800 within the context of the birth of the 'modern world'. Each week you will examine key works, people, and institutions that contributed to the intellectual, cultural and social discourses of this crucial period of flux, which has had long-lasting and world-wide consequences, some of which you will explore during the course of the module.

This module aims to give you in-depth knowledge of a crucial period in history and to engage you in critical reading and thinking. Primary source texts and secondary literature will present you with ample material to develop critical and analytical skills, as well as hone your discursive and communication skills in the seminar discussions which will be a key component of this module. Lectures will provide key background information, especially biographical and historical context and introduce key themes and questions for discussion. You will have the opportunity to undertake independent research and to present their work in a supportive environment.

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HAS3999: Study Abroad

The Study Abroad programme enables you to undertake a year-long study placement at a partner university outside of the UK, as part of your degree programme.

This module serves as the administrative mechanism for recording the Study Abroad assessment results of students within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS). Students participating in the Study Abroad programme and based in a HASS department (except for the Law School, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Modern Languages, and the School of Education) will be registered on this module during their Study Abroad placement year.

The Study Abroad programme widens the range of modules available to you during Stage 3 of your degree programme; enables you to broaden your academic horizons by studying in a different learning culture and (where relevant and appropriate) in languages other than English; and aims to promote resilience, independence, cultural awareness, and communication skills.

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HAP3906: Work Placement Year

This third-year module forms part of the 4 Year 'with work placement' programmes offered by HaSS, Cornwall to include the Law and Business Programmes with Professional/Industrial Placement, the Politics Programmes with Employment Experience (EE) or Employment Experience Abroad (EEA) and the Humanities Programmes with EE/EEA.

On this module you will work in the UK or abroad for the whole academic year (a minimum of 28 weeks). You will use one or two placements to gain skills that equip you to work in the global jobs market and to improve your knowledge of the work environment. You are encouraged to deepen your understanding of the workplace and the employability skills that you acquire during the year.

Placement durations are as follows:

• for a single placement, a minimum of 28 weeks, excluding statutory and other holidays;
• for two placements, a minimum of 14 weeks per placement, excluding statutory and other holidays.

Prerequisites: to have studied HAP2906

This module cannot be combined with any study year abroad module.

The aims of this module are to provide you with opportunities to:

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HAP3000: Dissertation

The dissertation module equips you with ability to design and carry out independent research on a specific research topic in History and/or Politics and International Relations - with the support from an academic supervisor - resulting in a dissertation.

Each dissertation is a unique research project shaped by your own research interests and ideas and compliant with the standards or rigour and validity of academic research. Hence, there is art and skill to competing a dissertation. It helps developing deep discipline-specific knowledge and valuable transferable skills, including project and time management, engaging with feedback, research, data analysis, critical thinking and communication skills.

This module aims to equip you with necessary knowledge and skills to conduct your own dissertation research in History and/or Politics and International Relations using a series of dissertation lectures and workshops, as well as supervision meetings with a supervisor. These sessions will cover the research process and basics of research design, and other topics essential for your dissertation project. Overall, the module will enable you to conduct your independent research to address a research question of your choice in a rigorous, ethical and competent manner, thus, making you an expert in this research topic.

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HAP3001: Environmental Humanities: Futures

This module explores how environmental humanities can help us imagine different futures in the face of climate and ecological crisis. Focusing on the themes of hope, sustainability and stewardship, we examine story-telling and community activism, landscape histories, the rise and critique of sustainable development, and practices such as commons-based governance. We then turn to historical and contemporary ideas of stewardship, from pre-industrial Britain to energy futures, degrowth, green colonialism and relationships with more-than-human worlds, culminating in a reflection on what it might mean to be a 'good ancestor'.

You will engage with historical case studies, theoretical texts and creative work to investigate how narratives of time, progress and crisis shape environmental futures. Through critical and reflective assessments, you will analyse the limits of dominant (often Western and extractive) models of sustainability, engage with anti-colonial and anti-extractivist perspectives, and experiment with alternative imaginaries of care, responsibility and collective action on a damaged planet.

This module aims:

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HIC3038: Caribbean Histories: Colonialism, Resistance and Environmental Crisis

This interdisciplinary module focuses on the Caribbean region as a case study for exploring twenty-first century modes of imagining climate change and environmental catastrophe in the (post) colonial context to investigate the relationship between Caribbean histories of colonisation and exploitation, concomitant narratives and theories of climate change, climate crisis, resilience, and response. Through engaging with histories, stories, and practices of resistance across the Caribbean, you will uncover and examine the ways in which alternative imagined futures, to those of the dominant Anglo-American climate change discourse, empower communities impacted by climate change in the present.

Keywords: Caribbean history; culture; colonialism; environmental crisis; resistance; imagined futures.

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HIC3044: Boffins: Scientists, War, Politics and Culture in the Twentieth Century

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HIC3048: Gender, Power and Identity in Early Modern Britain

This module will provide you with a unique opportunity to investigate the meanings and construction of gender in historical context: not just biological difference but also the social meanings attached to that difference. You will engage with the most recent research on queer theory, gender and sexuality, homosexuality, and the cultural origins of the male/female binary . Throughout the module you will discover how contemporaries expressed their sexual identities in often unexpected and surprising ways. We are concerned with contrasting the myths about gender relations in this period with a close understanding of the documented experiences of the lives of men and women, both rich and poor, from childhood to old age. You will explore the ways historical lines of enquiry have developed over time and how old assumptions are modified in light of new theoretical and methodological developments. Overall this module will advance your understanding of the importance of gender as a key component of early modern history and the extent to which gender offers a 'useful category of analysis' in the study of all periods of History.

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HIC3050: Pacific Histories: Environment, People, and Politics

This module introduces the Pacific as a vibrant region of mobility, exchange, protest and activism, challenging older portrayals of it as an empty space without history or culture. Focusing on the modern period, you will examine Pacific histories of migration and colonisation, decolonisation and indigenous rights, environmental justice and global environmental politics. You will also explore how Pacific peoples have participated in regional and international forums of governance, and reflect critically on how knowledge about the Pacific is produced, silenced and contested.

This module aims:

• to deepen your understanding of key historical and theoretical approaches to Pacific histories, drawing on global, transnational and interdisciplinary perspectives, including Pacific Studies and Environmental Humanities;
• to develop your skills in analysing a wide range of sources—such as maps, photographs, oral histories, protest literature, music, material culture, petitions and archival records—to interpret Pacific pasts and their wider significance;
• to support you in designing and communicating independent historical work for different audiences, through both a creative piece with reflective commentary and a research essay.
  

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