BA Politics

POL1000: Critical Skills for Politics and International Relations

This module provides you with an introduction to the study of politics and international relations with a focus on skills to enable effective learning, critical thinking, and academic success. It supports development of skills that are crucial to various areas of academic practice (as well as life beyond university), such as: finding and critically engaging with appropriate sources; effective reading; academic integrity and referencing; analysis and argumentation; use of evidence; planning and structuring academic writing; and effective communication. You will develop your skills in these areas alongside discussion of a variety of socio-political topics as well as issues of epistemology and research methodology.

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POL1025: Classical Political Thought

This module is the first instalment in a series of History of Political Thought modules at Exeter. You will study some of the formative political writings in the Western philosophical tradition that have come down to us from the pens of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. You will become acquainted with a world very different from our own, yet one that is the source of many of the concepts, values, institutions, and much of the language, of modern Western politics. For example, ‘democracy’, ‘tyranny’, ‘justice’, ‘citizen’, ‘republic’, and ‘politics’ itself are all words that have Greek or Latin origins, and refer to ideas crucial to the political thought of the Classical period.

The aims of this module are:

• Historical – to introduce you to various important Classical political thinkers, their context, ideas, and relationships;
• Philosophical – to critically explore the structure and coherence of the ideas studied and to enable you to reflect on their value for thinking about politics in our own time;
• Methodological – to help you develop skills in close-reading and interpretation of textual evidence, skills which have application in many areas of life, academic and otherwise.

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POL1029: Introduction to Comparative Politics

This module introduces you to the key concepts, theories, and methods from the field of Comparative Politics. Topics include the nature and origins of the modern state, democracy, authoritarianism and regime transitions, social and political cleavages, elections, political participation and media systems. You will develop the skills needed to engage in rigorous and systematic comparison, and to apply core theories to better understand political change. Although we will spend time thinking about concepts and theories, empirical case studies will inform all the questions we ask. In true comparative fashion, our examples will be drawn from a wide variety of representative case studies around the world. Teaching and learning for this module will take place in an interactive environment where students will be expected to engage fully with their peers and tutor, as well as working independently. Lectures will introduce key concepts and give students a grounding in the main issues and debates pertaining to the topic under consideration. Independent study and tutorials will help students to formulate, debate, and refine their own analyses of these topics.

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POL1047: Global Sustainability Policy and Governance

Multiple transnational challenges face policy-makers in the 21st Century, raising questions over how they should be governed in practice. In this respect, the United Nations has set out a normative agenda for future global policy up to the year 2030 via its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by national governments in 2012. These goals encompass the critical issues of our times, including reducing poverty, ensuring access to clean water, promoting clean energy, preserving oceans, reducing inequality and maintaining global security. Achieving them will require innovative critical thinking and novel, interdisciplinary policy solutions.

This foundation module seeks to identify, discuss and evaluate emerging policy responses to these challenges at multiple institutional levels as basis for lesson-drawing. Drawing on theories of governance as an analytical lens it will: examine the context relating to the SDGs; provide an overview of the UN targets; introduce a range of governance theories (for example, multi-level governance, network governance, regulatory governance, collaborative governance, urban governance, polycentric governance, mixed governance, global governance); and provide an empirical and theoretical analysis of critical policy challenges to attaining the SDGs.

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POL2046: The Economics of Politics

This module aims to provide you with the skills to critically evaluate and apply rational choice approaches as an analytical tool for the examination of political phenomena. First, it discusses the underlying assumptions and their theoretical and empirical implications for political analyses. Second, the seminar will make you familiar with core approaches introducing economic reasoning in the conceptualisation and in the analysis of politics. Third, it will introduce you to the applications of rational choice theory in comparative politics.

This module aims at providing you with the skills to critically evaluate and apply rational choice approaches as an analytical tool for the examination of political phenomena. First, it discusses the underlying assumptions and their theoretical and empirical implications for political analyses. Second, the seminar makes you familiar with core approaches introducing economic reasoning in the conceptualisation and in the analysis of politics. Third, it introduces applications of rational choice theory in comparative politics.

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POL2059: Political Thought of Modernity

This module will introduce you to some of the most influential, fascinating, and controversial texts and traditions in Western political thought - from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century - and, in so doing, will encourage you to interrogate how the very idea of modernity is conceptualised and contested. In reading these texts, you will come to understand, and engage in critique of, the modern political concepts - rights, freedom, equality, democracy, civil society, property, revolution, the state, and modernity itself - that continue to animate our civic discussions as well as the intellectual traditions (liberalism, Idealism, Marxism) of the modern period.

This module aims:

• To introduce you to the some of the most important texts and traditions (in Western political thought) through the study of selected texts.
• To enable your understanding of how political arguments fit together to form complex philosophical theories and, by extension, of how ostensibly discrete political viewpoints are actually embedded in a whole network of beliefs.
• To develop your ability to critically assess both theoretical texts and subsequent interpretations of them.
• To encourage you to think critically about individual political ideas as well as about the notion of modernity after the French Revolution.

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POL2102: Explaining Public Policies

In this module you will explore key policy research theories in depth. You will be provided with a range of conceptual approaches that explore themes including: the role of stories in policy-making; the sources of radical policy change; the impact of policies on people and their self-identity. We explore these themes using case studies from contemporary policy-making for example, LGBTQ+ policy change, gun control and capital punishment. The module provides the opportunity to think critically about the everyday issues faced by policymakers in the UK and globally and is highly recommended to any students interested in public policy and wish to continue this pathway at Level 3.

The module helps you understand and explain why policies take the forms they do. After the introductory lecture, the module is taught in four 2-week cycles; a theoretical framework will be introduced in the first week and then applied to an empirical setting in the second week through research-led teaching. The tutorials will cover these topics. In addition to encouraging students to think like policymakers, the module will provide links to employability and future career pathways such as the Civil Service, political communication, lobbying, think tanks and policy advisor roles.

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POL2128: Introduction to Research Design in Politics and International Relations

This module has been designed to offer you an introduction to research design. Research design sheds light on the different ways to ask the right research questions, examine the evidence, and test ideas. For instance, you might be interested in a professional career in politics and want to analyse data on election polls, or you might be considering any job that evaluates evidence for policymaking or the media. To get meaningful conclusions from any data, you need first to understand the principles of research design. This module will teach you how to ask research questions and collect data that helps you answer those questions. You will be introduced to both qualitative and quantitative research methods, allowing you to choose from various types of research designs for your final year dissertation.

The module aims to:

(1) introduce you to research design in politics and international relations;

(2) help you gain practical knowledge in implementing different types of data collection and evaluation;

(3) provide you with the tools to critically review social science research and public debates;

(4) provide you with desirable research skills for employment in governmental and non-governmental organisations, and the private sector.

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HAS2905: Employment Experience HASS

This 2nd year module forms part of the 'with Employment Experience HASS' pathway. This non-credit bearing module aims to help you to prepare for the placement year that will take place in the third year of your degree. The module aims to assist you in your job/placement search and to provide a general preparation for successful participation in the workplace.

Delivery is through blended learning with a combination of lectures, e-learning resources and workshops. Completion of all sessions is mandatory unless specified as optional.

This 2nd year module forms part of the 'with Employment Experience' pathway. This non-credit bearing module aims to help students on this programme to prepare for the placement year that will take place in the third year of their degree. The module aims to assist students in their job/placement search and to provide a general preparation for successful participation in the workforce.

The combination of workshops, lectures and e-learning units focus on securing a placement, work-readiness and professionalism.

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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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HAS3998: Employment Experience

This module allows you to undertake and to learn from an extended work placement during the third year of a four year “with Employment Experience” programme. You will use one or more work placements to gain skills that equip you to work in the employment market and to improve your knowledge of the work environment. You are encouraged to think about the intercultural competence and the employability skills that you acquire during your year.

To progress to this module, you will have secured a suitable placement for a minimum of 26 weeks.

Having developed the skills necessary to find relevant roles and apply for roles in the graduate labour market, this is an invaluable opportunity to develop work-related skills and experience that will further enhance your success in the graduate labour market and support your future career choices.

During your placement year you will be supported by the Module Convenor and Placement Team.

The module assessment structure provides opportunity and support for you to evaluate your skills and achievements using personal development techniques.  You will also write an Employer Report to showpiece the culmination of your academic and business skills.

This module aims to:

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POL3040: Dissertation

The dissertation module will equip you with a detailed knowledge of one particular topic within the discipline. You will gain an ability to design and carry out independent research - with the support and supervision of a member of academic staff. Each dissertation is a unique research project shaped by your own research interests and ideas, yet also compliant with the standards or rigour and validity of academic research. This means that there is both an art and a skill to writing a dissertation, which makes the process both challenging and rewarding.

This module aims to equip you with necessary knowledge and skills to conduct research on the research question of your choice resulting in a dissertation within one of the areas of politics, including political science, or political theory, or political philosophy, or International Relations. It is taught by using a series of dissertation skills sessions that introduce you how to design, research for and write up your dissertation; by drawing upon one-to-one supervision meetings working with one of the members of staff, and most importantly, based on your independent research.

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POL3100: Dissertation

The dissertation module offers an opportunity for independent research on a self-selected topic, fostering in-depth knowledge within the discipline. Under the guidance of an academic supervisor, you will develop the skills to design and conduct rigorous independent research. Each dissertation is a unique project shaped by personal research interests while adhering to academic standards. The process involves reflective engagement in designing and executing independent research, utilizing primary sources such as archives, texts, statistics, reports, interviews, and media. Writing a dissertation is a challenging yet rewarding endeavour.

This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct independent research on a self-selected research question, culminating in a dissertation within the field of politics. Focused on areas such as Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory, Political Philosophy, International Relations, or Area Studies, the module employs dissertation skills sessions to guide you in designing, researching, and writing your dissertation.

Utilizing a combination of group and one-to-one supervision meetings, the module emphasizes independent research. The process encourages a genuine engagement with research methods in Politics, fostering essential skills for independent work, including organization, motivation, initiative, and communication.

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