Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 2500 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Logbook 2500 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 2500 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Logbook 2500 Words | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Evaluate conceptual debates surrounding key questions of international politics and global development
Analyse the impact on world politics and/or global development of some of the factors such as economics, geopolitical organization, colonialism, identity, religion, environment
Discuss the impact of different disciplinary ways of thinking on questions of world politics
Demonstrate an understanding of the difficulty of resolving questions of world politics
Evaluate contending academic and policy responses to particular questions in global politics and development
Analyse questions of world politics and global development as interconnected
Re-evaluate current conceptualizations of international politics and global development
Brief description
The module examines questions about world politics and global development framed in the context of specific case studies of particular places and people. It examines the detail of each case, and discusses what questions it raises; this is followed by an outline of the way in which such questions have been debated in the past and /or the types of political or policy responses that have been proposed. These responses and approaches are critically examined, and the relationship between the question at hand and other questions in international politics and global development assessed. The central theme is the interconnectedness of questions and the multiple perspectives through which they may be approached. Political, cultural, historical, legal and geographical factors are treated alongside each other, and the module provides a wealth of practical detail together with fresh insights, perspectives and debates. The module also offers students the opportunity to develop as self-reflexive learners and experiment with autobiographical writing.
Content
The module is taught through extended seminar discussion and debate and topics covered include: ethics; the environment; identity; race, gender and religion; authority and power; media representations; migration and borders; territory and the nation state; the global economy, inequality and poverty; slavery and colonialism; violence, conflict and contemporary warfare.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas verbally and in writing, and how to present their arguments most effectively. They will develop skills in using the many sources of information available to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. Students will also be required to submit their written assessments in word-processed format and the presentation of work should reflect effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in order to ensure clarity, coherence and effective communication. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from the module convenor and other students. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and exercising their own initiative, including searching for sources and deciding how to answer assessed essay questions. |
| Information Technology | Students will enhance their proficiency using Blackboard, where materials to support learning will be made available. Students will also develop skills in searching for, and assessing the validity of, online information sources as part of preparation for seminars and assessed tasks. Assessed work will be presented in electronic format, according to standard expectations. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The module is designed to hone and test skills of use to students in their working lives, particularly in speaking to small groups, listening, thinking and responding to the statements of others. Moreover, the written work requires students to write clearly and concisely, which is a common task in the workplace. Students will be encouraged throughout to reflect on their performance and to consider lessons for future application. |
| Problem solving | Independent work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of a written assignment will require that students develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; consider extreme cases; reason logically; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems |
| Research skills | Students will be required to undertake independent research in order to complete the assessed work. This will involve utilizing a range of information sources, including core academic texts, journal articles, electronic publications, and online news sources. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: • Collect and understand a wide range of material relating to the module • Evaluate competing perspectives • Apply a range of methodologies and approaches to complex questions |
| Team work | Students will undertake team exercises in the seminars. For many of the topics of this module, seminars will consist of small-group discussions where students will be asked to discuss as a group the core issues related to the seminar topic. These class discussions and debates form a significant part of the module, and will allow students to approach and examine a given topic through team work. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5