Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Learning Log 2 critical reflection They will submit ‘learning log 2’ and the ‘critical reflection’ together at the end of the module. The ‘critical reflection’ will invite them to take stock of how their thinking has changed and reflect on the implications of indigenous struggle for the study of international politics and the discipline. 4000 Words | 60% |
| Semester Assessment | Learning Log 1 Students will submit ‘learning log 1’ after the fourth seminar. This will allow me to chart the way that their thinking develops and identify any problems, and allow them to gain feedback on their progress. They will submit ‘learning log 2’ and the ‘critical reflection’ together at the end of the module. The ‘critical reflection’ will invite them to take stock of how their thinking has changed and reflect on the implications of indigenous struggle for the study of international politics and the discipline. 2000 Words | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Learning Log 2 and Critical Reflection 4000 Words | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Learning Log 1 2000 Words | 40% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a theoretically informed understanding of settler colonialism and indigeneity.
Critically evaluate the impact of indigenous thinking on received knowledge and ontological assumptions about the nature of international relationships.
Critically evaluate the nature(s) of settler states and the impact of indigenous political mobilization on settler regimes.
Critically assess the impact of issues foregrounded by indigenous struggle on mainstream understanding of how international relationships are constituted.
Develop original and reasoned arguments about the ways in which indigenous politics unsettles and might enrich the study of International Politics.
Brief description
This module will explore a global challenge that is significant not because it threatens human peace or existence, but because it interrogates ideas, structures and practices at the heart of the current world order and thus ‘unsettles’ (and potentially enriches) our understanding of international relationships. It will focus on three key aspects of indigenous politics: political mobilization; new issues; the way we know and exist in the world. It will explore experiences in the Americas and Australasia, but will also consider European cases and Israel/Palestine. It will discuss ‘new’ issues raised by indigenous struggle, such as the purpose of land and the status of indigenous artefacts in museums. This empirical study will be underpinned by discussion of the challenges that indigenous politics pose, not only to what we ‘know’ about the world but how we know what we know, that is, matters of methodology.
Content
The module will then discuss ‘new’ issues which indigenous thinking exposes, such as patrimony; conceptualizations of land and nature; or self-hood.
It then applies this approach to case studies which foreground indigenous strategies of change and resistance, including: political engagement; social mobilization; rebellion; intellectual struggle. These case studies will be drawn from around the world and will combine academic analysis of established examples with contemporary, ongoing struggles.
The module will end with a reflection on the intellectual impact of thinking differently and from ‘elsewhere’ for the discipline of politics and international relations.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to present their arguments most effectively. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. Seminars may involve splitting students into groups where oral discussion will form the main medium of teaching and the emphasis throughout the module will be on student participation and communication. 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 both the convener and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their essay and presentation topics. Seminars provide opportunities for students to reflect individually and collectively on their performance. The need to contribute to the seminars and to meet deadlines for written work will focus students’ attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well. The learning logs and critical reflection piece will play a key role in encouraging students to reflect on their own independent response to learning. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work electronically. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information, images and narratives on the web. Students will also be expected to make use of the resources that will be available on Blackboard and through Aspire. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The discussions in particular will help to develop students’ verbal and presentation and team-working skills. Learning about the process of planning an essay, framing the parameters of the projects, honing and developing the projects and seeing them through to completion will contribute towards students’ portfolio of transferable skills. |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of essays will require that students develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The need to research and prepare for seminars will also enable students to develop independent project 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; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | The submission of the essays will reflect the independent research skills of students. The need to locate appropriate research resources and write up the results will also facilitate research skills. Research preparation for seminars will also enable students to develop independent project skills. |
| 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, ideas and issues on the module. These subject specific skills include: * Collect and understand a wide range of material relating to the module * Ability to evaluate competing perspectives * Demonstrate subject specific research techniques * Apply a range of methodologies to complex historical and political questions. |
| Team work | In seminars students will be obliged to prepare, present and discuss as a group the core issues related to seminar topics and particular case studies. Such classroom debates and discussions are a vital component of the module learning experience. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7