Undergraduate Modules: POL3018 - Advanced Political Analysis

Module Code

POL 3018

Module Title

Advanced Political Analysis

Level:

Level 3

Semester:

Semester 1

Credits

20 credits

Taught by:

Professor Jonathan Joseph, Professor in Politics

Module Description:

This module completes the spine of core modules in the Department (the others being POL113 and POL229) that seek to incorporate not only key concepts in the study of politics but also the development of disciplinary and transferable skills. This approach is developed here through a lecture programme that has parallel strands on Advanced Political Analysis and Research Methods and Data Collection (the reading list for which appears at the back of this module outline). Thus, while you may be familiar with some of the concepts covered on this module, they will be dealt with at a higher level than previously. In addition, you are asked to bring together a more sophisticated understanding of key concepts with a wider range of research and data collection skills than used in Levels 1 and 2. Furthermore, skills development is promoted and evaluated through a more diverse and more innovative mix of assessment methods than in previous modules. While the main single assessment item remains an essay to be produced in the conventional style, this is accompanied by assessment through a group poster project.

Module Aims:

To encourage students to think analytically about politics and develop their abilities to apply conceptual tools to contemporary political issues.

To provide students with a number of different approaches to political analysis.
To build upon POL113 and POL229 in order to enable students to develop their generic and disciplinary skills (as identified in Personal Development Portfolios (PDPs)
To demonstrate appropriate cognitive, communicative and transferable skills, including group work and the capacity for independent learning.

This module also equips students with a range of important transferrable skills, which are vital in terms of employability, including working independently and as part of a team; managing a varied workload; assimilating and synthesising multiple data sources; constructing coherent arguments; and preparing written reports and verbal presentations.

Module Schedule:

Week	Topic
1	Introduction
2	What’s Political about Political Analysis?
3	Accounting for Change: Continuity and Discontinuity
4	Structure and Agency
5	Power: The ‘Faces of Power’ Controversy
6	The Political Power of Ideas and Briefing on the Poster Project
7	Developing a Research Topic
8	Choosing a Research Design
9	Gathering Evidence and Data
10	Preparing the Essay and Presentation
11	Poster Conference

Teaching Methods:

11 * 1 hour lectures
11 * 1 hour seminars

Assessment:

Essay - 70% of mark
Poster - 30% of mark

Resources Available:

Individual feedback and guidance sessions with module tutors.
Detailed 20-30 page module handbook
Dedicated module intranet site.
Extensive library materials, including a wide variety of electronic and digitised resources.

Indicative Reading:

Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Hay, C. (eds.) (2010) New Directions in Political Science. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (eds.) (2010) Theory and Methods in Political Science, third edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave.