FP009-30 Politics and International Relations
Introductory description
FP009-30 Politics and International Relations
Module aims
The Module will:
- Introduce students to the fundamental aspects of the academic discipline of politics.
- Explore the main ideological strands of political thought and apply them to politics in the UK and internationally.
- Explain and engage students intellectually with the political system in the UK.
- Analyse the main theoretical approaches in international relations and apply them to contemporary political issues globally.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Unit One: What is Politics? Democracy, political power and its exercise through voting, interest groups, social movements and protest.
Unit Two: Political Ideologies. What is ideology and the core ideas of liberalism, conservatism and socialism? How have these ideologies changed and developed over time and how are they challenged by new, contemporary ideologies?
Unit Three: UK Politics. The constitutional arrangements of politics in the UK and the roles of the three branches of government - legislative, executive and judiciary. How democratic is politics in the UK and what are the consequences of devolution? The role of the UK in international politics.
Unit Four: International Relations. The key concepts of sovereignty and globalisation. The central ideas of international relations theories realism, liberalism, Marxism and constructivism, and how these can be used to explain contemporary global issues such as security, the global political economy and global environmental politics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Recognise and appraise the main ideological and theoretical debates within politics and discuss its essentially contested nature as a subject and academic discipline.
- Evaluate how the political system works in the UK.
- Evaluate the relative merits of the main approaches in international relations and apply them to contemporary global political issues.
- Demonstrate a range of key competences including: communication and presentation skills; research skills (information retrieval, analysis and interpretation), and the ability to form structured and coherent arguments.
Indicative reading list
Baylis, J., Smith, S., and Owens, P. (Eds) (2020) The Globalization of World Politics: an Introduction to International Relations (8th Edn) Oxford: OUP
Heywood, A (2019) Politics (5th Edn), Basingstoke: Macmillan
Heywood, A (2017) Political Ideologies: An Introduction (6th Edn) Basingstoke: Macmillan
Jones, B., Norton, P., and Daddow, O. J., (Eds) (2018) Politics UK (9th Edn) London: Routledge
Leach, R. and Lightfoot, S. (2018) The Politics and IR Companion (2nd Edn) London: Macmillan
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Interdisciplinary
Within politics and international relations students can bring together perspectives from philosophy, sociology, anthropology, economics and law to understand the theoretical ideas, institutions and issues studied.
International
Takes a global perspective on issues such as the environment, economy, development and security.
Students have the option to focus on a variety of countries and issues for activities and assessments, as fits their interests.
Global examples used wherever possible.
Subject specific skills
Application of concepts and theory to real world political issues and institutions.
Evaluation of competing interpretations of political events and issues.
Transferable skills
Time management, teamwork, communication (oral and written) and presentation skills, research skills (including information retrieval, analysis and interpretation)
Study time
Type | Required |
---|---|
Lectures | 25 sessions of 1 hour (8%) |
Seminars | 75 sessions of 1 hour (25%) |
Private study | 140 hours (47%) |
Assessment | 60 hours (20%) |
Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Independent reading and assigned activities.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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UK Politics Essay | 40% | 24 hours | Yes (extension) |
An argumentative essay addressing an aspect of the UK political system, requiring independent research. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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Individual Presentation | 20% | 12 hours | No |
A persuasive presentation including appraisal of a political ideology of the student’s choice. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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International Relations Take Home Assessment | 40% | 24 hours | No |
A take-home assessment undertaken over four calendar days requiring students to construct a well-researched and argued position, via application and evaluation of international relations theory to a contemporary global issue. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback provided on all formative and summative written assignments, followed up with verbal one to one feedback (at least one verbal feedback session compulsory). Written feedback provided via Tabula.
Opportunities for peer assessment and feedback provided regularly on formative essays and presentations.
Verbal feedback provided as routine throughout teaching sessions and online.
Courses
This module is Core for:
-
FIOE Warwick International Foundation Programme
- Year 1 of FP24 Warwick International Foundation Programme - Law and Politics
- Year 1 of FP23 Warwick International Foundation Programme - Social Sciences
This module is Core optional for:
- Year 1 of FIOE Warwick International Foundation Programme
This module is Core option list A for:
-
FIOE Warwick International Foundation Programme
- Year 1 of FP10 Warwick International Foundation Programme - Law
- Year 1 of FP11 Warwick International Foundation Programme - Social Sciences