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This module looks at key political ideas that are fundamental to our world today, but also how those ideas have changed, especially with recent contributions in gender studies, postcolonial research and queer theory. Studying this module introduces students to theory – not as a distant, abstract exercise, but as a reflection of contemporary politics. Have big ideas on sovereignty been fundamental to establishing political order, or a tool to justify colonisation? Is John Locke’s theory of property fit to answer questions about who owns our data? Can the tradition of human rights incorporate non-human species? Is gender performative, and how does this represent the struggles of LGBTQ+ communities? Theory can get us thinking more deeply about empirical events, but empirical events can also get us critiquing theories for falling short.

This module, with its focus on journeys and places, offers an opportunity for you to explore some of the key concepts underpinning your studies. You will take a post-disciplinary approach to your studies, using techniques from diverse areas to address key questions related to journeys and places.

You will attend interactive lectures with students from across the School of Humanities and Performing Arts. You will have opportunities to apply the concepts addressed in these lectures to your work within subject specific workshops, and through assessments.

The themes covered during the module may include journeys, spaces and the concept of welcome; (im)mobilities and journeys through time and space; representation and imaginative geographies; gender and placemaking; belonging and place attachment; journeys, places and identities; as well as themes related to sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

This module introduces Mandarin language at A1 level by focusing on the development of the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of reading and writing. The learning is based on introductory and basic words, phrases and structures about oneself, family, immediate surroundings and daily activities and routine. Students will also be introduced to basic social, cultural, political, historical and artistic topics from the Chinese world taken from authentic material. A two-hour practice and conversation session will be held weekly throughout Blocks 1 and 2, and intensive workshops will happen during Block 3.

This module further develops the learning of Mandarin language at A2 level by focusing on the development of the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of reading and writing. The focus is on enhancing basic and personal communication skills and moving to more and more general topics. Students will also be introduced to basic social, cultural, political, historical and artistic topics from the Chinese world taken from authentic material. A one-hour practice and conversation session will be held weekly throughout Blocks 1 and 2, and intensive workshops will happen during Block 3. 

There are vivid debates about the health and future of contemporary democracy, which is perceived to be under threat from secular developments in global politics and economics, leading to authoritarianism and declining trust in democratic processes. Different forms of democracy have, however, existed throughout the history of human societies – and democratic governance has been transformed, often in response to social and political crisis and changes in social systems. This module will introduce you to the concept of democracy, and examines different forms of democracy, using historical examples to understand the drivers of the expansion and retrenchment of different kinds of democracy. It then considers the contemporary state of democracy, analyses the challenges it faces, and the potential for further democratisation in the 21st century. You will study the potential for the diversification and expansion of democratic processes from the perspective of different theories of democracy, and engage with a variety of contemporary issues, including competing democratic theories, the impact of economic crises, migration and cultural conflict, authoritarian populism and democratic backsliding as well as the impact of new technologies on democracy.

Assessment: portfolio (100%) (oral presentation and written report)

Big ideas in politics matter - but which ones? This module examines key political ideas that shape political realities today, but explores what decolonisation and diversification means for those political ideas. Why Big Ideas Matter takes a unique disruptive approach, by creating conversations between two or three important thinkers, within multiple cultural contexts and perspectives. Have big ideas on sovereignty been fundamental to establishing political order, or a tool to justify colonisation? Is John Locke’s theory of property fit to answer questions about who owns our data? Can the tradition of human rights incorporate non-human species? Is gender performative, and how does this represent the struggles of LGBTQ+ communities? Theory can get us thinking more deeply about empirical events, but empirical events can also get us critiquing theories for falling short.

Assessment: Presentation (40%) and written report (60%)

This module prepares you for post-degree pathways by focusing on the skills, capabilities, and knowledge needed to thrive in professional environments. Emphasis is placed on core attributes and transferable skills while developing familiarity with the world of work.

You will critically engage with themes such as race, gender, identity, and geopolitical issues in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, conceptualizing a more equitable and sustainable society.

Through subject-specific workshops, lectures, seminars, and independent learning, you will explore work environments related to your discipline. Activities may include responding to real-world briefs, placements, community projects, and creating project proposals tailored to your programme.

Assessment: Written Portfolio or Recorded Presentation (100%)

This module further develops the learning of Mandarin language at A2 level by focusing on the development of the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of reading and writing. The focus is on enhancing basic and personal communication skills and moving to more and more general topics. Students will also be introduced to basic social, cultural, political, historical and artistic topics from the Chinese world taken from authentic material. A one-hour practice and conversation session will be held weekly throughout Blocks 1 and 2, and intensive workshops will happen during Block 3. 

This module reinforces the learning of Mandarin language at B1/B2 levels, by focusing on the development of the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of reading and writing beyond basic level. The focus will be on the use of a wider range of vocabulary and more complex structures and various means of communication. Students will be able to understand, without difficulty, the most familiar topics and enhance their ability to discuss and comprehend general social, cultural, political, historical and artistic topics from the Chinese world, taken from authentic material. A one-hour practice and conversation session will be held weekly throughout Blocks 1 and 2, and intensive workshops will happen during Block 3. 

This module critically introduces the approaches and methods that shape the creation of empirical knowledge in politics and international relations. The module advances the significance of the relationship between empirical knowledge and the methods used for investigation. The module will provide you with an up-to-date understanding of research methods, and the ways these methods are applied in contemporary politics and international relations research. The module considers the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and the comparative strengths and limitations of these approaches. It will teach you practical skills in research methods that can be applied in their future academic and professional work, thereby enhancing your employability.

Assessment: Portfolio (100%)

This module takes a thematic approach to the study of politics across the Americas, offering a political, historical, social, cultural and international focus, which enables students to engage and consider government and the governed from a range of perspectives. In particular it seeks to challenge US-centric perceptions of the continent, by drawing on aspects of trans-continental relations as well as UK relations across the Americas.

From bureaucratic corridors of power to activism and street protests, all levels of political participation are discussed via a theoretical and practical lens.

You will be encouraged to consider different and sometimes conflicting participants in the political process: from national leadership at times of foreign policy crisis, to subregional political coalitions, to grassroots and international activism, this module will engage the study of American politics, broadly conceived, to provide students with useful expertise in international politics, and develop a set of key research and presentation skills that will be applicable in your post-graduation careers.

The module affords you the opportunity to participate in and hear from external research experts, politicians and/or practitioners, for example, via university research seminar series and events.

Assessment: Portfolio (100%) (presentation and report)

This module focuses on the growing canon of work around decolonising politics. The module will address legacies of empire and imperialism and their continued impact on politics today. The module draws on and critically examines the contemporary intersections of colonialism and colonial legacy on the experiences of marginalised communities with increasingly diverse societies, and the bodies of theory associated with these often-politicised lived realities, including queer theory, disability theory, black feminisms and intersectionality, and critical race theory.

The module will continue to draw on common themes throughout the programme, such as the centrality of place in the decolonisation of politics through the explicit focus on national case studies and the ways in which these address the lasting impacts of colonialism both inside and outside of the former colonial metropole. The module also problematises notions of decolonising within the frame of current political, social and cultural debates.

Additionally, the module invites you to develop critical understandings of the ways in which colonial legacies impact political representation of minorities and policies around minoritized communities across a range of political settings, both at the structural and interpersonal level.

The module links to ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ initiatives such as Decolonising ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, EDI groups and the extracurricular student-led anti-racist reading group. The module will afford you the opportunity to speak with leading scholarly experts and practitioners in the field of decolonising politics.

Assessment: Presentation (40%) and Essay (60%)

This module reinforces the learning of Mandarin language at B1/B2 levels, by focusing on the development of the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of reading and writing beyond basic level. The focus will be on the use of a wider range of vocabulary and more complex structures and various means of communication. Students will be able to understand, without difficulty, the most familiar topics and enhance their ability to discuss and comprehend general social, cultural, political, historical and artistic topics from the Chinese world, taken from authentic material. A one-hour practice and conversation session will be held weekly throughout Blocks 1 and 2, and intensive workshops will happen during Block 3. 

This module offers a capstone experience, culminating in an individual final year project. It comprises an extended piece of work conventionally seen as a dissertation. Other forms of extended coursework could be applied, for example, a politics or international relations real-life project. You will be encouraged to work with a supervisor to develop, negotiate and agree on an area of focus and project feasibility. This relationship and scoping work develop during Block 3 and culminates in the final project delivery in Block 4.

If you wish to pursue a traditional dissertation, you will be required to undertake a research project, which may form the basis of an extended essay, or include primary research, subject to ethical approval. Other options for real-life learning projects are possible on the module. These also need to be informed by academic literature and evidence. This final module is the culmination of the degree and offers opportunities to support you in your next steps beyond the qualification, for example, further study and/or working in politics and international relations careers.

Assessment: Coursework (10%) and Dissertation (90%)