Politics
(BA) Politics
Entry for 2024
FHEQ level
This course is set at Level 6 in the national Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.
Course Aims
The Politics programme aims to:
1. Enable students to understand the importance of Politics in the contemporary world.
2. Ensure that students acquire knowledge and understanding in appropriate areas of theory and analysis.
3. Enable students to understand and use the concepts, approaches and methods of the discipline and develop an understanding of the contested nature and problematic character of inquiry in the discipline.
4. Provide students with the opportunity to combine the insights and methods of the discipline.
5. develop students' capacities to critically analyse events, ideas, institutions and practices.
6. Provide students with opportunities to develop their intellectual, personal and interpersonal skills so as to enable them to participate meaningfully in their societies.
7. Provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that promotes breadth and depth of intellectual enquiry and debate.
8. Provide students with a supportive and receptive learning environment.
Course learning outcomes
Identify and describe and illustrate key approaches to the study of politics and understand the contested nature of knowledge and understanding
Identify and understand the key normative ideas and concepts which serve as the foundations of politics
Describe and illustrate the structure and operation of different political systems
Describe and illustrate the key explanatory concepts and theories used in the study of politics
Develop a familiarity with major methods of data collection in politics, and their appropriate uses
Develop a knowledge of British politics and the key concepts and approaches used to explain British politics
Critically evaluate the nature of political change in a political system or with regard to a political issue
Ability to understand and critique political philosophical arguments made by political theorists
An ability to compare different political systems in order to develop a general understanding of the functioning of politics
Plan and carry out a research project relating to a political topic which sustains a line of argument and draws on a body of academic literature
Critically evaluate the approaches to understanding the nature and processes of making contemporary public policy
Full-time course composition
Please note that the University will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver courses and modules in accordance with the descriptions set out here. However, the University keeps its courses and modules under review with the aim of enhancing quality. Some changes may therefore be made to the form or content of courses or modules shown as part of the normal process of curriculum management.
The University reserves the right to make changes to the contents or methods of delivery of, or to discontinue, merge or combine modules, if such action is reasonably considered necessary by the University. If there are not sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the University reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the University withdraws or discontinues a module, it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative module.