Loughborough University
Leicestershire, UK
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Loughborough University

Programme Specifications

Programme Specification

BA (Hons) Politics

Academic Year: 2018/19

This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are provided.

This specification applies to delivery of the programme in the Academic Year indicated above. Prospective students reviewing this information for a later year of study should be aware that these details are subject to change as outlined in our Terms and Conditions of Study.

This specification should be read in conjunction with:

  • Summary
  • Aims
  • Learning outcomes
  • Structure
  • Progression & weighting

Programme summary

Awarding body/institution Loughborough University
Teaching institution (if different)
Owning school/department School of Social Sciences - pre 2019
Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body
Final award BA(Hons)/BA(Hons) + DPS/DIntS
Programme title Politics
Programme code EUUB11
Length of programme The duration of the programme is either 6 semesters (three-year programme), or 8 semesters (four-year programme, including a placement year). The three-year programme allows, at Part B (Semester Two), for a course of study to be taught in English at a foreign university.
UCAS code L202/L203
Admissions criteria

BA(Hons) - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/l202

BA(Hons) + DPS/DIntS - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/l203

Date at which the programme specification was published Wed, 05 Sep 2018 11:29:14 BST

1. Programme Aims

  1. To introduce the concepts and principles that underpin politics, informed by research that fosters critical and independent thought.
  2. To introduce students to debates about power and distribution which lie at the heart of politics (‘who gets what, when, how and why’) and hone the analytic skills required to determine the legitimacy of distributions.
  3. To engage students in debates about political events, institutions and ideas as a route to their engagement in politics as citizens and actors in the global political arena.
  4. To familiarise students with the methodological and theoretical assumptions which underpin political arguments.
  5. To familiarise students with key concepts in critical political analysis, including power, justice, accountability, order, dissent, violence, sovereignty, governance and decision-making.
  6. To combine the study of politics with related disciplines in humanities and social sciences and to enable students to extend, apply and/or reflect on their learning through training in the UK or abroad and/or through the study of a modern language.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

  • QAA Benchmarking statement for Politics and International Relations
  • Framework for Higher Education Qualifications
  • University Learning and Teaching Strategy
  • School Learning and Teaching policies
  • The research interests and specialisms of the teaching staff and their professional involvement in the discipline

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

K1. discuss the nature and characteristics of a variety of political issues, ideas and phenomena;

K2. analyse the social, economic and historical context in which political systems evolve and operate;

K3. explain competing interpretations of political issues and events;

K4. apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to analyse political ideas, institutions and practices;

K5. explain and evaluate concepts of political change such as revolution, war, crisis, protest, agency, and modernity.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

C1. choose appropriate methods in explanatory and normative political theory and political science to investigate key issues and events in politics;

C2. evaluate political opinions, ideas and events and defend personal preferences through reasoned argument;

C3. use supporting evidence and illustrative examples to discuss and/or explain complex political phenomena and events;

C4. use sophisticated argument and analysis to propose solutions to complex problems.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

P1. use information technology to retrieve information from a variety of primary and secondary sources and to communicate ideas orally, visually and in writing;

P2. evaluate sources and the ethical issues relating to research in politics;

P3. undertake independent research under supervision;

P4. organise personal learning and development self-critically.

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

T1. use constructive criticism to improve and strengthen work;

T2. work independently, demonstrating initiative and the ability to manage time and resources effectively;

T3. apply research skills and practices to offer interpretations of complex and unfamiliar ideas, abstract concepts, political phenomena and events;

T4. summarise academic debates drawn from a range of introductory and specialist research literatures, fluently and with sophistication, to a range of specialist and non-specialist audiences;

T5. evaluate alternative solutions to complex problems;

T6. work with others for collective benefit and knowledge advancement.

4. Programme structure

4.1 Notes

4.1.1 Candidates must take a minimum module weight of 50 in each semester, taking into account both compulsory and optional modules.

4.1.2 Due to timetabling constraints, not all option combinations may be available.

 

4.2 Content
Part A – Introductory Modules

Students must be registered for a minimum of 50 credits and a maximum of 70 credits in each Semester.

(i)  Compulsory Modules (total modular weight 100 credits)

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUA001

Smart Scholarship

1

10

EUA601

The Contemporary World Arena

1

20

EUA800

The Making and Unmaking of the World Order

1

20

EUA607

Understanding Democratic Institutions

2

10

EUA610

Conceptions of Democracy

2

10

EUA617

International Political Theory

2

10

EUA801

Power, Politics & Ideology in Modern Europe

2

20

 (ii) Elective Modules (total modular weight 20 credits)

Code

Title

        Semester(s)

Modular Weight

Economics

 

 

ECA001

Principles of Macroeconomics

1 & 2

20

English

 

 

EAA777

Narrative Forms and Fiction

1

20

EAA001

Introduction to Film

2

20

EAA200

How to Do Things with Digital Text

2

20

French

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

German

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Geography

 

 

GYA004

Geographies of Global Economic Change

1

10

GYA104

Geographies of Identity

2

10

History

 

 

EUA705

Atlantic World: The Americas, Europe and Africa since the 15th Century

1

20

Business

 

 

BSA505

Organisational Behaviour

1

10

BSA506

Management of Human Resources

2

10

Mandarin Chinese

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Social Sciences

 

 

SSA001

Introduction to Sociology: Identities and Inequalities

1

10

SSA002

Introduction to Sociology: Global, Social and Cultural Change

2

10

SSA201

Introduction to Criminology & Social Policy A

1

10

SSA202

Introduction to Criminology & Social Policy B

2

10

SSA301

Introduction to Communication and Media Studies: Contemporary Trends and Issues

1

10

SSA302

Introduction to Communication and Media Studies: Historical Debates and Perspectives

2

10

Spanish

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

(2)  Part B

EITHER

(a) Standard Route

Students must be registered for a minimum of 50 credits and a maximum of 70 credits in each Semester.

(i)  Compulsory Modules (Minimum modular weight 40 credits, maximum Modular Weight 60 Credits)

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUB605

Theories and Methods in Political Research

1

10

EUB800

Research Design

2

10

And

 

 

 

Either

 

 

 

EUB628

History of Political Thought (20 Credit)

1

20

Or

 

 

 

EUB629

History of Political Thought (10 Credit)

1

10

And

 

 

 

Either

 

 

 

EUB604

Comparative European Politics (20 Credit)

2

20

Or

 

 

 

EUB620

Comparative European Politics (10 Credit)

2

10

 

(ii)  Optional Modules

The remaining 60-80 credits may be chosen from Groups 1 and 2, of which a maximum of 20 can be from Group 2. Modules EUB601 and EUB625 are mutually exclusive.

 Group 1

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUB601

The European Union (20 Credit)

1

20

EUB625

The European Union (10 Credit)

1

10

EUB630

British Politics

1

20

EUB633

Enterprise, Employability and Personal Development

1

10

EUB632

Politics of Developing Countries

2

20

EUB634

The American Century: US Politics and Society in the 20th Century

2

20

SSB352

Political Communication

2

10

Group 2

Choice of elective subject modules will be subject to satisfying any prerequisites set out in individual module specifications. Candidates should note that combinations of modules of the same titles but with different credit-weightings are mutually exclusive.

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

Business

 

 

BSB530

Accounting for Business

1

10

BSB555

Organisation Studies

1

10

BSB580

Operations Management

1

10

BSB532

Accounting for Managers

2

10

BSB590

The Contemporary Business Environment

2

10

Economics

 

 

ECB037

Microeconomics

1 & 2

20

English

 

 

EAB008

Victorian Literature

1

20

EAB039

Nineteenth-Century American Literature

1

20

EAB012

African American Culture

2

20

EAB114

An Introduction to Creative Writing

2

20

French

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

German

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Geography

 

 

GYB211

Globalization

1

10

GYB222

Geographies of Social Difference

1

10

GYB110

Sustainable Urban Geographies

2

10

GYB320

Global Migration

2

10

History

 

 

EUB712

Modern Germany: Recovery from Ruin, 1945-present

1

20

EUB722

Modern France: A History of Conflict?

1

20

EUB702

Cold War Europe

2

20

EUB714

Modern China in a Global Perspective

2

20

EUB724

Slavery in Global History

2

20

Mandarin Chinese

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Social Sciences

 

 

SSB023

Religion and Society

1

10

SSB216

Women and Crime: Victims, Offenders and Survivors

1

10

SSB360

The Media in Global Context

1

10

SSB036

Digital Lives & Society

2

10

SSB234

Media, Culture and Crime

2

10

SSB239

Drugs: Society, Politics and Policy

2

10

Spanish

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

 OR

(b)  International Semester Route

Candidates may replace the modules required for Part B Semester 2 with an approved course of study taught in English at a foreign University. Candidates will undertake assessed work equivalent to 50 credits, as required by the School of Social Sciences, along with a Distance Learning Research Design module. Candidates who opt for this route must ensure that they have taken a total of 60 credits in Semester One, including 20 credits from each subject.  Candidates should note that combinations of modules of the same titles but with different credit-weightings are mutually exclusive.

(i)           Compulsory Modules (total module weight 80 – 90 credits)

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUB605

Theories and Methods in Political Research

1

10

EUB001

International Semester

2

50

EUB801

Research Design (Distance Learning)

2

10

And one module from

 

 

EUB628

History of Political Thought (20 Credit)

1

20

EUB629

History of Political Thought (10 Credit)

1

10

 (ii)  Optional Modules (total module weight 20 – 30 credits)

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUB601

The European Union (20 credit)

1

20

EUB625

The European Union (10 Credit)

1

10

EUB630

British Politics

1

20

(iii)  ELECTIVE MODULES (total modular weight 10 credits)

Candidates may take 10 credits of electives from those subjects listed below.  Choice of elective subject modules will be subject to satisfying any prerequisites set out in individual modules.

 

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

Business

 

 

BSB530

Accounting for Business

1

10

BSB555

Organisation Studies

1

10

Geography

 

 

GYB211

Globalization

1

10

GYB222

Geographies of Social Difference

1

10

Social Sciences

 

 

SSB023

Religion and Society

1

10

SSB216

Women and Crime: Victims, Offenders and Survivors

1

10

SSB360

The Media in Global Context

1

10

(3)          Part I

Candidates following the four-year programme are required to undertake a Part I placement, which occurs between Parts B and C and may be EITHER (i) an academic year abroad at a French-, German- or Spanish-speaking university, following an approved course of study leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (ii) an academic year abroad on an approved course of study at a foreign university where teaching is in English leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (iii) an approved Teaching Assistantship at a school or other approved placement in a French-, German- or Spanish-speaking country, leading to the Diploma in International Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI; OR (iv) an approved placement in the UK or abroad leading to the Diploma in Professional Studies in accordance with Senate Regulation XI.  Participation in a Part I study abroad or placement is subject to School approval and satisfactory academic performance during Parts A and B.

(4)  Part C

Students must be registered for a minimum of 50 credits and a maximum of 70 credits in each Semester. Credits from the Dissertation module must be split equally (20:20) across both Semesters.

(i)  Compulsory Module (total modular weight 40 credits)

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUC800

Dissertation

1 & 2

40

(ii)  Optional Modules (total modular weight 80 credits)

In addition to the compulsory module EUC800, candidates must choose a minimum modular weight of 60 from Group 1 modules over Semesters 1 and 2.  The remaining 20 credits may be chosen from Groups 1 and 2.

Group 1

Code

Title

Semester

Modular Weight

EUC604

State Violence and Terrorism

1

20

EUC628

The Asia Pacific in Global Politics

1

20

EUC660

Contemporary Political Philosophy

1

20

EUC679

1968 - World Revolution?

1

20

EUC680

The Populist Challenge to Western Democracies

1

20

EUC682

International Politics of the Middle East

1

20

EUC716

Empire, War and Popular Culture in Britain c. 1880-1930

1

20

EUC665

Postwar Britain: The Start of the Decline

2

20

EUC666

Gender and Politics

2

20

EUC677

Britain and the European Union

2

20

EUC684

War in the 21st Century

2

20

EUC685

Power, Politics & Participation in the Digital Age

2

20

EUC687

The Politics of Militarism

2

20

EUC720

After Empire: South Asia since 1945

2

20

 

Group 2

Code

Title

Semester

Module Weight

Business

 

 

BSC520

Business Systems

1

10

BSC522

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

1

10

BSC524

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Planning

2

10

BSC575

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills

2

10

Economics

 

 

ECC012

Introduction to Financial Economics

1 & 2

20

ECC013

International Economic Relations

1 & 2

20

ECC014

Economics of the Financial System

1 & 2

20

ECC017

The Economics of Social issues

2

20

English

 

 

EAC002

The Return of the King, Literature 1660-1714

1

20

EAC016

Cruel and Unusual

1

20

EAC440

The Modern Poet

1

20

EAC001

Radicals and Reactionaries: Writing Women in the 1890s

2

20

EAC701

Global America

2

20

French

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

History

 

 

EUC703

Revolution in the head: The Beatles and Sixties Britain

1

20

EUC713

Jim Crow, Bootleggers and Okies: American Cultural History 1890-1930

1

20

EUC720

After Empire: South Asia since 1945

1

20

EUC705

From Weimar to Hitler: Politics, Economics and Society in Germany, 1918-1934

2

20

EUC719

Convicts and Kangaroos: Australia 1788-1868

2

20

Geography

 

 

GYC212

Globalised Urbanisation

1

20

GYC226

Geographies of Work and Life

1

10

GYC309

Feminist Geographies of Home

1

10

GYC107

Regional Worlds

2

20

GYC214

Geographies of Children and Youth

2

10

GYC325

Geographies of Transnational Mobility and Diaspora

2

20

German

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Mandarin Chinese

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

Social Sciences

 

 

SSC024

Gender, Sex and Society

1

20

SSC130

The Social Psychology of Everyday Life

1

20

SSC238

Youth Justice

1

20

SSC316

Media, Memory and History

1

20

SSC237

Sex Work and Sex Industries

2

20

Spanish

 

 

Two x 10 credit modules, one from each Semester from a list supplied by the Language Centre, levels dependent on candidates’ previous qualifications.

1 & 2

20

 

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

5.1 In order to progress from Part A to Part B, from Part B to C, and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must not only satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX but also achieve a module mark of at least 30% in all modules in each Part.

5.2 Provision will be made in accordance with Regulation XX for candidates who have the right of reassessment in any Part of the programme to undergo re-assessment in the University's special assessment period.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of their performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C. The percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part B 40%, Part C 60% to determine the final percentage mark.

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