| Unit name | Politics of Rebellion |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI30038 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Rossdale |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important:
Revolutions and political resistance form the context for many of the major political, economic and social transformations in global history. The events of recent times suggest that this will continue to be the case in the future. These multitudinous rebellions and the social movements that accompany them are sources of hope and progress, but often also sites of failure and frustration. This module explores the politics of rebellion. It introduces students to a variety of theoretical and conceptual tools through which we explore why rebellions emerge and how we might account for their successes and failures. Through a series of case studies including historical and ongoing Black liberation struggles in the US, Atlantic piracy, the Haitian Revolution, and contemporary movements in South Africa, Mexico and the UK, we also consider the ethics, tactics and strategies of rebellion.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study:
This unit allows students to bring their previous studies in sociology, politics and international relations and develop them in a new empirical and theoretical context. It encourages students to think about ideas they will have encountered elsewhere on their courses from the perspective of resistance and political struggle, and to recognise social movements as incubators of critical knowledge about the world. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach that draws politics and sociology into conversation with cultural studies, anthropology, history, geography and more.
An overview of content:
The unit is split into three parts. 1) What is Rebellion? sets historical and theoretical groundwork for studying rebellion. 2) Power & Resistance looks at several case studies that raise various ethical, political, strategic challenges and which help students understand how rebellion and power are intertwined. 3) Tactics, Strategies & Radical Imaginaries uses those cases to explore contemporary debates about the politics of rebellion.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
Students will have an appreciation of how rebellion has shaped the modern world, and will be able to critically reflect on different forms of rebellious politics and practices. They will also have an enhanced appreciation of their own relationship to rebellion.
Learning outcomes
Students completing the requirements of the unit will be able to:
The course is built around five different kinds of activity, each of which allows us to explore the content in a different way. Each week's activities build up to our weekly seminars. Below is a brief description of each of the activity types:
Lectures
These will outline the content, set out why the topic matters, unpack important case studies, and identify key debates, theorists, case studies.
Readings
As with most of your modules, academic reading plays a central role in Politics of Rebellion. The course is built around its core texts, and you'll spend more time doing that essential reading than anything else. Each week will have either 2 or 3 readings, totalling roughly 60-100 pages (some weeks will be more than that, others will be less - in the long run it should balance out)
Extra Activity
The format of this will change each week, but it will always be an opportunity to add-in another perspective on the topic, usually from a non-academic source. I might ask you to listen to an episode of a podcast, read an article, watch a video, listen to some music, always with the aim of thinking about new concepts, debates or case studies. I'll usually pose some questions alongside the activity for you to think about, in anticipation of the seminar discussions.
Discussion Board
Once you have worked through the content, you should then post a response to the material on the Discussion Board. This should be close to 300 words. There are lots of different ways of going about this. You could try to answer one of the Key Questions that accompany each week's topic, you might take the opportunity to critique one of the readings, or apply ideas from the readings to a historical or contemporary case study. You might have some first-hand experiences that you feel are relevant to the topic, or want to reflect on how that week's topic has pushed you to reflect differently on material from a previous week. You might wish to write a poem or a short story. Your response might be purely intellectual, or it might involve more creative, personal or emotional reactions to the material. The Discussion Board activity is part of the unit's assessment and so it is mandatory. Substantial guidance will be offered for how to approach the task.
Seminars
Each week's activities will culminate in the weekly seminar. This will be our chance to reflect, unpack, debate and test the limits of that week's material. We'll usually begin with the Key Question, perhaps drawing on the contributions to the Discussion Board, and then move from there, discussing the readings, the lectures, and your responses to the Extra Activity.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Discussion Board: Each week, students should submit a 300-word reflection piece to the course’s Discussion Board on Blackboard. This piece should respond in some manner to the weekly topic. The nature of these responses can vary – they could be a critique of one of the readings or the week’s lecture, an application of the ideas from the topic to a historical or contemporary case study, an answer to one of the week’s key questions, or discussion of how the topic has helped the student to think differently about their own experiences or about content from other weeks. Reponses can also be more creative – poetry, short stories, imagined diary entries, etc. Students are encouraged to write in whatever mode helps them to explore the material – this could be more or less academic, personal, creative, emotional. The purpose here is to encourage an ongoing process of reflection on the material throughout the module, to push students to stop and think carefully about their responses to the topics, and to give students the opportunity to write in a wider range of voices and styles.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Discussion Board (50%, 1550 words): The Discussion Board exercise turns into one of the summative tasks for the unit. At the end of the course, students are asked to pick their best 5 out of 9 completed reflection pieces, and to submit these as a portfolio. Giving students the opportunity to pick their 5 best pieces gives them opportunity to experiment with different forms of writing, to develop their practice throughout the term, and – ideally – to write without fear of failure. Students are not allowed to edit their posts before submitting them at the end of term – the purpose of the exercise is to capture their ideas as they develop. To ease the pressure of this, and given the specific and often very personal nature of the assessment, I pay minimal attention to formal presentation in these posts. The structure of the formative task therefore supports the summative assessment. I do not give students specific advice on which pieces to pick at the end of the unit – that decision is itself part of the assessment – but I do provide a detailed guidance document on what makes a good piece (i.e., pieces that show independence of thought, creative/critical analysis of the material). The 1550 word limit is 5 x 300 word posts. (All ILOs)
Essay (50%, 2000 words): Students will also write a 2000-word essay. The essay can either be a critical engagement with one of the theoretical or conceptual topics introduced in the unit or a critical analysis of one of the unit’s major case studies. Students will be provided with a list of questions, and will have the opportunity to design their own (in conversation with their tutor). (All ILOs)
When assessment does not go to plan
In exceptional circumstances, reassessments may be offered as determined by the exam board.
You will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. You will be required to complete a different assessment question; for the discussion board, students will be expected to complete the missing exercises.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLI30038).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
