| Unit name | Popular Culture and World Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI31378 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Weldes |
| 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?
This unit demonstrates a variety of diverse ways in which the popular cultural artefacts, practices and institutions we engage with in our daily lives – and that we rarely investigate as scholars of Politics and IR – are intimately connected to practices and theories of IR/world politics, even when that is not immediately apparent. It provides students with analytical tools critically to examine the popular culture they engage with and to come to see how that popular culture is related to – e.g., underpins, reproduces, challenges, contradicts – IR/world politics.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a research-led and research-intensive unit that allows students to take their previously developed knowledge of and interests in IR/world politics, and relate that both to theories from outside of Politics and IR (e.g., primarily from (Popular) Cultural Studies and to the popular cultural texts, practices and institutions they engage with in their everyday individual and social lives. Through the readings and research paper assignment, they build on the IR/world politics knowledge gained in year 1 and year 2, while also developing further research and writing skills.
An overview of content
This unit covers 1) a variety of relations that obtain between popular culture and IR/world politics (e.g., of representation, intertextuality, state uses of pop culture), 2) an introduction to theories and analytical concepts from (Popular) Cultural Studies (e.g., structural ism, post-structuralism, Marxisms, Feminisms), and 3) different forms of popular culture (e.g., social media, TV, advertising, music, tourism) in their diverse relations to IR/world politics.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will be able critically to reflect on the popular culture they engage with in their everyday lives and recognise the diverse, and sometimes quite problematic, relations these have with IR/world politics.
Learning Outcomes
Students completing the requirements of this unit will develop:
The unit will be taught through:
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Research question, 1-2 page research proposal, and annotated bibliography. The research question needs to be approved to make sure it fits the unit’s remit, i.e., contains a topic that addresses some form of ‘popular culture’, some aspect of IR/‘world politics’, and make some argument about how they are related. The research proposal aspect encourages students to think ahead about as much of the following as they have been able to develop: 1) which specific artefacts/practices/institutions of popular culture they will analyse, 2) what theoretical framework or analytical concept(s), they will deploy; 3) what literature they might invoke, 4) what argument they think they might be making; and 5) how they might be structuring that argument. The more they engage with this assignment, the more written feedback can be provided. The annotated bibliography is designed to 1) encourage them to start reading around their topic and identifying relevant literatures, 2) practicing using the SPAIS required bibliographic format. Written feedback is provided on both of these aspects as well.
Group seminar presentation: this is given indicative mark range and written feedback. It is designed 1) to provide transferable skills development, 2) to practice analysing a bit of popular culture in relation to IR/world politics as formative for the paper, and 3) to spark seminar discussion.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
3,000 word research paper (100%) - ILO 1, 2, 3, 4. This allows students to pursue whatever form of popular culture they are interested in, whether we cover it in the unit specifically or not, which enables them to connect the scholarly arguments and some interesting aspect of world politics to their everyday lives in often very illuminating ways. It also requires that they 1) develop a doable research question, 2) identify and deploy an appropriate theoretical or analytical approach, 3) conduct the required primary or secondary research, and 4) craft a 3000-word paper answering their own research question and conveying the results of their own research. (ILO1,2,3,4)
When assessment does not go to plan
In exceptional circumstances, reassessment may be offered as determined by the exam board. You will normally complete reassessment in the same formats as those outlined above. A revised paper, based on the same (or an improved) research question must be submitted in line with the feedback provided by the tutor.
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. POLI31378).
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.
