Politics BA (Hons)

This module will provide students with the necessary skills to begin studying at level 4 in courses related to the humanities, social sciences, English, media and education. Students will be introduced to the core skills necessary to succeed in higher education, including thinking critically, researching, and referencing appropriately, demonstrating appropriate numeracy and ICT skills, and communicating effectively verbally and in writing. In addition to these fundamental study skills, Students will be given an introduction to a broad range of disciplines whose skills and theories are widely applicable. Students will study a variety of writing styles in order to recognise, deconstruct and replicate various forms of persuasive, analytical, and informative writing. Students will learn the basics of intercultural studies and how these theories can be applied to real-world problems. Students will consider social perceptions held across western cultures, and the difference between social and self-perception, participating in structured discussion and argument. Students will be introduced to the core principles of psychology and will explore various current applications of psychological theory. Students will also be introduced to ethics and will learn about some of the key theories and thinkers in the development of current ethical considerations in a range of scenarios. This module is made up of the following eight constituent elements: Interactive Learning Skills and Communication (ILSC); Information Communication Technology (ICT); Critical Thinking; Intercultural Studies; Psychology; Composition and Style; Ethics; Social Perceptions.

On this module you'll gain a broad overview of the academic analysis of politics and the core conceptual materials needed to understand politics at degree level. You'll experience three different strands: structures, ideas and research methods. The first will introduce you to the interlocking institutions that determine what politics is and what it could be. You’ll discuss the nature of power, governance, institutions (both national and transnational), and the wider groups that can influence the political process. The second will guide you through some of the ideological constructs that underpin political change. Here you'll explore representative democracy, identity politics, the relationship between politics and economics, as well as politics and conflict. Through the third, you'll gain an insight into how to research politics for yourself. You’ll learn how political scientists have approached some of the key questions facing them and you’ll be instructed in where to look for key and relevant material online. You will also boost your employability prospects and gain a greater sense of skills you need to acquire by engaging in a pass/fail task involving the career pulse.

Global Sociology will introduce you to theories of globalisation as well as the concept of ‘connected sociologies’ (Bhambra 2014). You will be asked to rethink the tenets of classical sociology via engagement with postcolonial studies, notions of decoloniality, and other critical approaches. The various features of ‘connected sociologies’ will be covered on a lecture-by-lecture basis, though connections between topics will also be explored. These dimensions/topics include modernisation theory, colonialism and settlement, methodological nationalism, migration and diaspora, cosmopolitanism and dynamics of belonging, and post-colonial and decolonial approaches. The module will be delivered via lectures and seminars. You are required to complete preparatory reading prior to each seminar. Seminar content and activities will relate to the content of the corresponding lecture. The assessment for this module is a 4,000 word portfolio of work that includes an employability task; participation in Impact 24 and an essay. This module will advance your knowledge and understanding of global sociological issues and future sustainable development, and addresses the issues of cultural and social capital by offering you an opportunity to develop professional networks and engage with real challenges. It will also prepare you to take part in a university wide Big Pitch competition.

This module will introduce you to the importance and value of researching difference and inequality within sociology. It will be delivered in two parts. The first part will focus on the comparative study of communities and societies and introduces you to methodological approaches to study difference. You will be challenged to think beyond Eurocentric and western-centric ideas of progress, and consider how co-existence across different cultures and societies is possible. The second part will provide opportunities for you to think critically about what creates inequalities, and to contextualise opportunities, prejudice and discrimination within unequal experiences. Intersectionality as a theoretical framework will be at the centre of your understanding of different forms of inequality within society, where class, gender, religion, ability, sexuality, etc intersect to produce divisions and marginalisation. You will apply your learning to your own experiences and those of your peers across various spaces and institutions in society. The module will be delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical exercises. Your assessment will comprise a 3000-word group report, written after visiting the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge; an in-class group presentation based on the visit; and a 2500-word critical analysis of either an existing ARU Students’ Union campaign on inequality or a case study of a new campaign.

What would an ideal society look like? Do we need a notion of a state at all? In studying this module, we will be examining foundational issues of contemporary political discourse and key debates of relevance today, and you will be encouraged to build up your own idea of what an ideal society would be like. Questions discussed on the module include: the idea of a state; the nature and legitimacy of democracy; the scope and limits of liberty; the nature of rights; the morality of the free market and capitalism; structures of power and oppression, and, finally, questions regarding our duties to people in other countries, and also to the environment as a whole. This module will equip you with an understanding of contemporary debates within political theory, encouraging you to see the global relevance and future implications of the issues being discussed. You will also develop your skills in critical analysis, the ability to select and compare sources of information, and you will work as a team to create reports and presentations. We will also support you to become confident in presenting your ideas in a professional way. As well as weekly active learning sessions, your learning is scaffolded by a set of structured tasks, readings, and podcasts available via Canvas.

In this module you will explore recent developments in modern African and Asian political history. You will consider the different forms of progress in countries from Nigeria to Japan, and their interaction with the west. In doing so you will consider varying systems of government, and responses to contemporary phenomena such as climate change and mass genocide. You will consider Asian and African nations both in their own terms, and how they are viewed in, and have been portrayed in, the west. You will discuss the politics of aid, international organisations such as the African Union and the UN, and the framing of states such as China and India as they rise in global prominence. You will use online lectures and film and documentary sources alongside monographs and journal articles, and the assessments will incorporate all of these. In employability terms, you will gain important knowledge of sectors such as NGOs, charities, and think tank world – as you consider the above issues. You will thereby gain important cultural capital that will prepare you for a number of policy-focussed workplaces.

In this module you will learn how EU institutions work, how public policy is adopted at the European level and the core issues at the heart of the development of the EU in the international realm. You will gain an understanding of the EU as a political system, the interactions between member states, the institution and non-members, and the processes of government, public policy and politics. The module aims to address contemporary challenges to the EU and explores questions such as ‘why do European elections not work’? How does decision making work in the EU? What powers do European institutions have in relation to their members? How effective is the EU? Has the Euro crisis spelled the end of the EU? And other contemporary issues affecting EU politics and policies. Furthermore, the module will give you the skills to critically evaluate the role of EU institutions in governance areas such as migration, human rights, international law, among others and will give you a good understanding of the ongoing development of the EU and the challenges it faces in a global context. You will be taught by lecture and seminar, and assessed by essay and poster presentation. You will develop your creative and applied skills through consideration of real world decisions facing policymakers, learning to understand existing dilemmas at a deeper level, and develop your ability to articulate views on questions surrounding the EU at a fluid and fluent level.

This module will help you understand how peoples’ mobilities and migration shape, and have shaped, societies and individual lives in a current and historical context. You will explore different migration movements across nationstate borders such as the Syrian refugee crisis, EU migration, the ‘Windrush Generation’ and Kindertransport. The focus will be, in particular, on nation-states’ migration policies and the effect these policies have on migrants’ rights and experiences in different areas of social policy (e.g. employment, housing, education and migrant admission procedure). Therefore, you will be introduced to different theoretical frameworks which analyse nation-states’ responses to migration and migrant integration, which will equip you with skills to evaluate migration policies and to formulate recommendations for effective migrant integration strategies. You will be introduced to different local, national and international organisations and networks which deal with migration and integration and offer opportunities for volunteering, internships and/or employment. You will engage with a live brief in order to prepare a report of a chosen migrant group which analyses nation-states’ policies and migrants’ experiences in the context of a chosen social policy area (e.g. employment, housing, education and migrant admission procedure).

Making a difference in the world begins with the belief that you can do something that doesn’t just benefit yourself. The easiest way to think about making a difference in the world is to inspire one person first. It’s a simple, measurable and an achievable goal that will show you what’s possible. However, in order to make a difference in the world, you will be required to demonstrate that you have the credentials to defend your ideas and your goals. In ‘Making a Difference’ you will learn about how to combine key aspects of entrepreneurialism with research methods in order to present an airtight and thoroughly evaluated plan or pitch through which you will be able to demonstrate how you can make a difference in the world. You will study four short stand-alone options within one module, through which you will become equipped to consider, research, pitch and evaluate an idea that could potentially make a positive contribution to society. The module will be taught in four-week blocks, comprising a blend of class-based and online delivery. Each option will be assessed separately at the end of each four-week block. Researching Social Sciences (Trimester 1, 2nd block) and Project Prep (Trimester 2, 1st block) are compulsory elements. In addition, you will choose one other option to study each trimester through which you will apply your research methods in preparation for your major project.

Globalisation and Security is your opportunity to explore, analyse, and critique issues of crime and criminology as they impact on a global, national, and human scale. Over the course of the module we will use a wide range of recent real-world scenarios, policies, and the relevant academic literature to encourage and develop your understanding of the effects of globalisation on perpetrators of crime, victims of crime and the cultural context in which they live. You will also have the opportunity to hypothesise on the potential future issues brought forth by the process of globalisation. On completion of the module, you will have the skills to interpret the diverse and complex causes of, and responses to, the perpetration of crime on a global basis. You will also be able to creatively consider potential future issues and innovative solutions to problems inherent to our world. The assessments for Globalisation and Security will include a peer-assessed formative case study, and a summative problem-solving critique of current responses to global, national and human issues of crime and security.

On this module, you'll study the development of the United States during the 20th century as it gained superpower status, investigating social and political change from the Progressive era through to Ronald Reagan's presidency. You'll consider such key figures as Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Al Capone, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Richard Nixon, with topics including US foreign policy, imperialism, the New Deal, McCarthyism, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and Watergate. You'll evaluate themes such as the continuities and changes in foreign policy, the development of the reform tradition as well as the problems of race. You'll be assessed through an essay and exam respectively.

In this module you will examine the interaction between health and society and, more specifically, the relationship between health and illness and social institutions. The vulnerabilities, strengths and differences between human bodies are not only experienced by all of us in our daily lives but are increasingly at the forefront of political and social media debate and controversy as well as the targets of national and international trade, aid and inequality. You will look at how disability and ideas of the “healthy body” relate to neoliberal notions of individual agency and personal responsibility, often serving to legitimise forms of social stigma, marginalisation and inequality. You will also examine the ways in which medicine has been racialised, how an epidemiological/public health approach has used to address certain forms of Crime. Teaching will be lecture and seminar based. You will be required to read for weekly seminars. Within these seminar discussions, you will assume collective responsibility for applying course material to a specific area of the sociology of health and illness in order to elucidate sociological understandings of bodies in context. Your assessment includes evaluation of the public health campaign (1500 words) and a public health campaign information task (1500 words).

On this module, you'll examine the 15-year period that began with war and ended with capitalism entering a new crisis when Wall Street crashed. You'll assess the causes and consequences of the First World War in Europe before turning to the main issues on the Western and Eastern Fronts, including the Battle of the Somme and the Russian revolutions, and the end of other European empires. You'll cover post-war diplomacy, assessing the treaties that shaped international relations after 1918, then examine the reconstruction of Europe after the war. Your studies will conclude with a discussion of the crisis in Europe after the Wall Street Crash and the onset of the Great Depression. You will be assessed through two essays: one on the causes and course of the war, and one on the consequences of the conflict.

This course will introduce you to the development of Britain in the 20th century. You'll examine changes in politics and social structure, focusing in particular on the development of the party political system as well as class, gender, sexuality and the economy. You'll examine key political and social figures (such as David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, the Beatles and Margaret Thatcher), the impact of Total War on twentieth century society, as well as unemployment, consumerism and the changing roles of women. You'll also consider the way that the reform tradition came to embrace the welfare state. You'll find this module useful for understanding many current social and political controversies as it explores how today's Britain came into being. You'll be assessed through a 2000-word portfolio and a one-hour exam.

This module will introduce you to the sociological and historical analysis of the place of intoxicants, and the role of intoxication, in society. It incorporates a broad range of themes: production and distribution; regulation, control and the law; substance use, misuse and addiction; gender and intoxication; and socio-economic changes in the place of intoxicants in societies (e.g. work, time and alcohol use). You will gain an understanding of the broad historical and cultural differences in the meanings ascribed to intoxicants and intoxication and engage in problem-based learning scenarios. You will develop analytical skills in identifying how substances, who consumes them, and the place/time they are consumed change, and that they are shifting targets of problematisation in society. Theoretical approaches to understanding the role of intoxicants and intoxication in society will be explored, including moral regulation theory, governmentality, and gender performativity; focusing for example on alcohol, cannabis, New Psychoactive Substances, and heroin. You will gain an insight into how one phenomenon, that of intoxicants and intoxication, can act as an observational lens through which a wide range of sociological issues can be examined, including gender, age, social class, disorder, offending and regulation. Intoxicants and intoxication will be delivered in weekly one-hour lectures and one-hour seminars. The assessments will combine academic skills (an essay), through which you can develop your critical analytical skills, and real-life writing contexts (a policy analysis blog), which will be useful for you in determining how to write and critique existing policy for a diverse audience.

The individual final Major Project module allows you to engage in a substantial piece of individual research, focused on a topic relevant to your specific discipline. Normally the topic will be agreed in consultation with academic staff and an appropriate supervisor will be appointed to supervise you in your chosen topic. The topic may also be drawn from a variety of sources including: Anglia Ruskin research groups, previous or current work experience, the company in which you are currently employed, or a professional subject of specific interest (if suitable supervision is available). The project topic will be assessed for suitability to ensure sufficient academic challenge and satisfactory supervision by an academic member of staff. The chosen topic will require you to identify and formulate problems and issues, conduct literature reviews, evaluate information, investigate and adopt suitable development methodologies, determine solutions, develop software and/or media artefacts as appropriate, process data, critically appraise and present your findings. Regular meetings with the project supervisor and or/group workshops should take place, so that the project is closely monitored and steered in the right direction. The assessment will normally include a substantial written report, including a bibliography.

New media, and particularly online social media, have become a fixture in today’s socio-political context. The ubiquity of online social media like Twitter and Facebook, among other platforms, have given them not only a social dimension but also one that facilitates political activism, exchange and perhaps control. On this module, you will explore the role of social media in political practices, and the production of political knowledge as well as power. You will be introduced to the many facets of social media in political theory and practice, before considering real world impact areas of social media today in a range of issue areas. You will focus on how social media impacts on activism and protest, and political campaigning, but will also explore the darker side of social media freedom. The module is structured in two parts, beginning with an engagement of theoretical aspects relevant to politics and social media. In this part you will explore and contrast the virtual with the real, examining how they relate to one another in current socio-political contexts. The second part engages with concrete cases in which social media have played an active role for social and political impact. As part of the module, you will be encouraged to participate actively with social media on a political topic of your choice, assessing the value and role of the online social media platform. You will be taught by lectures and seminars, and assessed by an essay and an on-line blog and twitter feed exercise.

On this module you will look at how politics and the politics ‘industry’ functions, particularly with regard to contemporary Westminster. You will be introduced to the way politics works in practice, and also provided with a concrete set of ‘outputs’ that you can draw upon for future job applications. The first part of the module will introduce you to the type of task you may encounter in employment in a politics-focused role, discussing the origins and activities of think tanks, lobbying organisations, and charities and encouraging you to think about how each shapes the policy making process. In short, you will discover what politics as a profession means in the UK, both in Westminster and beyond. The second part will introduce you to the types of activities you would carry out in a policy-focused role. Over the course of the semester you will develop a portfolio, including a briefing for a politician ahead of a major debate, and a public-facing blog on a particular issue or interest of your own. You will also survey the types of opportunities available for placements and internships, produce a CV and write a typical letter of introduction.

Feminist Debates and Activism will introduce you to the plurality and diversity of feminist thoughts and debates, practices and activism(s). The heterogeneity of feminist action and strategies on a range of issues will be emphasised to enable learning on historic and contemporary feminist movements. An intersectional approach will be adopted to highlight how feminists have engaged with anti-race politics alongside challenging norms around gender and sexuality. You will be exposed to feminist knowledges and scholarship on issues viz. women’s political participation, gender-based violence, trans identities and rights, sex work, etc., as well as learn about different forms and strategies of feminist activism. You will also learn about feminist research methodologies and epistemological approaches to understand what it means to ‘see’, ‘think’ and ‘do’ sociology using a feminist approach. Teaching will comprise a combination of lectures and seminars and will involve guest speakers who are feminist activists and researchers. Assessments will take the form of a formative assessment of 1000 word ‘feminist manifesto’ where you will write your own mission statement for a feminist movement or collective on any of the topics discussed within the module. Summative assessment will be a 2000 word critical analysis of an existing global feminist movement or campaign on a particular issue, drawing on theoretical approaches on the topic. This will enable a ‘real-world’ application of feminist knowledges and pedagogies on contemporary issues of importance in the area of race and gender (in)equality globally. On completion of the module you will develop critical observation and critical thinking skills, knowledge of project evaluation, and essay writing skills. This module enables you to develop a number of graduate capitals, and provides you with an important critical understanding of contemporary feminist debates. You will be introduced to diverse research areas in social and cultural spheres. You will need to adapt your writing style to produce a feminist manifesto, an authentic assessment.

This module will develop your understanding of the relationship between sport, processes of globalisation, and the sphere of international politics. Broadly speaking, the key themes that you'll consider are ideology, power and control. More specifically, you'll be introduced to a set of key theoretical and conceptual insights relating to globalisation, nationalism and commercialisation early in the module. In later lectures and seminars, you'll apply these insights to particular instances from the sporting world. Specific topics you'll consider include 'race' and racism in sport; the Workers' Sport movement, the role of sport in the colonisation of Africa, the history and politics of FIFA, and a number of national case studies including Catalonia and South Africa. You'll be assessed through a 3,000 word essay.

On this module, you'll explore the sociology of 'race', racism and ethnic divisions. You'll consider three related themes: the social origins and significance of racial and ethnic divisions, the varied causes, contexts and consequences of racism and antiracism, and the cultural consequences of migration. Although your primary substantive focus will be on race relations in contemporary Britain, you will also draw insights from historical and international comparisons. You'll also attend a series of student-led workshops, in which you'll apply sociological knowledge and understanding to current questions of 'race' politics and policy. The topics of these workshop will relate to key module themes, such as: the collection and use of racialised data in the criminal justice system, debates about the usefulness of the concept of institutional racism, and globalised Islam.

On this module you'll examine the Cold War, starting with the debates that surround the origins of hostilities between East and West, and ending by questioning whether anyone actually 'won' the Cold War. You'll assess international relations between the USSR and USA after 1945 and examine the consequences of these relations, including the founding of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. You'll also assess Britain's role in the onset of the Cold War. Other areas you'll focus on are the 1960s and the revolutionary challenges in the USA, France and Czechoslovakia, détente, and the Second Cold War. You'll consider the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe and what the collapse of the USSR meant for the post-Cold War world. Your assessment will consist of two 1,500 word essays.

On this module you will consider and contrast the long term effects of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair on British politics since the 1970s. Firstly, you will study how Thatcher deviated from One Nation Conservatism of the 1950s and 1960s, the diagnosis she made of how a society (and government) should function, and the reasons for her electoral triumph in 1979. You will then go on to consider her time in office through the lens of both her core supporters on the one hand and the British left on the other. You will have the opportunity to analyse the effect of Thatcher’s policies on class relations in the UK, and the story of privatisation and reforms to the City of London. The popular platform of Right to Buy, share ownership and moving the low paid out of paying income tax will also be considered. You will then analyse how she has continued to shape British politics since her fall from office in 1990. In doing so, you will look at how she influenced politicians such as John Major, Gordon Brown and, principally, Tony Blair. You will consider how Blair not only learned from Thatcher, but looked across the Atlantic to Bill Clinton and the New Democrats, too. You will consider charges that Blair was a ‘Thatcherite,’ as well as arguments for and against the legacy of New Labour. Throughout, you will have the opportunity to access primary source material via the Margaret Thatcher Foundation online archive and the Reagan online archive.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a billion dollar company whose output is watched worldwide by millions, principally 18-34 year olds. Its underlying product – stylised wrestling – thereby constitutes a window into wider questions surrounding capitalism, class relations, and popular culture. Its major stars – from Hulk Hogan to the Rock – have become global icons, whilst celebrities, in turn, line up to appear at its annual showpiece event: Wrestlemania. Most notably, in November 2016 a WWE Hall of Famer and former Wrestlemania participant, Donald J. Trump, was elected US President, and promptly appointed a WWE Executive, Linda McMahon, to his first cabinet. ‘Wrestling with Trump’ considers both general questions around wrestling’s position in American political culture, but also its specific links to the 45th President and the American political process. The WWE’s constant presence on television screens provide a useful ongoing barometer of political values, and the television viewers want/expect to see. Likewise, the fact that notions of sporting merit do not apply to its scripted product means that who succeeds and who doesn’t intersect with heavily politicised debates over race and gender. Its format -protagonist, antagonist, resolution – has natural crossovers with politics. You will engage with a range of developed scholarship, including through JSTOR, Wiley-Blackwell and other digital sources (including newspapers). You will consider the place of professional wrestling in reflecting, and shaping, popular culture. You will emerge with a broader understanding of the relationship between celebrity and politics, building on work in previous modules. You will develop key employability skills as part of the assessment process – where you will record a 5 minute podcast detailing the real world political relevance of the module subject matter, and which will be structured along the lines of issues that might be raised in a job interview.

On this module, you'll examine the extraordinary 15-year period that began with the global financial crisis and the Great Depression and ended with the Second World War and a very different world. You'll explore the different types of political systems and ideologies that existed in 1930s Europe, assessing the crisis of liberal democracy and the prevalence of authoritarian forms of government, such as the Soviet Union, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. You'll also examine international relations in this decade, focusing on some of the key crises such as the Nazis' invasion of the Rhineland and the Spanish Civil War. You'll assess the build up to the outbreak of the war in 1939, and question whether war could have been avoided. You'll then look at the war itself, examining the spread of Nazism across Europe, the relations between Winston Churchill and other world leaders, and the Holocaust, before considering the end of the war in Europe and the Allies' victory, assessing whether the war led to Europe being eclipsed as two new superpowers emerged. You'll be assessed through a class presentation/report and an essay.