UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Programme Specification
Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations (Bi-diplôme)1. Awarding Institution/Body / University of Kent
2. Teaching Institution / University of Kent at Canterbury and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lille (IEP)
3. Teaching Site / Canterbury campus and IEP
4. Programme accredited by: / N/a
5. Final Award / BA (Hons)
6. Programme / Politics and International Relations (Bi-diplôme)
7. UCAS code (or other code) / L291
8. Relevant QAA subject benchmarking group/s / Politics and International Relations; in a secondary capacity, Languages and Related Subjects
9. Date of production/revision / June 2005/Revised October 2008
10. Applicable cohort/s / 2009 entry onwards
11. Educational Aims of the Programme
(Politics and International Relations 2007 Subject Benchmark Statement [Polir-sbs] no. 4.12)
The programme aims to:
1. attract, and meet the needs of, those who wish to study politics and international relations within a broader social science context in the United Kingdom and France and obtain degrees recognised in both educational systems
2. enable students to experience academic and personal life in two different institutional, national and linguistic environments and develop knowledge and understanding of their respective cultures and societies
3. place political questions, both domestic and international, at the centre of social-scientific analysis;
4. enable students to understand and use the concepts, approaches, theories and methods of politics and international relations and develop an understanding of their contested nature and the problematic character of enquiry in the discipline;
5. enable students to link the study of politics and international relations to that of related disciplines, with a particular emphasis on Economics, Law and Philosophy
6. develop students’ capacities to think critically about political and social events, ideas and institutions;
7. encourage students to relate the academic study of politics and international relations and related disciplines to questions of public concern;
8. provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that promotes breadth and depth of intellectual enquiry and debate;
9. assist students in developing cognitive and transferable skills relevant to their vocational and personal development;
10. enable students to perfect their command of English and French
12. Programme Outcomes
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas.
Knowledge and Understanding / Teaching/learning and assessment methods and strategies used to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated
A. Knowledge and understanding of:
(Polir-sbs 4.14, 4.15; Lars-sbs 3.1-3.4)
1. key concepts, approaches, theories and methods used in the study of politics and international relations and their application to the analysis of political ideas, institutions, practices and issues in the global arena.
2. the structure, institutions and operation of different political systems and of the international system
3. the social, economic, historical and cultural contexts of political institutions and behaviour;
4. the political dynamics of interaction between people, events, ideas and institutions and factors accounting for political change
5. the contestable nature of many concepts and different approaches to the study of politics and international relations and different interpretations of political events and issues
6. the normative and positive aspects of political enquiry;
7. the ways in which the study of Politics is linked to cognate disciplines such as Economics, Law and Philosophy
8. advanced use of the French language
9. in-depth knowledge of French culture and society / Teaching/learning: Acquisition of 1-7 is through a combination of lectures and seminars beginning with introductory modules at Stage A1 and subsequently developed through compulsory Intermediate-level and Honours-level modules at Stages 2 and 3. The Honours-level modules, in particular, provide an opportunity to develop a critical engagement with political phenomena and knowledge in the discipline of Politics and International Relations through small-group seminars based on lecture topics. This is then further developed through the specialised modules at Stage A2
Acquisition of 8-9 is through Stages A1 and A2.
Assessment: Assessed through a combination of unseen written examinations, assessed coursework and project work. Progress is monitored through small group work and contact between tutors and tutees, and the co-ordination of the programme between the two institutions performed by the programme co-directors.
Skills and Other Attributes
B. Intellectual skills
(Polir-sbs 4.16; Lars-sbs 4.5.1)
1. gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from a variety of secondary and some primary sources;
2. identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to problems;
3. develop reasoned arguments, synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement
4. reflect on, and manage, their own learning and seek to make use of constructive feedback from peers and staff to enhance their performance and personal skills
5. manage their own learning self-critically
6. employ their understanding of different educational curricula and pedagogic methods in their own work
7. integrate into a different educational, cultural, social and linguistic environment / Teaching/learning: Intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme outlined below. Each module, whatever the format of teaching, involves the critical reflection on key themes, verbal discussion and the written analysis and interpretation of the relevant material. Lectures and tutor-led seminars and project work promote 1-5. Students are introduced to ways in which political-science perspectives can be employed to interpret a range of political issues and encourage a critical awareness of political phenomena and an appreciation of the diverse ways of interpreting them. The lectures provide students with an outline of the respective topic. Essays allow students to demonstrate their ability to sustain an argument.
Skills 6 and 7 are developed in Stages A1 and A2.
Assessment: Intellectual skills are assessed through coursework and unseen examinations.
C. Subject-specific skills
(Polir-sbs 4.14, 4.15; Lars-sbs 4.1-4.4)
1. understanding the nature and significance of politics as a human activity and its wider economic, legal and philosophical context;
2. application of concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics and international relations to the analysis of political ideas, institutions, practices and issues in the global arena;
3. evaluate different interpretations of world political events and issues;
4. describe, evaluate and apply different approaches to collecting, analysing and presenting social science information;
5. knowledge of either Economics, Law, Philosophy or a third European language depending on the option chosen
6. advanced knowledge and use of the French language
7. in-depth knowledge of French culture and society / Teaching/learning: All students receive guidance on how to identify, locate and use library material and online resources. Discussion of theoretical and conceptual issues is integrated into all modules. Students are encouraged to evaluate a comprehensive sample of political, theoretical and global perspectives and texts. On the Canterbury campus, comprehensive reading lists are provided for each module and support is offered by a dedicated subject librarian.
Skills 6 and 7 are acquired through Stages A1 and A2.
Assessment: Discussion of issues, formative and summative assessment of presentations in class; essays and projects; marks for essays and exams but not individual seminar contributions.
D. Transferable skills
(Polir-sbs 4.17; Lars-sbs 4.5.2, 4.5.3)
1. Communication: communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing in both English and French; organise information clearly and coherently; use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical or numerical information;
2. Numeracy: make sense of statistical materials; integrate numerical and non-numerical information; understand the limits and potentialities of arguments based on quantitative information;
3. Information technology: produce written documents; undertake online research; communicate using e-mail; process information using databases;
4. Reflective learning: explore personal strengths and weaknesses; time management; review working environment (especially student-staff relationship); develop autonomy in learning; work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management;
5. Working with others: define and review the work of others; work co-operatively on group tasks; understand how groups function; collaborate with others and contribute effectively to the achievement of common goals;
6. Problem solving: identify and define problems; explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them
7. Intercultural awareness and understanding: appreciate and understand the differences and the similarities between the British and French academic and cultural contexts; develop the flexibility to adapt to different environments and perform effectively in them / Teaching/learning: Transferable skills are generally incorporated within modules and related to relevant assessments as appropriate. Examples of strategies include: student and tutor-led seminars; self-directed learning and the use of research-based teaching materials and methods. All modules at Kent require written work and feedback on this is given to the students to help develop their power of presentation, analysis and communication. Skill 4 is promoted through assessed group work in some modules and through seminar discussions. IT skills are developed through coursework, the use of email and the use of online and internet resources. Skill 4 is developed through lectures, seminars, preparation of coursework and exams and general management of their studies. Skills 1 and 7 are acquired through Stages A1 and A2.
Assessment: Effective communication of ideas, problem solving and research skills are continually taken into account in assessing all areas of a student's work, and regular feedback and the final mark reflects this.Skill 5 is assessed through coursework and exams in Stages A1 and A2.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards
The programme is offered on a full-time basis only. Students complete the programme in four years. Study on the programme is divided into a number of blocks called modules each of which carries a specified number of credits. One credit corresponds to approximately 10 hours of ‘learning time’. This includes all taught and supervised classes and all private study and research.
The programme is divided into four stages each comprising of 120 (60 ECTS) credits. The marks for each stage are weighted as follows for the purpose of calculating the final degree classification: Stage A1: 0%; Stage 2: 30%; Stage 3: 30%; Stage A2: 40%. Students must achieve specified requirements before being permitted to proceed to the next stage. Thus, for a full-time student each year of study involves approximately 1,200 hours of learning time. Each Kent module is designated at one of three ascending levels, Certificate (C), Intermediate (I) or Honours (H). To be eligible for the award of this honours degree students normally have to obtain 480 credits, at least 330 of which must be Level I or above, and at least 210 of which must be level H or above.
At its discretion the University allows for narrow failure in a small proportion of modules to be compensated by good performance in other modules or, in cases of documented illness or other mitigating circumstances, condoned. Failure in certain modules, however, may not be compensated and/or condoned, as indicated by the symbol * below.
The structure of the programme and the modules which make it up, their levels, credits and the terms in which they are taught, are shown below. Details of each module can be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/politics/undergraduates/modules/index.html.
Please note that the programme as laid out in term of available modules is subject to change.
Stage A1 (IEP, Lille)
Code / Title / Level / Credits / Term/s
PO320 / Core and optional modules at the IEP /
C
/ 120 / 1+2Stage 2 (Kent, Canterbury)
Required Modules
Code / Title / Level / Credits / Term/s
PO554 / International Relations Theory /
I
/ 15 / 1PO621* / Political Research and Analysis /
I
/ 30 / 1+2Recommended Modules
No more than 30 credits in total may be taken from the list below. Please note that module choices are subject to availability and pre- and/or co-requisites requirements.
Either
EC500 / Microeconomics / I / 30 / 1+2
Or
PL / Philosophy modules / H / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
LW / Law modules / I / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
GE / German modules / I / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
IT / Italian modules / I / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
LS / Spanish modules / I / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Optional Modules
Remaining credits to be chosen from the Politics and International Relations list. Level I modules should normally be taken in this year.
Stage 3 (Kent, Canterbury)
Required Modules
Code / Title / Level / Credits / Term/s
PO619 / Modern Classics of Comparative Politics /
H
/ 15 / 1Recommended Modules
No more than 45 credits – or 30 credits in the case of a language – in total may be taken from the list below. Please note that module choices are subject to availability and pre- and/or co-requisites requirements.
Either
EC502 / Macroeconomics / I / 30 / 1+2
EC / Economics optional module / H / 15 / 1/2
Or
PL / Philosophy modules / H / 45 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
LW / Law modules / H / 45 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
GE / German modules / I/H / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
IT / Italian modules / I/H / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Or
LS / Spanish modules / I/H / 30 / 1/2 or 1+2
Optional Modules
Remaining credits to be chosen from the Politics and International Relations list. Level H modules should normally be taken in this year.
Stage A2 (IEP, Lille)
Code / Title / Level / Credits / Term/s
PO632 / Core and optional modules at the IEP depending on the mention chosen. /
H
/ 120 / 1+214. Support for Students and their Learning
Provided by the School of Politics and International Relations:
§ Induction programme
§ Undergraduate handbook
§ Director of Learning Resources can be consulted on an individual basis by telephone, email or in person
§ Academic support system – PAS System – providing advice on module choice and programme structure, academic difficulties, progression routes and individual progress
§ Student Support Officer, co-ordinating all support services offered to students
§ Individual Academic Advisers
§ Programme director offering general advice
§ Induction meeting at the beginning of Stage2 and 3
§ Regular email contact with students while in Lille
§ Regular visits to the IEP
§ Annual Board of Studies meeting with IEP colleagues and student representatives
Provided by the Faculty of Social Sciences and the University’s central services:
§ Essential Information Services Guide