| CODE | PPG2008 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Applied Tools and Skills in Policy Studies | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit on applied politics and policy covers key aspects of political life across various ideologies, encouraging students to connect their values to political practices. Students will gain essential political skills, including communication, decision-making, and interpersonal skills. The communication component includes public speaking, writing policy briefs, while decision-making will cover formal settings like committee meetings and informal group discussions. Interpersonal skills focus on engaging with others, listening, and constructive dialogue. Study-Unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to: - Develop generic practical skills and personal capabilities that can assist them in politics and political activism or public life more generally; - Enhance the experience and knowledge of politics and how it is applied; - Widen the perspectives of political practice. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse policy documents and political texts to extract key arguments and implications; - Apply theoretical political concepts to real-world case studies and contemporary issues; - Engage in structured political discussions with evidence-based arguments and logical reasoning; - Assess the impact of political activism and advocacy on public policy and governance; - Understand ethical considerations in politics and apply them to decision-making and governance. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Develop critical thinking skills to assess political strategies, ideologies, and decision-making processes; - Enhance digital literacy by evaluating online political discourse and misinformation; - Utilise negotiation and mediation techniques to resolve conflicts in political and public settings; - Collaborate effectively in group projects to simulate policy-making and political campaign planning; - Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills in political or civic engagement activities. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Halperin,S. and Health, O. (2016) Political Research: methods and Practical Skills, Second Edition Oxford University Press. - Khan, Gohar, K. (2006). Social Media for Government : A Practical Guide to Understanding, Implementing, and Managing Social Media Tools in the Public Sphere, Springer Verlag, Singapore. Readings [Online]: - Barnhurst, K.G. and Quinn, K., (2017) Political Visions: Visual Studies in Political Communication [Online]. - Kiernan, A. (2012) Teaching frameworks for Participation - Can we? Should we? European Political Science 1192) pp.186-195. - Lees-Marshment, J., (2016). Teaching the practice of Politics. Available from: http://www.coursesites.com/s_TeachingPractiveofPolitics (accessed 25 January 2020). - The Conversation (2016). Lobbying 101: how interest groups influence politicians and the public to get what they want (Online]. Available from http://theconversation.com/lobbying-101-how-interest-groups-influence-politicians-and-the-public-to-get-what-they-want-60569 Accessed 25 January 2020]. - Peter Van Aelst,P., Jesper Str枚mb盲ck, J. et al. (2017) Political communication in a high-choice media environment: a challenge for democracy?, Annals of the International Communication Association, 41(1), pp. 3-27. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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