| CODE | PPL1940 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Applied Tools and Skills | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 8 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Policy, Politics and Governance | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is an applied politics curriculum. It focuses on aspects of political life common across the ideological spectrum and encourages students to apply their own normative values to political practice. Aspects of political practice would include theoretical insights explored within the context of values and practice. Students will learn useful tools and generic political skills such communication in various forms, different approaches to decision-making and people skills. The communications element covers approaches suited to different types of political engagement including public speaking, writing formal policy briefs and blogging. Approaches to decision making in different settings may include committee meetings, the rule-bound debate of parliament and informal process of decision-making in cooperative and activist networks. People skills would include engagement with others, listening and speaking in support and critical interaction. Guest speakers across the spectrum of political views and modes of political participation will provide insights into political practice in terms of both professional and voluntary activity. 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: - apply oral communication principles in preparing a speech; - observe the various nuances that motivate political action; - formulate public argumentation; - develop a formal policy brief and aspects of blogging; - carry out practice-based activities such as decision-making simulations, presentations and interviews. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - conduct issue mapping to explain and interpret complex situations; - brief and synthesize reports for note taking; - build rhetoric and argumentative skills for debating; - discern, compare and contrast different viewpoints; - interpret and understand research findings; - present ideas coherently; writing and verbal, for communication purposes. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Books: - Halperin,S. and Health, O. (2016) Political Research: methods and Practical Skills, Second Edition Oxford University Press. - Lynda Lee Kaid, Lynda L. and Holtz-Bacha C., (2006) The Sage Handbook of Political Advertising, Sage Publications. - 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 - Safire., W. and Safir, L., (1992). Good Advice on Writing, Simon and Schuster. Readings [Online]: - Barnhurst, K.G. and Quinn, K., (2017) Political Visions: Visual Studies in Political Communication [Online]. - Curtis S (2010) Learning in public: Connecting politics students with practitioner in 'the Edgeless University. Political Insight 1(3), pp.93-95. - Kiernan, A. (2012) Teaching frameworks for Participation - Can we? Should we? European Political Science 1192) pp.186-195 - Lee, D., Foster, E. and Snaith H. (2013) Responding to the Employability Agenda. York: Higher Education Academy. - 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 Strömbäck, 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 | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Anne Marie Thake (Co-ord.) George Vital Zammit |
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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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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