This module offer students the opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of the place of politics in everyday life and the complex connection between ‘identity’ and politics. The module examines the notion of ‘everyday life’ and why the ‘mundane’ of the day-to-day is worthy of study. Taking ‘minor’ politics as its focus, the module explores a range of accounts of the political and ‘civic’ aspects of daily life and interrogates their connections to and disconnections from party political and electoral ‘major’ politics. The module considers the significance of ‘identity’ ‘identification’ and ‘recognition’ for politics, interrogating a range of accounts of categories such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, disability, and age as well as ‘intersectional’ accounts and ‘anti-identity’ positions. The module provides grounding in interdisciplinary working and an introduction to a range of key social and political theorists.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a sound understanding of the place of politics in everyday life and the connection between ‘identity’ and politics.
Critically evaluate a range of accounts of the political and civic as these are enacted in daily life.
Critically evaluate debates concerning the connections and disconnections between ‘minor’ everyday politics, social movements and party political and electoral ‘major’ politics.
Critically account for the significance of ‘identity’ ‘identification’ and ‘recognition’ for politics.
Demonstrate a detailed understanding of competing accounts of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, disability, and age; intersectionality; and anti-identity’ positions.
Demonstrate an appreciation of the significance for everyday politics of location; alliances and networks; scale; and feelings.
Understand and deploy effectively interdisciplinary concepts, methods and concerns from across social science disciplines.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ideas of a range of key social and political theorists and an appreciation of the potential for the application of these in practice.
Demonstrate sound written, representational and oral communication skills and the capacity to mount arguments that are complex and potentially changing or equivocal.
Assessment
26284-01 : Essay 1500 words : Coursework (50%)
26284-02 : Essay 1500 words : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment: 1500 word essay (50%) 1500 word essay (50%)
Reassessment: Resubmission of the failed component.