Module SGIA1241: Perspectives of Political Economy

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA1241: Perspectives of Political Economy

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The module aims to introduce students to the central concerns of political economy as an inter-disciplinary social science that focuses on the relationship between political and economic systems, agents and institutions.
• It aims to pursue an enquiry-based approach to political economy, accessing the field through topics which will be familiar to the students’ own lived experiences.
• It further aims to lay foundations for students to critically engage with relevant research materials and develop awareness of the major epistemological approaches used in political economy.

Content

• The module will introduce students to some of the key issues and debates in political economy through their own (subjective) lived experiences. It will draw on current public debates around aspects of these lived experiences, to explore how the distribution and exercise of power interact with the material substance of economic life, thereby identifying the kind of questions that political economists seek to answer and the approaches they take to finding answers. Sample topics include how individuals relate to the carbon economy, student loans, the importance of place, corruption, and consumerism.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module should be able to:
• Analyse the interaction of the key agents studied by political economy (state, markets, the household, the individual and other non-governmental institutions) in shaping economic power relations across historical and cultural contexts.
• Evaluate key debates in contemporary political economy and their theoretical foundations in historical evolution.
• Examine how positionality, including student’s own subjective positionality, influences analysis in the field of political economy.

• Through the module students will be able to:
• Formulate questions of interest and relevance to political economy arising from students’ lived experience.
• Conduct independent research while critically reflecting on the limitations of chosen approaches as well as on their own positionality.
• Develop investigative strategies to analyse and evaluate competing explanations of political economy, and produce defensible, evidence-based judgements using appropriate terminology.

• Through the module students will be able to:
• Develop a self-critical and independent approach to learning within broad guidelines . while refining strategies through feedback.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning are through a series of 1-hour lectures and an associated series of 1-hour seminars.
• Lectures will introduce core debates, key questions, and theoretical frameworks in political economy, with pre-circulated materials to scaffold learning.
• Seminars will provide an opportunity for students to review their own positionality through collaborative, discussion-based learning, identifying when and how their own lived experiences reflect the larger aspects of political economy at play. Through discussion, they will be able to debate the primary frameworks deployed to explain or evaluate the relationship between political and economic systems. Seminars thus offer students the opportunity to structure and communicate their ideas and knowledge in response to the dynamics of the class.
• Formative assessment in the form of a 1,000-word essay offers students practice and feedback as they develop the skills needed to formulate a coherent and logically consistent written argument, drawing on relevant sources and evidence.
• Summative assessment by a 400-word annotated photograph allows students to explore how political-economic dynamics shape their lived experiences.
• Summative assessment by a 2,000-word essay allows the student to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the field by examining the political economy of a topic of their own choosing. The assessment will allow students to showcase their ability to engage in a self-critical and independent approach to learning, as well as to effectively communicate complex concepts in written form.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will comprise a 1,000 word essay.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.