Everyday Politics

Learning Outcomes

Disciplinary Specific Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Political Psychology & Electoral Behaviour specialized pathway: Analyse the psychological underpinnings of voter behaviour, leadership, and crisis decision-making.
• Relations & Security Pathway: Assess global governance challenges, international development issues, and the role of major powers in shaping world politics.
• Reflect critically on the evolution of the discipline of Politics and its relevance to contemporary political, social, and global challenges.
• Critically evaluate competing theories and approaches in political science, political psychology, international relations, and security studies, including normative, empirical, and behavioural traditions.
• Apply disciplinary concepts of power, governance, institutions, and political behaviour to analyse political systems at local, national, and international levels
• Integrate interdisciplinary insights (e.g. psychology, sociology, economics, communications) into political analysis, demonstrating the breadth and flexibility of the discipline.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Research design principles, data collection methods, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches in political research.
• Empirical evidence at the intersection of politics and everyday life
• Theoretical perspectives and empirical findings in political science, including political psychology, electoral behaviour, comparative politics, public policy, international relations, and security studies.
• Major concepts and theories of everyday politics

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Demonstrate adaptability, resilience, and intercultural awareness in academic and professional settings.
• Work independently and collaboratively, exercising initiative and leadership in group contexts.
• Communicate effectively to diverse audiences through written, oral, and digital means.
• Critical thinking about everyday life
• Manage time, projects, and resources effectively to meet deadlines.
• Apply problem-solving, decision-making, and critical reflection to complex issues.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Engage in comparative political analysis across different systems, cases, and cultures.
• Formulate reasoned arguments and communicate them effectively in both oral and written forms.
• Critically analyse and interpret political concepts, theories, and evidence.
• Critical understanding of everyday choices and behaviour through the lens of theories of everyday politics

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Engage with practitioners, stakeholders, and research centres to integrate academic knowledge with applied practice.
• Communicate research findings effectively through oral presentations, digital media, and written reports tailored to academic, policy, and public audiences.
• Prepare professional outputs including policy briefs, reports, and advisory documents for different audiences.
• Apply problem-solving skills to real-world political and governance challenges through simulations, debates, and applied coursework.

The module syllabus will address some of the most important topics within contemporary politics with regards to the interaction between everyday life and politics, such as, (a) the distinction between formal/institutional politics vs. everyday/micro-politics; (b) politics in the intimate life (dating, marriage and politics); (c) politics in the workplace; and (d) lifestyle politics (fashion, ecopolitics, etc.), among others.

The module may combine in-person teaching and learning (lectures and seminars) with online activities, experiential tasks, and micro-fieldwork (e.g. observation of everyday political interactions), enhancing your real-world engagement with the theories and social science evidence. * Lectures will introduce core concepts, theories, and debates in everyday politics, providing you with a strong analytical framework for understanding informal, micro-level, and non-institutional forms of political power. *Seminars will prioritise student-led discussions, guided debate, and collaborative interpretation of key readings, encouraging students to connect theoretical concepts to everyday political experiences. *Real-world and everyday case studies (e.g. workplace conflicts, dating norms, ethical consumption, digital activism) will allow you to analyse how political power operates in ordinary settings. * Reflective exercises will encourage you to reflect critically on your own everyday practices and social positions, hopefully fostering awareness of how personal experiences intersect with broader political structures. *Teaching will be informed by current research in everyday politics (including my own and others' research). * Digital materials, such as social media content, podcasts, short videos, and online campaigns will be used as learning resources during the class, enabling you to examine contemporary forms of everyday political expression and mobilisation.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.