Summary of content

The module provides an introduction to the study of politics. It focuses specifically on the core structures and institutional features of political systems from a global, comparative perspective and analyses how these function at the national and supranational levels as well as introducing students to different ideological interpretations of political institutions.

Students will be encouraged to identify and investigate contemporary research topics which directly address issues confronting political institutions and how such dilemmas, for example, policy-related, legal, ethical, may be successfully researched.

As a Politics Module Politics 1 reflects and seeks to advance the aims and learning outcomes of the BASS Programme, especially in building student's knowledge and understanding of the social relationships, values, processes and institutions that constitute society and social relations. The learning outcomes reflect the programme aims to develop students' intellectual capacity to think sensitively and critically about different values, cultures and perspectives, and to engage positively with real world problems at a local, national and global level.

Our politics teaching is based on comparative analysis of political systems and institutions and the application of political theories in diverse contexts and systems of governance. GCU's commitment to advancing the SDGs is reflected in the module syllabus and our increasingly diversified reading lists and teaching materials that reflect global perspectives and aim to build students' understanding of the national and international environmental contexts of social organisations, and of the impact of business on society at a local and global level, in line with the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

The module Learning Outcomes reflect GCU's commitment to global citizenship and building skills in social inquiry and an analysis through independent and reflective learning.

Our learning outcomes and approach to assessment underpin the development of key transferrable skills including excellence in communication, teamwork, presentation, utilising learning and other technologies to the social, cultural and economic advantage of others.

Module structure

Assessment methods