Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM144: The West, Civilisations and World Order

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is however envisaged that the syllabus will cover most or all of the following topics:

Part I: The ‘West’ and Transatlantic Relations: Between Conflict and Cooperation

  • Introduction
  • What and Who’s ‘West’?
  • Transatlantic Relations: History and Theory
  • Transatlantic Security
  • Transatlantic Economics
  • Transatlantic Norms, Values and Identities

Part II: The ‘West’ and World Order: Between Particularity and Universality

  • The West and Civilizational Analysis
  • The West and (Liberal) World Order
  • Post- and Anti-Western Thought and Practices
  • Human Rights: Universal Norms or Western Standard of Civilization?
  • The Future of the West and the Liberal World Order
  • Final Seminar

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
222780

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities2211 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, discussion, reflection and simulations
Guided independent study278Reading (150 hours), preparation for seminar and presentations (50 hours), essay writing (78 hours).

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).