Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3079: Money and Policymaking in the US

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

This module is intended to improve both (1) your understanding about politics and the forces that result in implemented public policies, and (2) your ability to critically evaluate research, news reports, and advocacy efforts.  The aim is to enable you to assess for yourself the effects of pressure group money on politics and policymaking, having portrayed lobbyists and legislators in simulations, and analysed real data on the topic.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. critically assess the influence of lobbyists' direct and indirect expenditures on US policymaking;
2. demonstrate understanding of the role pressure groups and lobbyists play in policymaking, particularly in the US;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. use simple statistical methods to analyse data and model political behaviour;
4. critically evaluate political science research according to its assumptions, methods, and conclusions;
Personal and Key Skills5. increase confidence in approaching professional colleagues with ideas and suggesting collaborations;
6. improve writing skills through multiple iterations, peer review, and practice writing in the role of a professional, rather than a student; and
7. demonstrate an ability to be persuasive.