Overview
NFQ Level 8, Major Award
Commencing in 2019/20 the BSc (Hons) (Government and Political Science) will replace the BSc (Hons) (Government) degree. This will be implemented on a phased basis starting with First Years in 2019/20. Students who entered before 2019/20 will continue on the BSc (Hons) Government degree.
First Year - Government and Political Science
Elective Modules
Students may be asked to indicate preferences for selection of elective modules for Second, Third and Fourth Years prior to the end of their First, Second and Third Years respectively.
Second Year - Government and Political Science
No student may register for the Second Year programme of study until the First University Examination in Government has been passed. Second Year consists of core modules to the value of 50 credits, and elective modules to the value of 10 credits. To be admitted to the Second University Examination in Government and Political Science, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits.
Third Year - Government and Political Science
No student may register for the Third Year programme of study until the Second University Examination in Government and Political Science has been passed. Year 3 consists of core modules to the value of 30 credits (15 credits for Albany Pathway), elective modules to the value of 20 credits (15 credits for Albany Pathway) and a Work Placement module to the value of 10 credits. To be admitted to the Third University Examination in Government and Political Science, a student must have satisfactorily attended taught modules, to the value of 50 credits.
The programme requirements for Albany Pathway students are set out below.
Note: The Third University Examination in Government and Political Science will be undertaken in March/April to allow students undertake Work Placement (GV3102 Work Placement).
Students may not select a language module where there is a timetable clash with core modules, or which has already been taken at the same level in a previous year.
Albany Pathway
Albany Pathway students take modules to the value of 30 credits in Semester 1 (15 credits of core modules and 15 credits from elective modules) and 20 credits in Semester 2 in their assigned college/university in New York plus the Work Placement module to the value of 10 credits in the New York State Assembly in Albany, New York.
Note: For Albany Pathway students the Third University Examination in Government and Political Science will be undertaken in December (or through continuous assessment in Semester 1) to allow students undertake Work Placement (GV3401 Government Placement New York State Assembly) in the New York State Assembly in Albany, New York and GV3402 US State Government & Legislative Studies (20 credits) in their assigned college/university in New York.
GV3102 Work Placement
After the Third University Examination, students must also undertake a 12-week period of work placement (GV3102 Work Placement
- 10 credits). The Placement module shall be assessed on a pass/fail basis, and must be passed in order to graduate with Honours. Attaining the requisite competencies standard shall be considered a pass; failure to meet the requisite competencies standard shall be considered a fail. (Full details of the placement are contained in "Placement Policy and Procedures for the BSc (Hons) in Government and Political Science" which is available, on request, from the Department of Government and Politics).
Study Year Abroad
Students may, on the approval of the BSc Government and Political Science Board of Studies, spend third year pursuing an approved programme of study in a university outside of Ireland. Programmes taken will be validated by the host institution. Students will be asked to complete a workload either (a) broadly equivalent to 60 ECTS credits at the host institution or (b) broadly equivalent to 50 ECTS at the host institution together with GV3102 Work Placement. The workload should be at a broadly equivalent level to the UCC BSc Government and Political Science III.
Fourth Year - Government and Political Science
No student may register for the Fourth Year programme of study until the Third University Examination in Government and Political Science has been passed. In Fourth Year, students take modules to the value of 60 credits in total. At least 40 credits of GV modules must be taken which includes 20 credits of core modules plus a minimum of 20 credits of GV electives. To be admitted to the BSc (Hons) Government and Political Science Degree Examination, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits.
Programme Requirements
For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements.
Programme Requirements
Module List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| |
| GV1202 | Politics of the European Union | 5 |
| GV1204 | Democracy, Ideology and Utopia | 5 |
| GV1207 | Politics and Government of Ireland | 5 |
| GV1215 | Local Government and Politics of Ireland | 5 |
| GV1216 | Analytical Thinking Skills in Political Science | 5 |
| GV1217 | Introduction to Political Science | 5 |
| GV1218 | International Politics | 5 |
| LW1316 | Public Law | 5 |
| MG1010 | Public and Private Management | 5 |
| SS1302 | Social Policy Analysis | 5 |
| 10 |
| Introduction to Accounting () | |
| Chinese Language (Mandarin) I (10) | |
| Macroeconomic Context and Business (5) | |
| Introduction to Development Economics (5) | |
| Local Development and Public Health (5) | |
| Introduction to French : Complete Beginners (5) 1 | |
| French for Near Beginners (5) 2 | |
| Threshold French (5) | |
| French for Reading Purposes I (5) | |
| Ceart na Gaeilge idir Scríobh agus Labhairt (10) | |
| German Language (Beginner Level A1) Part 1 (5)
plus German Language (Beginner Level A1) Part 2 () 3 | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.1) (5) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.2) (5) | |
| Spanish Language (Beginner Level) (10) | |
| Spanish Language (Improver [01] Level) (10) | |
| Introduction to Information Systems (5) | |
| Information Systems for the Networked Enterprise (5) | |
| Non-Beginners' Written and Spoken Italian (10) 4 | |
| Introduction to Written and Spoken Italian (10) 5 | |
| Principles of Management and Organization (5) | |
| |
| EC1202 | Economic Reasoning for Business | 5 |
| GV2008 | Political Corruption: Concepts | 5 |
| GV2218 | European Government and Politics | 5 |
| GV2229 | Citizen Participation | 5 |
| GV2230 | Public Management Concepts | 5 |
| GV2231 | Public Management in Practice | 5 |
| GV2235 | Policy Making in the European Union | 5 |
| GV2240 | International Security | 5 |
| GV2241 | Elections and Voting | 5 |
| LW2002 | Public Law II | 5 |
| 10 |
| Chinese Language (Mandarin) I (10) | |
| An Introduction to Business in China () | |
| Introduction to Theories and Practices of Health Promotion (5) | |
| Public Health Issues (5) | |
| Food Economics (5) | |
| International Relations of Asia (5) | |
| Constitutional and Institutional Law of the European Union (5) | |
| Economic Law of the European Union (5) | |
| Introduction to Marketing (5) | |
| Communities, Activism and Development (5) | |
| Youth Policy and Practice (5) | |
| Introduction to French : Complete Beginners (10)
plus French for Near Beginners () 1,2 | |
| Threshold French (10)
plus French for Reading Purposes I () | |
| Towards Vantage French (10)
plus French for Reading Purposes II () | |
| Ceart na Gaeilge idir Scríobh agus Labhairt (10) | |
| Úsáid agus Cruinneas na Gaeilge I (10) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.1) (5) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.2) (5) | |
| Integrated German Language Course (10) 7 | |
| Spanish Language (Beginner Level) (10) | |
| Spanish Language (Improver [01] Level) (10) | |
| Non-Beginners' Written and Spoken Italian (10) 4 | |
| Introduction to Written and Spoken Italian (10) 5 | |
| Intermediate Italian Language (10) | |
| |
| GV3206 | Politics in Northern Ireland | 5 |
| GV3210 | Conflict and Conflict Resolution | 5 |
| GV3212 | Global Political Economy - Trade | 5 |
| GV3215 | Politics of the United States of America | 5 |
| GV3217 | Global Political Economy - Finance | 5 |
| GV3226 | Political Science Methods and Methodology | 5 |
| GV3102 | Work Placement 6 | 10 |
| 20 |
| Growth and Development in a Global Economy (5) | |
| Gender and Development (5) | |
| Sustainable Development: Environment, Economy and Society (5) | |
| Climate Assemblies (5) | |
| Contemporary Ecological and Anti-Capitalist Politics (5) | |
| Chinese Politics (5) | |
| The Irish Planning System (5) | |
| Enterprise and Innovation (5) | |
| Market Research (5) | |
| Policy Issues in Social Markets (5) | |
| The Sociology of Community (5) | |
| |
| Chinese Language (Mandarin) Level 2.5 (5) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.1) (5) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.2) (5) | |
| GV3212 | Global Political Economy - Trade | 5 |
| GV3215 | Politics of the United States of America | 5 |
| GV3226 | Political Science Methods and Methodology | 5 |
| GV3401 | Government Placement New York State Assembly | 10 |
| GV3402 | US State Government & Legislative Studies | 20 |
| 15 |
| Sustainable Development: Environment, Economy and Society (5) | |
| Climate Assemblies (5) | |
| Contemporary Ecological and Anti-Capitalist Politics (5) | |
| Enterprise and Innovation (5) | |
| Market Research (5) | |
| The Sociology of Community (5) | |
| |
| GV4202 | Government Research Dissertation | 10 |
| GV4414 | Contemporary Debates in Ireland | 5 |
| GV4415 | Contemporary Debates in the EU | 5 |
| 40 |
| Economics and the Labour Market (5) | |
| Health Economics: The Role of Public Policy (5) | |
| Environmental Economics: The Problem of Climate Change (5) | |
| Health Services (5) | |
| Advanced Programme Planning and Policy Processes (5) | |
| Co-operative Banking (5) | |
| Global Governance (5) | |
| Political Ideologies and Social Change (5) | |
| Democracy: Theories and Innovations (5) | |
| Public Finance - Theory and Practice (5) | |
| European Security (5) | |
| People and Organisation (5) | |
| Business Ethics and Governance (5) | |
| Issues in Irish Politics (5) | |
| Sociology of Politics, Power, and Ideology (5) | |
| Sociology of the Environment (5) | |
| Japanese Language Level 1 (10) | |
| Chinese Language (Mandarin) I (10) | |
| Chinese Language (Mandarin) Level 2.5 (10) | |
| Introduction to French : Complete Beginners (5)
plus French for Near Beginners () 1,2 | |
| Threshold French (5)
plus French for Reading Purposes I () | |
| Towards Vantage French (5)
plus French for Reading Purposes II () | |
| Ceart na Gaeilge idir Scríobh agus Labhairt (10) | |
| Úsáid agus Cruinneas na Gaeilge I (10) | |
| Úsáid agus Cruinneas na Gaeilge (10) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.1) (5) | |
| German Language (CEFR-Level A2.2) (5) | |
| Integrated German Language Course (10) 7 | |
| Advanced Integrated German Language Course (10) 8 | |
| Spanish Language (Beginner Level) (10) | |
| Spanish Language (Improver [01] Level) (10) | |
| Non-Beginners' Written and Spoken Italian (10) 4 | |
| Introduction to Written and Spoken Italian (10) 5 | |
| Intermediate Italian Language (10) | |
| Advanced Italian Language (10) | |
Note: The following conditions apply to Language modules:
- Students may not select a language module where there is a timetable clash with core modules, or which has already been taken at the same level in a previous year.
- GA and Language modules - the level at which a student is permitted to take a particular GA or language module will be determined by an assessment carried out at the start of the first Semester, by Roinn na Nua-Ghaeilge in the case of GA coded modules, and the relevant Department in the case of other language modules.
Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.
Programme Learning Outcomes
Programme Learning Outcomes for the BSc (Hons) Government and Political Science (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
- Identify political issues at local, national, European and global levels;
- Formulate problems based on the identification of weaknesses;
- Propose potential solutions to the problems raised;
- Assess the interdependence between the public and private sectors;
- Analyse the impact of politics on the world of business;
- Apply private sector management techniques to the public sector;
- Evaluate the benefit of the work placement experience;
- Contribute to debates on the issues shaping democratic development at local, national, European and global levels.
