Module Identifier GG36920  
Module Title GEOGRAPHIES OF RURAL POLITICS  
Academic Year 2007/2008  
Co-ordinator Dr Michael J Woods  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Lecture   18 Hours. 9 x 2 hrs  
  Seminars / Tutorials   2 Hours. 1 x 2 hrs  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours A 2 hour seen final exam paper, answering 2 questions from 4. All elements of the assessment must be completed to obtain a pass mark based on the aggregate performance.50%
Semester Assessment A consultancy report coursework assignment of 2500 words = 40% and a contribution to a roleplaying debate = 10%. Standard IGES policy on the late submission of work will apply to the coursework assignment. All elements of the assessment must be completed to obtain a pass mark based on the weighted aggregate performance.50%
Supplementary Exam2 Hours Please see below for supplementary regulations.  50%
Supplementary Assessment Resit: For a condoned non-completion of examination or submission of a 1000 word short essay on the topic of the debate. The full range of marks on dates set in the Supplementary Examination period. Resit due to aggregate failure or non-completion of part of the assessment requires re-examination of each component if marks of <40% in both were obtained, or re-examination or re-submission of the failed component (examination or assignment(s) to obtain a maximum mark of 40% for the module). Resit due to failure or non-completion or participation in the role-playing debate will involve the submission of a 1000 word short essay on the topic of the debate.50%

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students should be able to:


Aims

This module aims to examine the contemporary political process in rural areas and its historical development. It seeks to critically analyse contemporary rural politics, drawing on a range of social and political theories which will be discussed in the context of empirical examples.

Content

Introduction
1. Introducing rural politics: the myth of the apolitical countryside

The Evolution of the Rural Power Structure
2. Property, paternalism and power
3. Contemporary rural local politics
4. Rural governance
5. Rural policy
6. Contesting rurality
7. Agricultural politics
8. Hunting Debate
9. Defending the Middle Class Countryside
10. Rural Movements and the Global Countryside

Reading Lists

Books
** General Text
H. Newby, C. Bell, D. Rose & P. Saunders (1978) Property, Paternalism and Power London: Hutchinson
J. Murdoch & T. Marsden (1994) Reconstituting Rurality London: UCL Press 1857286456
M. Winter (1996) Rural Politics London: Routledge 0415081769
M. Woods (2005) Contesting Rurality:Politics in the British Countryside Aldershot: Ashgate 0754630250

Articles
M. Mormont (1983) The emergence or rural struggles and their ideological effects International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 7, 559-575.
M. Woods Decontsructing rural protest: the emergence of a new social movement, Journal of Rural Studies, 19, 309-325

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6