• Offered for Year: 2026/27

• Module Leader(s): Dr Graham Long

• Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

• Capacity limit: 16 student places

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

This module provides a practice-based opportunity for students to draw on skills and methodologies across Politics and the social sciences to analyse a current issue for a UK-based NGO.

Students will engage with the relevant academic literature, analysing, and synthesising data using appropriate tools, drawing conclusions and making appropriate evidence-based recommendations.

Students will work as a research team to develop an analytical briefing paper, with early findings presented at the mid-way point to the NGO, ultimately delivered as a written output and oral presentation at the end of the module.

The module will provide students with opportunities to interact with NGO personnel at different levels, ask questions about their experiences, and incorporate these insights into policy-relevant research. It will encourage creative problem-solving and the proposal of evidence-based solutions to policy issues. It also encourages reflection on skills acquisition and employability.

The role of the NGO and its staff will be:
- to provide (in collaboration with the module leader) research questions for the student groups
- to attend an early workshop introducing the organisation, context, and considering the ethics of work in the field of global, inclusive sustainable development
- to provide brief feedback (in person or via written comment, in collaboration with module staff) on early findings documents for each group
- to attend a final workshop and engage with the presentations for each group, and to provide comment on the final versions of the briefing papers

All marking, moderation, and week-to-week student contact would be undertaken by the module leader and other members of politics staff.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module involves responding to an issue - broadly in the areas of international development, social inclusion and sustainable development - identified by a partner NGO.

The core of the work for the module is group preparation of a briefing paper and presentation on this issue/question. This work is accompanied, and supported, by individual research contributions and reflections on skills and experience submitted as a portfolio by each student.

The 10 sessions of the course (outlined under "teaching methods") are designed to equip the students with essential knowledge, offer guidance, and provide spaces for dialogue. They are intended to be accompanied by preparatory work for each session, but also group work to progress the briefing papers and presentations.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The course is taught through 10 sessions (2 are double sessions) that guide the students towards successful drafting and presenting of their briefing paper

These sessions are:
(i) introduction

(ii) meet the partner; considering the ethics of work in inclusive sustainable development (double session)

(iii) research context

(iv) briefing paper design

(v) mid-module presentation of early findings

(vi) reflection on limitations and extensions

(vii) preparing for the group presentation

(viii) end of course presentation (double session)

These sessions also serve as venues for group meetings. They are accompanied by preparatory readings and provide regular points to reflect on the group work and any challenges encountered.


These sessions: introduce the project and partner, and reflect on the ethical considerations around the work (i)-(ii); prompt and situate work around the approach to the research question(s), literature review and methodology for the briefing paper (iii-iv); allow for a "sense check" and guidance on the direction of the project (v) help with identifying limitations, recommendations and next steps (vi); guide the students on how to present effectively (vii). The module concludes with a half-day session (viii) where project NGO partners attend for the presentations (online or in-person) and findings and any next steps are discussed.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students are tasked with writing and presenting a piece of policy-oriented research (35%) addressing a research question identified by the NGO partner. This exercise, mirroring real-world analysis post-graduation, enhances employability and presents a significant intellectual challenge. It is expected that each student will contribute to this group output.

Students are also tasked with a presentation of the key findings of the paper to the partner ngo (20%).

Students will complete an individual reflective portfolio (45%). This will address elements of substantive individual research (a backghround literature review; a detailed reflection on methodology and limitations) that would not normally be included in a policy-oriented output, and also reflections on skills and experience.

The presentation and personal reflection components of the assessment are considered relatively resistant to AI, and the transferable skills emphasis in the assessment is designed to be compatible with the objectives of the University education strategy.

Students will receive guidance and support around all of this assessment. This includes guided tasks during workshops as well as instructor and NGO feedback on the presentation of early findings at the midway point.

Reading Lists

• POL8073's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• POL8073's Timetable