Power and Politics

Taught by Joe Packer

More information: morgan.packer@uexternado.edu.co

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” Lord Acton

Many people across the world enjoy chatting about current affairs and politics in social situations, especially having lively discussions with different viewpoints. This course will give you the confidence to be able to do this in English allowing you to put into practice the terminology you build through the course.

On this course you will explore the discourse of Government and Power while looking at different modes and theories in the world today. We will delve both into real life examples and those from films and movies. We will debate and discover the characteristics needed to be a successful leader and the tough decisions leaders make and why. Additionally, we will also look at how elections are won, the methods used and the power of persuasion.

The topics studied will include:

• Different types of governments (democracy, monarchies, autocracies etc)
• Elections & Campaigning
• Case studies of different governments/ individuals throughout history
• Power Dynamics & Personality Traits of Leaders
• Reality vs Fiction
• Fictional governments/ leaders in movies and series
• Propaganda (style/message over substance)
• Difficult decisions – morality vs the right decision
• Revolutions: differerent ways to take action

Assessments will include a group project (creating election campaign ads), individual presentations on movies / series and the power, government and politics themes within as well as a debate on a current affair issue.

Upon completion of the course, you will have developed many of your soft skills in English such as debating, giving presentations and listening, allowing you to have the confidence to study abroad. Moreover, you will improve your technical vocabulary on the topic, enabling you to have detailed and interesting discussions on related topics.