PES5029-B Power Shifts: Regional and Global Challenges Assessment Brief 2026 | UOB

PES5029-B Assessment Brief

Feedback

Submission of the essay will be via Canvas. A submission link will be set up within the Assessment folder. Your essay should be submitted as a Word document.

Please use Arial font, size 12. Text should be double-spaced.

Please reference in line with the Bradford Harvard system. Details and guidance here: https://bradford.instructure.com/courses/15002/pages/harvard-referencing-guide?module_item_id=454576.

You will receive formative oral and written feedback throughout the term in class and on your preparatory work.

You will receive feedback for your final portfolio via annotations on your work and an overall set of individual comments that you will be able to access via Canvas.

The provisional mark and the feedback for your assignment will appear on Canvas under the Grades tab no later than 4 weeks after the deadline for submission (unless you have had an extension or there is a need to investigate the academic integrity of your submission. You should receive an email notification when your mark and feedback have been released (Check in your Account Settings under Notifications to ensure this email is generated. You can also change your settings to receive a text message notification if you wish).

When the grade and feedback are available, please read the feedback carefully to understand how your work could have been improved. Contact your Module Leader via email if you feel that you need further help to understand the feedback.

Fit-to-submit declaration

By submitting your work, you are confirming that you are fit and well enough to take the assessment. This means you are declaring yourself ‘fit to submit.’ As a result, it is unlikely that any application for Extenuating Circumstances would be accepted, as you have already confirmed that you are well enough to undertake the assessment. See Consideration of Personal Circumstances for more information.

Similarity checks

For Canvas submissions, you can use the submission link as a similarity checker on Turnitin and submit your draft assignment as many times as you need, to check the academic integrity (e.g. for plagiarism) up until the set submission deadline. However, once you understand academic integrity standards, you should not need to do so. Please avoid using Turnitin as a substitute for genuine understanding of how to avoid plagiarism!

The latest version you submit, once the deadline passes, will be the one that will be marked.

Final submission – statement of authenticity

In submitting your final work online, you are confirming that it is ready for marking, that it is all your own work, and that where you have incorporated the work of others, you have correctly acknowledged that fact – e.g. by using citations/references. You also agree that your submission can be electronically checked for similarity to other sources (e.g. via Turnitin and AI check).

Submission Guidelines

For Canvas submissions, the summative submission is your FINAL submission, and it is your responsibility to ensure you submit the CORRECT work prior to the deadline. 

Failure to submit, or submitting after the deadline without an authorised extension, will be considered as a non-submission and you will receive a mark of zero. 

Please use your UB number as the submission title if the assignment requires an individual submission.

Your assignment will only be accepted if it is one of the approved file types. The permissible formats for your portfolio are limited to the following file extensions: .doc.

Please ensure you allow enough time for completing your work. Avoid submitting it very close to the deadline in case of technical issues (e.g. broken Wi-Fi). It is your responsibility to ensure you submit the correct file and on time.

Other information/support

In preparing for your assessment, you might find the following information/support services helpful: 

• Supporting your Learning at Bradford – a whole range of online resources to help with your studies
• How to submit assignments on Canvas
• AI and your Learning – advice and guidance for students
• Academic Skills support and resources
• Library support and resources
• Language Centre support and resources
• Request support with your well-being
• Assessment, Marking and Feedback Policy
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Consideration of Personal Circumstances Policy (for extensions and extenuating circumstances) 

Detailed Assessment Task Description

The assessment for this module is a portfolio comprising assignments of varying types designed to test achievement against the module learning objectives.

There are two primary components to the portfolio:

1. Summative essay (2500 words) and

2. Evidence of participation and engagement.

Details of each component are provided in the next section below.

The portfolio will be marked as one collection of work (rather than two separate elements) but taking into consideration the different length/demands of each task. Your work will be marked in accordance with the assessment criteria for essays & reflective essays used in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development. These are set out in detail on Canvas.

In short, we will look for the following qualities in submitted work, appropriate to the level
of study:

• Evidence of systematic and careful reading, evident in secure, well-rounded knowledge of the concepts, theories and research literature covered in the module, as well as evidence of independent inquiry.
• Evidence of ability to use concepts and theory to generate and support critical inquiry.
• Evidence of being able to develop systematic, coherent arguments that demonstrate
  independent and critical thinking.
• Evidence of being able to write effectively in English according to the task, purpose and level of study.
• Evidence of thorough and honest referencing.
• Evidence of appropriate participation and engagement throughout the semester.

Component 1: Summative Essay

Students will have the choice of 8 different essay questions to respond, as well as the option to

create their own question in discussion and agreement with the module leaders. More details will be provided in the early part of the term.

If you are interested in creating your own question, you must do this in discussion and agreement with the module teaching team well ahead of time and no later than Week 10 of the module).

An argument must be made as to why you are pursuing this question and should include a list of 10 references found via the library that you would consult for your work. The module teaching team will have discretion over whether to accept your proposal.

You have to respond to ONE of the following questions:

1. Critically assess the current system of polarity in the world. Justify your answer drawing on themes explored throughout the module.

2. Analyse the shifting relations between the Great Powers with particular reference to the global balance of military power and security interests and the potential for armed conflict between them.

3. To what extent can we describe US power to be waning in the international system?

4. To what extent can we describe India as global power?

5. To what extent can China’s “rise” be considered a threat to the international system?

6. Evaluate their effectiveness and influence of either the EU or BRICS in the contemporary international system?

7. To what extent do non-state actors pose a disruption to the international system? Support your analyses with two relevant examples of non-state actors.

8. To what extent is there a global decline in democracy? What are the consequences of your answer to the functioning of the international system?

9. Student-designed question.

Component 2: Evidence of Participation and Engagement

Submit materials providing evidence of completed preparatory work tasks and in-class exercises, used for formative group or individual feedback. This will likely include Multiple Choice Questions, a brief formative essay and an essay proposal. A confirmed list of contents will be provided at the end of teaching in week 10, at the latest.

More detailed guidance on the assessment will be provided towards the end of the term. The module teaching team would be very happy to answer any questions about the assessment throughout the term.

Resubmission

If you require to do a resubmission of your in the supplementary assessment period, you will still be required to submit a portfolio with these two components. However, for component 1, you must attempt a question other than the one you attempted previously in the main assessment cycle. Component 2 can be the same.

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