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The FACULTY BOARD OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES beg leave to report to the University as follows:
1. As part of their regular programme of reviews of Faculties and Departments, the General Board appointed, in March 1997, a Committee to review the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. The Committee reported to the General Board in 1998. The Faculty Board have considered the recommendations made in the Review Committee's Report concerning Part II of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos.
2. The present regulations for Part II of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 377) allow candidates to take either a one-year or a two-year course. Candidates taking the Tripos in the year next but one after obtaining honours in another Honours Examination are required to offer six papers, two of which are to be taken from a list of four in social or political theory and methods of inquiry and analysis (Papers 2-5), and the remainder from a further list of twenty-two papers (Papers 6-27). Candidates taking the Tripos in the year next after obtaining honours in another Honours Examination are required to offer four papers, one of which is to be taken from a list of four in social and political theory and methods of inquiry and analysis (Papers 1-4), and the remainder from a further list of twenty-three papers (Papers 5-27). The Review Committee took the view that these regulations did not offer a well-grounded, coherent, and cumulative course of study. They made ten recommendations:
| (i) | that the Faculty Board specify the central areas of each of the three constitutive disciplines, Politics, Sociology and, especially, Social Psychology; |
| (ii) | that the Faculty Board specify the necessary grounding for each discipline and decide whether all candidates should receive grounding in all disciplines, or only in some; |
| (iii) | that members of the teaching staff should contribute equitably to teaching in central areas; |
| (iv) | that the courses should emphasize empirical material and the relations between theory and practice; |
| (v) | that there should be teaching that reflected the research interests of members of the teaching staff; |
| (vi) | that there should be consolidation of teaching commitments within the resources available; |
| (vii) | that the aims and objectives of all courses should be clear; |
| (viii) | that there should be a substantial reduction in the number of optional papers; |
| (ix) | that modes of assessment that place an undue burden on members of teaching staff; should be avoided; and |
| (x) | that the Faculty Board should confirm that a minimum number of University officers in the Faculty are willing and able to teach and examine for each paper. |
3. The Faculty Board have accepted these recommendations. They accordingly propose:
| (i) | that all candidates for Part I of the Tripos, the regulations for which would not change, should continue to receive a grounding in Politics, Psychology in the Social Sciences, and Sociology, together with the related discipline of Social Anthropology; |
| (ii) | that Part II of the Tripos should be divided into two Parts: Part IIA and Part IIB. Candidates spending three years on the Social and Political Sciences Tripos would take Part IIA in their second year followed by Part IIB in their third year as would candidates transferring to the Social and Political Sciences Tripos from another Tripos with a one-year Part I. Candidates transferring to the Social and Political Sciences Tripos from a Tripos with a two-year Part I would take a special scheme for Part IIB in their third year. |
The Faculty Board further propose:
| (iii) | that candidates for Part IIA should be required to choose one of four courses of study, in Politics, Psychology within the Social Sciences, Sociology, or Psychology within the Social Sciences and Sociology; |
| (iv) | that candidates for Part IIB who have taken Part IIA should be required to offer at least one specialized paper in the discipline or disciplines they chose in Part IIA and would be given the choice of offering a further set of specialized papers in their chosen discipline or disciplines, one or more introductory papers in one or other or both of the other disciplines, and/or papers on interdisciplinary subjects; |
| (v) | that the specialized and interdisciplinary papers in Part IIB should reflect the research interests of University officers in the Faculty; |
| (vi) | that, although there would in principle continue to be a range of options in Part IIB, not all should be offered every year, and in no case should a paper in Part IIB be offered if there was not at least one University officer willing and able throughout the year to teach and examine for it, or if to do so would impair teaching in Part I or Part IIA; |
| (vii) | that, consistent with the requirement that up to one-third of the assessment of candidates in Part IIB be by means other than three-hour written examinations and as far as possible, with the requirement that modes of assessment should not place too heavy and concentrated a burden on Examiners, there should, where appropriate, be provision for offering two 5,000-word papers in place of one three-hour examination and, for the first paper on Inquiry and Analysis, the examination should take the form of an essay, a statistical assignment, and a research project, with the further possibility of offering a dissertation in place of the two 5,000-word papers for one paper in Part IIB. |
4. The Faculty Board have received comments on these proposals from the Faculty Boards of Archaeology and Anthropology, Economics and Politics, Education, History, Modern and Medieval Languages, and Oriental Studies. They have noted these and have adjusted their proposals accordingly.
5. The Faculty Board have approved supplementary regulations for the new papers; these are set out in Annex 2 to this Report.
6. The Faculty Board recommend:
I. That the regulations for the Social and Political Sciences Tripos be replaced by the regulations set out in Annex 1 to this Report in accordance with the timetable contained in Temporary Regulation 24.
II. That certain regulations be amended as follows:
With effect from 1 October 2000.
(A) The regulations for entries and lists of candidates for examinations (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 209).
Regulation 11.
By amending in the table the entry for Social and Political Sciences so as to read:
Social and Political Sciences Tripos, Parts IIA and IIB
(B) The regulations for dates of examinations and publication of class-lists (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 211).
Regulation 2.
By amending the entry for Social and Political Sciences under the heading 'Thursday before last Sunday in May' so as to read 'Social and Political Sciences Tripos, Parts IIA and IIB'.
(C) The regulations for Affiliated Students (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 169).
Regulation 6.
By amending the paragraph relating to Social and Political Sciences so as to read:
The right to take Part IIA of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos in the second term after the student's first term of actual residence.
(D) The regulations for Preliminary Examinations (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 219).
Regulation 7.
By deleting the words 'for Part II of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos,' in the first and second sentences.
By deleting the regulations for Social and Political Sciences (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 228).
25 November 1999
| GEOFFREY HAWTHORN, Chairman | DALE F. HAY | J. L. SCOTT |
| B. J. BURCHELL | A. D. LEHMANN | J. STEFFENSEN |
| JOHN DUNN | K. PRANDY | HELEN THOMPSON |
| GERARD DUVEEN | J. REDDAWAY | BRYAN S. TURNER |
| E. HARRISON |
1. The Social and Political Sciences Tripos shall consist of three Parts: Part I, Part IIA, and Part IIB. A separate class-list shall be published for each Part.
2. A student may be a candidate for honours in Part I if at the time of the examination he or she has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after the student's first term of residence.
3. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part IIA;
(a) a student who has obtained honours in Part I of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos and has not subsequently obtained honours in any other Honours Examination, provided that six complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence;1
(b) a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination, in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that nine complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.
4. A student who has obtained honours in any other Honours Examination other than Part I of the Social and Political Sciences Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part IIB in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that the student has kept seven terms and that twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.1
5. No student shall be a candidate for any Part and also for another Honours Examination in the same term.
6. No student shall be a candidate for any Part on more than one occasion.
7. The Faculty Board of Social and Political Sciences shall have power to issue from time to time supplementary regulations defining or limiting all or any of the subjects of examination. Due care shall be taken that sufficient notice is given of any alteration of such supplementary regulations. The Faculty Board shall also have power to publish from time to time lists of books recommended to the candidates.
8. The Faculty Board shall give notice of any variable subjects for Parts IIA and IIB of the Tripos, before the division of the Easter Term of the year next but one preceding the examination concerned, provided that the Faculty Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for so doing and if they are satisfied that no student's preparation for the examination is adversely affected.
9. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they deem sufficient for each Part of the Tripos. The Faculty Board shall also have power to nominate one or more Assessors to assist the Examiners in any Part of the Tripos. The Assessors shall propose questions in the parts of the examination assigned to them by the Examiners, shall look over the answers of the candidates to these questions, and shall report thereon to the Examiners. The Assessors may be summoned to meetings of the Examiners for the purposes of consultation and advice, but shall not be entitled to vote.
10. In each Part of the Tripos, the questions proposed by each Examiner and Assessor shall be submitted for approval to the whole body of Examiners.
11. A candidate shall not offer in any Part of the Tripos a paper that he or she has previously offered in another University examination.
12. The scheme of examination for Part I shall be as follows:
| Paper 1. | The analysis of modern politics I |
| Paper 2. | The development of modern societies (Paper 4B of Part I of the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos). |
| Paper 3. | Human societies: the comparative perspective (Paper 3 of Part I of the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos). |
| Paper 4. | Society, interaction, and the individual. |
Every candidate shall offer all four papers.
13. The names of the candidates who obtain honours in Part I shall be placed by the Examiners in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order.
14. The scheme of examination for Parts IIA and IIB shall be as follows:
| Pol. 1. | The history of political thought up to c. 1700 (Paper 3 of Part II of the Historical Tripos). |
| Pol. 2. | The history of political thought from c. 1700 to c. 1890 (Paper 4 of Part II of the Historical Tripos). |
| Pol. 3. | The analysis of modern politics II. |
| Pol. 4. | A subject in modern politics I. |
| Pol. 5. | Conceptual issues in modern politics. |
| Pol. 6. | Political philosophy and the history of political thought since c. 1890 (also serves as Paper 5 of Part II of the Historical Tripos). |
| Pol. 7. | A subject in modern politics II. |
| Pol. 8. | A subject in modern politics III. |
| Pol. 9. | A subject in modern politics IV. |
| Pol. 10. | Modern Japan, 2 (Paper J. 8 of the Oriental Studies Tripos). |
| Pol. 11. | A subject in international affairs.2 |
| Pol. 12. | A special subject in social anthropology (Paper S10 of Part II of the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos in any year in which the subject Nationalism, race, and ethnicity, has been specified for this paper by the Faculty Board of Archaeology and Anthropology. |
| Pol. 13. | Conceptual issues and texts in politics. |
| Psy. 1. | Social psychology. |
| Psy. 2. | Experimental psychology (the subject Experimental Psychology in Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos). |
| Psy. 3. | Developmental psychology. |
| Psy. 4. | A subject in psychology I. |
| Psy. 5. | A subject in psychology II. |
| Psy. 6. | A subject in psychology III. |
| Soc. 1. | Social theory. |
| Soc. 2. | Contemporary societies and global transformations. |
| Soc. 3. | A subject in sociology I. |
| Soc. 4. | A subject in sociology II. |
| Soc. 5. | A subject in sociology III. |
| Soc. 6. | A subject in sociology IV. |
| Soc. 7. | Modern Japan, 1 (Paper J. 7 of the Oriental Studies Tripos). |
| Soc. 8. | A subject in the sociology of education (Paper 4 of Part II of the Education Tripos). |
| Int. 1. | Inquiry and analysis I. |
| Int. 2. | Inquiry and analysis II. |
| Int. 3. | An interdisciplinary subject I. |
| Int. 4. | An interdisciplinary subject II. |
| Int. 5. | An interdisciplinary subject III. |
| Int. 6. | Crime and deviance. |
| Int. 7. | Society, politics, and culture in Latin America. |
| Int. 8. | A specified subject in South Asian Studies (Paper In. 27 of the Oriental Studies Tripos). |
Not more than one subject shall be specified for each of Pol. 4, 7-9, 11, Psy 4-6, Soc. 3-6, and Int. 3-5.
15. (a) Each paper shall be of three hours' duration, except Pol. 5, Psy. 2, and Int.1, provided that Pol. 7-9, 11, Soc. 3-6, and Int. 3-8 may be examined by an alternative mode of assessment, which shall consist of the submission of two essays, each of not more than 5,000 words. The examination for Pol. 5 shall consist of the submission of two essays, each of not more than 5,000 words. The examination for Int. 1, shall consist of the submission of an essay, a statistical assignment, and a research project.
(b) The Faculty Board shall publish in the Reporter prescribed titles or subjects for essays by the division of the Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination concerned. The work to be undertaken for the research project shall be prescribed from time to time by the Faculty Board.
(c) The essays, the assignment, and the report shall be submitted in printed or typewritten form to the Secretary of the Faculty Board not later than the end of the first week of the Full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held. Each essay, assignment, and report shall bear the candidate's examination number but not the candidate's name.
16. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIA shall offer one of the following options:
(a) either Pol. 1 or Pol. 2, either Pol. 3 or Pol. 4, and Pol. 5.
(b) Psy. 1, Psy. 2, and Int. 1;
(c) Soc. 1, Soc. 2, and Int. 1;
(d) Psy. 1, either Soc. 1 or Soc. 2, and Int. 1;
17. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIB who has taken option (a) in Part IIA shall offer
| (a) | one paper chosen from Pol. 1, 2, 6-11; |
| (b) | Pol. 13; |
| (c) | either (i) two further papers chosen from Pol. 6-12, Psy. 1, Soc. 1, Soc. 2, Int. 1, Int. 3-5, Int. 7-8; |
| or (ii) one further paper chosen from Pol. 6-12, Psy. 1, Soc. 1, Soc. 2, Int. 3-5, Int. 7-8, and a dissertation, as prescribed in Regulation 22. |
provided that a candidate who chooses option (i) and who does not include Paper Int. 1 among the papers offered, may offer two essays in place of one of Pol. 7-9, 11, Int. 3-5, 7-8, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 15.
18. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIB who has taken option (b) in Part IIA shall offer
(a) Paper Psy. 3;
(b) one paper chosen from Psy. 4-6;
(c) one further paper chosen from Psy. 4-6, Pol. 1-4, Soc. 1, Soc. 2, Int. 2-6, and a dissertation, as prescribed in Regulation 22.
19. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIB who has taken option (c) in Part IIA shall offer
| (a) | one paper chosen from Soc. 3-8; |
| (b) | either (i) three further papers chosen from Soc. 3-8, Pol. 1-4, Psy. 1, Int. 2-8; |
| or (ii) two further papers chosen from Soc. 3-8, Pol.1-4, Psy. 1, Int. 2-8, and a dissertation, as prescribed in Regulation 22; |
Provided that a candidate who chooses option (i) may offer two essays in place of one of Soc. 3-6, Int. 3-8, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 15.
20. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIB who has taken option (d) in Part IIA shall offer
(a) one paper chosen from Psy. 4-6;
(b) one paper chosen from Soc. 3-8;
(c) one paper chosen from Psy. 4-6, Soc. 3-8, Pol. 1-4, Int. 2-8, and a dissertation, as prescribed in Regulation 22.
21. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 11 a candidate for Part IIB who has not previously obtained honours in Part IIA shall offer, with the approval of the Faculty Board, on application by the candidate's Tutor not later than the division of Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination, four papers chosen from the papers available in Part IIA and Part IIB; provided that a candidate who does not include Int. 1 among the papers chosen may offer two essays of not more than 5,000 words in place of one of Pol. 7-9, 11, Soc.3-6, Int. 3-8 in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 15.
22. (a) A candidate who wishes to offer a dissertation under Regulations 17-20 shall submit an application, including the topic of the proposed dissertation, a brief account of its scope, and a statement of the scheme of papers to be offered in the examination. A candidate may not choose for the dissertation a topic in the same field as that of Pol. 1 or Pol. 2. Applications shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Faculty Board, in accordance with any instructions issued by the Faculty Board, so as to arrive not later than the division of the Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.
(b) Each candidate must obtain the approval of the Faculty Board for the proposed topic not later than the last day of the Michaelmas Term. After the Faculty Board have approved a topic no substantial change may be made in it without the further approval of the Faculty Board.
(c) A dissertation shall contain full references to any sources used in its composition, and shall be of not less than 6,000 words and not more than 10,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding any bibliography; one page of statistical tables shall be regarded as equivalent to half a page of text of the same size.
(d) A dissertation shall be submitted in printed or typewritten form to the Secretary of the Faculty Board not later than the end of the first week of the Full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held. Each dissertation shall bear the candidate's examination number but not the candidate's name and shall be accompanied by (i) a brief synopsis on a separate sheet of paper of the contents of the dissertation, and (ii) a certificate signed by the candidate that it is his or her own original work, and that it does not contain material that has already been used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose .
(e) The Examiners shall have power to examine a candidate viva voce on the subject of the dissertation and in the general field of knowledge within which it falls.
23. There shall be separate class-lists for Parts IIA and IIB of the Tripos. The names of the candidates in each class-list shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order.
24. The examinations for the Social and Political Sciences Tripos, Parts IIA and IIB, shall be held under the New Regulations for the first time as follows:
for Part IIA in 2001
for Part IIB in 2002.
The examinations for the Social and Political Sciences Tripos, Part II, shall be held under the Old Regulations for the last time in 2001.
Paper Pol. 1. The history of political thought up to c. 1700 (Paper 3 of Part II of the Historical Tripos)
Paper Pol. 2. The history of political thought from c. 1700 to c. 1890 (Paper 4 of Part II of the Historical Tripos)
Paper Pol. 3. The analysis of modern politics II
The course for this paper covers (i) the analysis of modern politics including states, regimes, security, administration, institutions, community, citizenship, sovereignty, within particular states and comparatively; (ii) the trajectories of politics in the north and the south, and (iii) international politics and international political economy.
Paper Pol. 4. A subject in modern politics I
A subject in modern politics specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Pol. 5. Conceptual issues in modern politics
The course for this paper covers conceptual and theoretical questions that arise in considering the constitutions, institutions, and practices of modern states, and issues of sovereignty, security, public finance and its political implications, democracy, federalism, representation, opinion, elections and voting.
Paper Pol. 6. Political philosophy and the history of political thought since c. 1890 (also serves as Paper 5 of Part II of the Historical Tripos)
The course for this paper explores the central texts and key ideas of twentieth-century political thought, looking at both analytical concepts and historical context. It is divided into two parts, Section A covering authors and their texts, and Section B which covers a variety of themes in contemporary political philosophy.
Paper Pol. 7. A subject in modern politics II
A subject in modern politics specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Pol. 8. A subject in modern politics III
A subject in modern politics specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Pol. 9. A subject in modern politics IV
A subject in modern politics specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Pol. 10. Modern Japan, 2 (Paper J. 8 of the Oriental Studies Tripos)
Paper Pol. 11 A subject in international affairs3
A subject in international affairs specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Pol. 12. A special subject in social anthropology (Paper S10 of Part II of the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos in any year in which the subject Nationalism, race, and ethnicity, has been specified for this paper by the Faculty Board of Archaeology and Anthropology)
Paper Pol. 13. Conceptual issues and texts in politics
General issues, theoretical, conceptual and practical, in modern politics.
Paper Psy. 1. Social psychology
The course for this paper introduces students to the central areas of contemporary social psychology. As well as examining the contribution of experimental social psychology the course also considers other perspectives such as psychoanalysis, social representations, and discursive psychology.
Paper Psy. 2. Experimental psychology (the subject Experimental Psychology in Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos)
Paper Psy. 3. Developmental psychology
The course for this paper considers the development of human beings from conception to old age, with reference to the historical roots and major theories of, and contemporary issues in, developmental science. Topics considered include the nature/nurture debate and contemporary behavioural genetics; psychoanalytic theory and the study of children's relations with their parents; the cognitive-developmental theories of Piaget and Vygotsky and contemporary research on children's theories of mind; and interpersonal relationships throughout the life span.
Paper Psy. 4. A subject in psychology I
A subject in psychology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Psy. 5. A subject in psychology II
A subject in psychology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Psy. 6. A subject in psychology III
A subject in psychology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Soc. 1. Social theory
This course provides an account of the main intellectual traditions and key contributions of contemporary social theory. The period covered extends from c. 1920 to the present day, but the paper concentrates on recent (post-1960) literature and developments. A limited number of traditions and orientations are selected for detailed discussion; these traditions and orientations are situated in their social and intellectual contexts, and the writings of key thinkers are examined in some depth.
Paper Soc. 2. Contemporary societies and global transformation
This course critically assesses theories of global economic and social change and transformation. It examines the impact of these processes on the social, cultural, and political structures of contemporary 'advanced' societies. The questions of the reduction of the power and autonomy of nation states and the erosion of their cultural and social diversity are addressed. Conjectures on the direction and extent of future global change are examined.
Paper Soc. 3. A subject in sociology I
A subject in sociology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Soc. 4. A subject in sociology II
A subject in sociology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Soc. 5. A subject in sociology III
A subject in sociology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Soc. 6. A subject in sociology IV
A subject in sociology specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Soc. 7. Modern Japan, 1 (Paper J. 7 of the Oriental Studies Tripos).
Paper Soc. 8. A subject in the sociology of education (Paper 4 of Part II of the Education Tripos).
Paper Int. 1. Inquiry and analysis I
The course will give students the conceptual and methodological knowledge to evaluate different styles of social inquiry and provide the necessary skills to design and implement an empirical inquiry. Students will be introduced to the basic philosophical ideas that underpin social research and will be instructed in the appropriate use of basic descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.
Paper Int. 2. Inquiry and analysis II
This course extends students' understanding of the theory and practice of social inquiry and analysis. Students will be encouraged to tackle the challenges posed by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Students will also be introduced to the various approaches used in studies of social and individual change, including advanced multivariate techniques and longitudinal design and analysis.
Paper Int. 3. An interdisciplinary subject I
An interdisciplinary subject specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Int. 4. An interdisciplinary subject II
An interdisciplinary subject specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Int. 5. An interdisciplinary subject III
An interdisciplinary subject specified by the Faculty Board from time to time.
Paper Int. 6. Crime and deviance
The course for this paper explores crime and deviance and their control in terms of contemporary theory, research, and policy. It seeks to introduce the problem of moral and social orders as it relates to the understanding of crime and deviance, in particular, the social construction of crime and deviance, crime and deviance as social action, the role of individuals and social contexts in shaping individual conforming and deviant behaviour, the distribution and consequences of victimization and fear of crime, and the problems of crime control and prevention.
Paper Int. 7. Society, politics, and culture in Latin America
Using a range of approaches drawn from sociology, political science, political economy, social anthropology, and cultural studies, the course for this paper covers the history of Latin America in the period since the Second World War. Particular attention is paid to structural change in the region's economy and its relationship with the international economy, to the resulting transition from a state-led inward-looking model of development to the more outward-looking neo-liberal model adopted at the end of the century, and to variations in the concomitant process of democratization. The consequences and corollaries of these changes are traced in the fields of culture and religion, in the changing patterns of popular mobilization, and in the proliferation of 'informal' economic activities.
Paper Int. 8. A specified subject in South Asian Studies (Paper In. 27 of the Oriental Studies Tripos)
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Cambridge University Reporter, 15 December 1999
Copyright © 1999 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.