Reader in Political Theory
Civil society represents one of the central institutions of modern democratic society. Students who take the School of Politics and International Relations' Civil Society module explore this through a placement working with a local civil society organisation. Students have the opportunity to engage with real political issues and take part in active campaigns around issues including the media, refugees, the living wage, housing, and more.
In this module students are given the opportunity to explore beyond core academic content and to gain first-hand experience of civil society organisations, some of the most important institutions affecting the day-to-day lives of the public. During this placement, students work 2 days per week during Semester 2 of their final year. Workshops are organised to help students prepare for their placement and to reflect on their experiences. Students work in a civil society organisation between January and Easter. During this time, they are exposed to the day-to-day activities of the organisation and get involved with specific campaigns of their choosing.
Students are to submit two assignments from this module. One is a job advert not more than 1000 words, describing their role and the skills which may be necessary and desirable to be successful within that role. The second assignment is a 6000 word reflective journal and portfolio, which refers to the specific activities conducted and examples of work completed during the placement. Both assessments enable students to develop and demonstrate graduate attributes. This includes a range of employability skills, such as engaging with the professional and political ‘real world’ through communication, research, and team working skills. The first assignment is specifically designed to highlight these to students and promote reflection on the skills and attributes they will gain through the placement. Attributes specifically related to ethical behaviour and social justice are also developed through this module and assignments.
This module benefits students through not only a practical approach to learning, but it allows students to build relationships within their community, and to tackle problems faced by current civil society organisations. This enables students to apply what they have learnt within the academic context, and use it to tackle real life problems, increasing both their creativity and knowledge within specific tasks.
My experience with sponsor refugees has been overwhelmingly positive, so much so that I feel after university is over I must get involved with the community sponsorship of a refugee family as I have learnt and seen first-hand.— Alya Adekola
“The placement with Citizens UK has been such an enjoyable, insightful and eye-opening experience. From working on the London Living Wage, to attending vital training sessions on Women in Leadership, I have learnt valuable skills...I can now take into my new role as a constituency caseworker for an MP. My employer was keen to see that I had first-hand experience in dealing with issues such as Youth Safety, BAME representation and Housing. Without the experience I gained on this internship, I would not have been able to land my new role...Most importantly, I learnt the need to take an active role within the community, without community organising there would not be enough representation of minorities within the community.” – Maira Ibrar (2022)
“The placement [offered] me opportunities that I otherwise would not have been able to access...I was able to develop my public speaking skills as well as hone in on creative roles. Having the opportunity to present a speech on the living wage at the International Women's Day event at Darul Ummah was both nerve-wracking and exciting. It allowed me to improve on my confidence and am glad I was able to improve on this skill. I particularly enjoyed working on the various campaigns...for mental health, the Living Wage, as well as the Tower Hamlets Mayoral Accountability Assembly.” –Asma Islam (2022)
"I participated in the 2022 Cohort of the POL301 Civil Society Internship. As part of the internship, I worked closely with Citizens U.K. on various projects, issues and initiatives.
Over the 4 months of the internship, I learned the importance of community organising and building relationships with people across different sectors and organisations.
A positive memory I have is when we led a Living Wage demonstration on Valentine's Day outside Premier Inn, in which we voiced our support for higher wages and better working conditions for workers. These campaigns are all too familiar today, as the cost of living crisis has shown just how important the campaigns led by Citizens U.K. are.
Since completing the placement, I have spent over a year working for a local Member of Parliament and the experiences that I gained from Citizens U.K. were invaluable. As young people, it is important that we keep in touch with grassroots organisations and campaigns in the local community. Whether you want to work in politics in future or in another sector, the community organising internship provides important relationship building and people skills that can be taken into any job.
I have made lifelong connections with the organisers and I am grateful for this opportunity which was heavily supported by Dr Joe Hoover, Afsana Salik and Nurul Ullah" - Maira, placement participant 2022
This experience showed me the importance of building personal relationships with communities. In community organising, listening, and understanding people and their experiences is crucial for the job.— Asmaa Abdulkarim
Dr Joe Hoover received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and he joined QMUL in 2016. The civil society placement module was created in response to students’ desire for more placements and in collaboration with QMUL alumni and Citizens UK organiser Afsana Salik.