Teaching
I hold three postgraduate professional qualifications relating to teaching practices in Higher Education. These are an MA in Academic Practice (2024), a Diploma in Academic Practice (2021) and a Certificate in Higher Education Practice (2013). These examined framework implementation; leadership; professional development, amongst other concepts. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE), and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
My undergraduate teaching covers each year of the curriculum. In the first year I convene and teach on the team-taught module POLI101 British Politics I, which introduces students to party system in the UK, voting behaviour, language, amongst other concepts. In the second year I convene POLI252 Political Communication and Public Speaking, which examines the practical skills, methods, and applications of rhetorical theories and how these can affect political change. I also convene POLI263 British Foreign Policy which examines how history continues to impact on Britain's role in the modern world. In the third year I convene and teach my signature module, POLI323 Theory and Practice of Rhetoric in British Politics. The module, which is based on my original research, teaches students how to use the ancient rhetorical theories of effective oratory to analyse contemporary British political actors. In turn, students are able to improve their own communication styles both within the module and beyond. Finally, from September 2025 I will also be the convenor of a new MA dissertation module, POLI550 Policy Public Administration for a newly launched 'Public Administration and Policy MA' programme. Below are summaries of each module and their assessment patterns. Below are short summaries and assessment outlines for each module.
Summary of POLI101 British Politics I.
This large, team-taught first year module provides an introductory overview British political life, devolution, voting patterns, political communication, gender, foreign policy, amongst other related concepts. As a stand-alone or foundational module, the teaching and learning demonstrates the political and intellectual significance of British political controversies in the post-Brexit, post-COVID period of the mid-2020s. Finally, leading scholars in their respective fields contribute to the module by delivering lectures based on their research specialisms. They include external guest speakers and resident academics. From 2025, the module will be assessed via a 1,500 word essay (60%) and a one-hour unseen in-class exam (40%).
Summary of POLI252 Political Communication and Public Speaking
This is a second year module that looks at the techniques of communication and the structure of speech-making as a technical skill. The module revolves around students using these skills through practical activities (such as debates) whereby students are able to enhance their confidence as convincing individual speakers. This module was commended for the Centre for Innovation in Education and used as a case study for communication skills development.. The module is assessed via a 1,800 word reflective logbook of seminar activities (40%) and the delivery of a ten minute speech (approx. 1,200 words) to an audience of student peers/video podcast (60%).
Summary of POLI263 British Foreign Policy
This is a second year module that places British Foreign Policy into its deep historical contexts (1600s onward), covering topics such as the first and second British Empires; the impact of the World Wars on Britain; the role of the UK in the Middle East (covering the Palestinian Mandate, Suez, the Iraq Wars, amongst other issues); and the process of imperial decline. The module places Imperialism into its political and historical contexts as a response to shifting attitudes in the post-war world towards British participation in institutions of global governance. The module examines various theories of foreign policy, including liberal conservatism, interventionism, and pragmatism. The module is assessed via a 1,500 word literature review (50%) and a 1,500 word Foreign Office essay (50%).
Summary of POLI323 Theory and Practice of Rhetoric in British Politics
This is a third year module that examines the ancient theories of rhetoric and oratory and applies them to contemporary British political themes and actors. The module discusses the contemporary significance of the ancient skills and how they enable us to see how political ideologies are communicated to audiences in the 2020s. Topics included are Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA); narrative; persona construction; Labour & Conservative Party thematic rhetorical drivers/orators; religion, and oratorical arenas.The module is assessed via a 2,500 word written conference speech for a party leader in British Politics (60%) and a 1,500 word rhetorical essay which requires students to conduct an analysis of the language used by two leading figures in British Politics of their choice (40%).
Summary of POLI550 Public Policy Dissertation, starting in 2025/26.
This is an MA-level dissertation module which students undertaking the new Public Administration and Policy MA are required to complete. The dissertation is worth 60-credits and represents a significant portion of the credits required to complete the Masters degree. Students will be allocated a supervisor with expertise in the chosen subject, for which they will outline the subject, why it is politically and intellectually significant, and how to conduct the study. MA supervisors will guide the student to engage with relevant academic literature, appropriate research methods, and to navigate the research process in areas such as the completion of ethical approval, if required. Most importantly, the dissertation is an independent project for which the student is ultimately responsible. Students will demonstrate advanced writing, referencing skills, and application of an appropriate theoretical framework. By adopting this approach, students will produce a robust piece of original research in an area relevant to Public Policy and their wider scholarly interests. The module is assessed via a 15,000 word dissertation and is worth 100% of the final grade.
Student Comment on POLI252 Political Communication and Public Speaking
"I would recommend it to anyone studying Politics or IR. Public speaking is an essential skill needed for people looking to go into working in spheres associated with the degree"
"The Speech Assessment was definitely my favourite. Standing in front of a crowd, trying to convince the audience to side with you on something that you’re passionate about was thrilling!"
"Everything was great, Andrew is a brilliant lecturer and tutor who has extensive knowledge on the subject."
"This module has allowed me to further develop my public speaking skills. As an IR student, I believe it’s valuable to be able to be able to stand before a crowd and effectively communicate"
"I enjoyed the debating. Very stimulating and always challenged us to use the skills we learned".
"Seminars had a debate, or some sort of engagement between the students! This was very constructive and allowed students to gain confidence in public speaking."
"Active debate is one of the reasons I did my degree in the first place"
"Seminars were very useful, as allowed to build up to the final speech"
"The module was well taught and enjoyed found the style of active learning and debate thoroughly useful when widening my understanding of the module topic"
“Andrew's seminars and lectures were some of the most enjoyable experiences of my second year. He is both informative and engaging. The seminars especially were enjoyable, with the group tasks and development of oratorical skills.”
“Andrew is one of the greatest lectures... This module is one of the best I have chosen, and I look forward to choosing Andrew's module for my third year.”
“The seminars were the most enjoyable out of all my modules.”
“Andrew was extremely helpful in providing support where needed. He was especially useful in organising exterior events that were linked to the module of sorts.”
“The options of being able to do a podcast was great. As sometimes my anxiety gets the better of me, and I wouldn't want this to effect my speech the day. So, having the option of podcast relaxed me. The reflection piece I feel got me more involved with the seminar activities to as we needed to be able to write about them.”
“Andrew is very very very fast in responding to emails and provides constructive feedback which has being instrumental in my success of the module.”
“The module was taught very well. I liked the fact that the seminar groups were larger as there were more ideas to bounce around which I feel was crucial for the topics we looked at. I think having organised readings, such as one or two a week would be beneficial, as I found myself a bit lost with the long list or readings, so more organisations there would be appreciated I think.”
"My favourite parts of the module were the debates in the seminars and it has given me confidence in debating and being able to think quickly. I enjoyed all the seminar activities during the semester as I was able to interact with other students and it didn't feel like there was just one right way or answer like in my other seminars. It felt less stressful as there wasn't work to do before coming into them. I also enjoyed doing the speeches even though I was nervous. Once I delivered my speech I felt more confident in myself"
Student Comment on POLI323 Theory and Practice of Rhetoric in British Politics
“I thoroughly enjoyed this module. The content was really interesting and Andrew delivered the lectures/seminars with passion and enthusiasm. The assessment methods were appropriate for the module and I was really happy that the 60% component came first, thus placing less stress towards the end of the academic year. I would highly recommend this module for a student wanting to try something new.”
"Really great assessment. Creative and different"
"The speech assessment is a great idea. Totally different to any other I did."
"Very unique assessment but I loved it! I enjoyed putting myself in the shoes of a PM and writing a speech for them"
" It gave me the rare chance to be creative which was great."
"Andrew has been incredible, one of my favourite modules!"
"Dr. Roe-Crines was great. I appreciated the quick and detailed email responses too. Clarified everything".
"You can really tell that Andrew is passionate about this subject. He is an exceptional academic, and this module is one I’ll miss the most once graduated."
"I really enjoyed the debates and the seminars! They were interesting".
"The module is fitted to what I find interesting about politics, and has provided me ample information on the rhetoric needed to be successful in politics. Plus, the module is a perfect fit for my dissertation"
“This is possibly one of my favourite modules I’ve done over my degree and would definitely recommend to second year students.”
"My speech plan feedback came back exceptionally fast, and provided good advice on how to do well in my assessment. Also, Andrew provided great feedback in the seminars on any questions we had".
“Teaching delivery and quality of lectures and seminars excellent”.
“Andrew is very engaged and enthusiastic with the delivery of the module. i felt very supported when it came to assessments, receiving very quick email replies and feedback on draft assessments as allowed through my support plan. he also checked my support plan to make sure that the module provided for me properly as suggested in my plan which was very much appreciated”.
"Canvas had everything we needed."
"Lectures were always well taught with information slides, and always recorded. The seminars had the same amount of excellent information on slides"
“Teaching delivery was excellent, when I had questions, I had useful and clear answers. The module is organised well, with resources in clear order”
“Andrew Roe-Crines is one of the better lecturers at this university, a unique and interesting module and it is clear a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into this module.”
“I really enjoyed writing the speech as a method of assessment, it was creative and required me to think outside the box to our usual essays. It was really enjoyable.”
“The teaching was great!”
Masters by Research and Doctoral Candidate Supervision
My postgraduate research supervision includes MA and PhD levels of study. Within those contexts, I am keen to supervise promising Masters by Research (MRes) and Doctoral Candidates researching the following broadly defined comparative and/or case study subjects: British Political Parties (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, SNP particularly), Political Communication/Ancient Rhetorical Theory, Parliamentary Voting, Brexit (Euroscepticism) Public Policy, Social Policy (mental health, especially neurodivergent attitudes in political language). I am also happy to co-supervise doctoral research within classical and ancient theories of rhetoric and oratory. Should you be interested in me supervising a project please email me to discuss your ideas. I am also happy to act as either an Internal or External Examiner for doctoral candidates in these areas.
Current Doctoral Candidate: Josef Nicholson, supervising with Zosia Archibald and Matthew Fitzjohn (Classics).
Doctoral Graduate Dr Steven Daniels (Alumni, 2020), supervising with Prof Stuart Wilks-Heeg.
Modules for 2024-25
BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY
Module code: POLI263
Role: Module Co-ordinator
BRITISH POLITICS 1
Module code: POLI101
Role: Module Co-ordinator
BRITISH POLITICS II
Module code: POLI102
Role: Teaching
POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
Module code: POLI252
Role: Module Co-ordinator
THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF RHETORIC IN BRITISH POLITICS
Module code: POLI323
Role: Module Co-ordinator