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| Unit name |
Politics and Policy-Making in the UK |
| Unit code |
POLI21222 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
I/5
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
|
| Unit director |
Professor. Childs |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None
|
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Description including Unit Aims
This course provides a detailed analysis of some of the key themes and issues in the UK's political system. It provides an overview of the relationship between the different aspects of the political system and shows how these have evolved in the last twenty years. It focuses on both the formal institutions of Parliament and the non-elected actors who influence the UKs political process.
Aims:
- To provide both a theoretical and empirically based understanding of contemporary British political processes.
- To foster awareness of the ideological and institutional features of modern British government and politics
- To develop the ability to apply theoretical concepts to the practical issues of problem solving and analysis.
Intended Learning Outcomes
- An understanding of the processes of political change within the UK.
- An understanding of the policy-making process within the UK political system.
- A comprehension of the evolving relationship between the UK and the European Union.
- A critical understanding of the development of the key institutions and offices in contemporary British politics and of how these inter-relate.
- An understanding of the ideas, concepts and organisational features of the British political parties and of the forms of competition between them.
- An ability to locate and use various data sources and to apply these analytically in relation to behaviour and explanatory theory.
Teaching Information
10 lectures and 10 seminars over 10 weeks.
Assessment Information
- 2 hour unseen written exam (60%)
Reading and References
- Judge, David, Political Institutions in the UK, (Oxford University Press, 2005)
- Budge, I. et al The New British Politics (4th edition, Addison Wesley Longman 2007)
- Jones, B. et al Politics UK (Harvester-Wheatsheaf, 6th edition 2006)
- Dunleavy P. et al. (eds), Developments in British Politics 8 (Macmillan, 2006)
- A Seldon & D Kavanagh (eds) The Blair Effect 2001-05 A Wasted Term? (Cambridge University Press, 2005)
