Issues In British Politics POLITIC4009

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Social and Political Sciences
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course will introduce students to a range of issues found in the study of British politics, including institutional and ideological frameworks, the main UK political parties, environment policy, Britain's relationship with the EU, and Britain's place in the world.

Timetable

Seminar: two hours per week, for 10 weeks

Requirements of Entry

Mandatory Entry Requirements

Entry to Honours Politics requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over Politics 2A and Politics 2B as a first attempt.

Excluded Courses

POLITIC3020 Issues in British Politics

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Blogpost (Report) of 1,500 words (30%)

Essay of 3,500 words (70%)

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

Course Aims

This course aims to deepen student knowledge of a range of issues in British Politics, including The British Political Tradition, the legacy of the post-war consensus (c.1945-1979), the rethinking of the state under the Thatcher governments, 1979-1990 and beyond, Conservative Party and Labour Party repositioning, constitutional reform by act of parliament (1997-present), the undoing of UK membership of the European Union, Britain's role in the world, and the extent to which a coherent policy on climate change and the environment has been achieved by successive governments are all considered.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Critically analyse key developments in British politics since 1979

■ Contextualise these developments with reference to economic and constitutional theory, ideology and international frameworks, 1945-present

■ Evaluate scholarly literature on each of the topics discussed

■ Apply knowledge gained analytically to identify likely future developments

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.