Undergraduate Course: Parliamentary Studies (PLIT10091)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course is designed to develop expertise in the structures and processes of the UK and Scottish Parliaments, with an encouragement of students throughout to compare and contrast the two Parliaments. Several of the weekly sessions will involve contributions by officials or elected members of the two Parliaments, reflecting an emphasis on learning through engagement with parliamentary practice which is also carried through in the coursework assignments and in practice visits to one, or ideally both, Parliaments. The course begins with a consideration of the research skills and resources which students should use for the course, with substantive sessions following on the distinctiveness of the 'Westminster model', including the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and the House of Lords; the relationships of electorate to parliament, and of legislative to executive branches; women in parliament; and the process and structures of parliamentary decision-making. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Research Briefing (40%) and essay (60%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate detailed knowledge of the structures and procedures of the UK and Scottish Parliaments
- appraise scholarly accounts of legislatures and legislative decision-making in the context of UK and Scottish parliamentary practice
- use different scholarly approaches and perspectives on legislatures to develop comparative analysis of the UK and Scottish Parliaments
- develop communication and transferable skills, including effective oral and written presentations, by applying scholarly understanding to the demands of parliamentary practice
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Reading List
The following indicate the kinds of academic source we recommend:
RAW Rhodes et al (eds), Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions, Oxford University Press, esp. M. Sjoberg Shugart, Comparative Executive-Legislative Relations; J. Carey, Legislative Organisation; E. Uslaner, T. Zittel, Comparative Legislative Behavior; J. Uhr, Bicameralism; and I. Budge, Direct Democracy.
Gary Copeland and Samuel Patterson (eds) (1994), Parliaments in the Modern World, Changing Institutions, University of Chicago Press.
David Judge (1999), Representation: Theory and Practice in the UK, Routledge.
Matt Flinders (2009), Democratic Drift, Oxford University Press.
C. Jeffery and J. Mitchell (eds) (2009), The Scottish Parliament 1999-2009: The First Decade, Luath/Hansard Society.
David Arter (2013), The Scottish Parliament: A Scandinavian-Style Assembly, Routledge.
Jean McFadden and Mark Lazarowicz (2010), The Scottish Parliament: An Introduction, 4th edition, Bloomsbury Professional.
Special edition Parliamentary Affairs, vol.63, 2009 on Devolution: Ten Years On.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
This course has a quota and preference will be given to Politics students. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alan Convery
Tel: (0131 6)50 8255
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Andra Roston
Tel: (0131 6)50 3932
Email: |
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