Undergraduate Course: British Government (PLIT10103)
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 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The Honours Seminar in British Government is an advanced senior honours course that examines the challenges of governing the United Kingdom in the twenty-first century. We will analyse critically and historically ideas that the political system is "broken", that there is no difference between the main parties, and that parliament and government are in "crisis". |
| Course description |
Academic Description
In recent times a ¿perfect storm¿ of problems seems to have engulfed many of Britain¿s most important political institutions. The cornerstones of the Westminster system and the British Political Tradition are under strain. Traditional understandings of the role of Parliament, the Union, the constitution and the two-party system have all been called into question.
This course aims to give students the knowledge and analytical skills to make sense of British governance in the twenty-first century and to engage critically with the latest empirical and theoretical research on British politics. We will study the evolution of the British system and whether it is now coping with or buckling under the strain of an unprecedented combination of challenges. We will also link our discussions to wider questions in political science about the nature of governance in the twenty-first century and how we should study it.
Outline Content
The key themes of our seminars will be: The Westminster Model and the British Political Tradition; theories of British politics; the political constitution; the Conservative Governments (1979-1997); the Labour Governments (1997-2010); the Coalition Government (2010-2015); challenges to the party system; Whitehall; foreign policy; and apathy and anti-politics.
Student Learning Experience
The course is taught through a series of three-hour seminars. There will be two or three presentations by students at each seminar. These presentations will be the starting point for our in-depth discussions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | 4th Year Students Only. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 21 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 30,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
164 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
35 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
15 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Seminar paper and presentation: 15%
Long essay: 50%
Written exam: 35%
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| Feedback |
Students will receive detailed feedback on their seminar presentation. All students are also expected to submit a weekly summary of reading. The course convener is happy to discuss the reading summaries and students¿ performance during seminars at any time. Students will receive the feedback from their essay before the exam. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will acquire an in-depth sense of the chronology and development of British politics in the latter half of the twentieth century, and they will be able to discuss how this political history has affected the present state of British government.
- Students will acquire a deep knowledge of the workings of the central formal political institutions in the UK (including Whitehall, Parliament and the core executive) and the challenges they face.
- Students will be able to place the UK in the context of wider debates about the nature of government in the twenty-first century, particularly in relation to voter disengagement, political economy and ¿governance¿ perspectives.
- Students will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of competing theories of British governance and relate these to wider debates about the nature of social and political science.
- Students will have sharpened their research and presentation skills through delivering extended papers to the class and the writing of scholarly essays.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
In-depth knowledge of the political institutions of the United Kingdom.
Ability to write with economy and clarity.
Ability to present ideas clearly to groups based on a written paper.
Ability to have an informed and critical argument about competing perspectives on the nature of government in the twenty-first century
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alan Convery
Tel: (0131 6)50 8255
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Claire Buchan
Tel: (0131 6)50 8253
Email: |
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