DEBATES IN BRITISH POLITICS - 2020/1

Module Overview

This module offers an introduction to British Politics, exploring the key institutions of the political system (monarchy, Government, Parliament, parties), recent political challenges (Europe, the role of the media, devolution, public services) and options for reform. Students will cement their knowledge of our parliamentary democracy and place this in the current political context. It focuses in particular on British Politics since the 2010 General Election.

Module provider

Politics

Module Leader

MIDDLETON Alia (Politics)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Typical module content may include: Introduction to British Politics, Monarchy and the State, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Parliament, the party system, public services, the civil service, Britain in Europe, Devolution, the Media, Political Engagement and political reform.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• Their ability to understand and debate controversial issues in British politics.


• Their ability to apply theories of the British political system to contemporary political events.


• Critical analysis of introductory British Politics texts.

• Book Review (1000 words)


• Seen Examination (2 Hours)

Module aims

• Cement your knowledge of the formal work and structure of British political institutions.
• Develop your knowledge of the informal workings of the political system, showing how these institutions work on a day to day basis, exploring common misconceptions.
• Develop skills of political analysis, showing how contemporary political events challenge traditional theories of sovereignty, power and representation.
• Provide students with the skills to critically analyse key British politics texts.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Lectures and discussion elaborating on lecture content; in-depth discussion of issues in tutorials.

The learning and teaching methods include:

11 x 1hr Lectures, 11 x 1hr seminars.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: POL1017

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.