Module Identifier GG36920  
Module Title GEOGRAPHIES OF RURAL POLITICS  
Academic Year 2000/2001  
Co-ordinator Dr Michael Woods  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Lecture   22 Hours 22 hours of lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   2 Hours 1 x 2 hour seminar or debate  
Assessment Exam   2 Hours A 2 hour final exam paper, answering 2 questions from 4. Both elements to be completed to obtain a pass; mark based on the aggregate performance.   50%  
  Essay   A research essay of 3,000 words to be submitted in week 11. Late submissions subject to a departmental penalty of 5% points per day.   50%  
  Resit assessment   Resit: For a condoned (medical grounds) non-completion of examination or coursework involves the completion of the missing component(s) for the full range of marks on dates set in the Supplementary Examination period. Resit due to aggregate failure or non-completion of part of the assessment requires re-examination of each component if marks of <35% in both were obtained, or re-examination or re-submission of the failed component (examination or assignment(s) to obtain a maximum mark of 35% for the module).    

Module Outline (Lecture Themes)
Introduction
1. Introducing rural politics: the myth of the apolitical countryside

The Evolution of the Rural Power Structure
1. The age of the country gentleman
2. The agrarian community
3. Property, paternalism and power

The Contemporary Rural State
1. Rural restructuring and rural politics
2. The modern rural elite
3. Rural policy
4. The rural state and governance

Rural Conflicts
1. Contesting rurality
2. Building for the future: Housing development
3. Hunting and field sports
4. The decline of agriculture
5. Tarmac and trees: road building
6. Alternative ruralities

The Electoral Politics of the Countryside
1. The Tory Shires
2. Rurality and Nationalism

Module Aims
This module aims to examine the contemporary political process in rural areas and its historical development. It seeks to critically analyse contemporary rural politics, drawing on a range of social and political theories which will be discussed in the context of empirical examples from Britain, Europe and North America.

Module objectives / Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to: a) Demonstrate a critical appreciation of contemporary political processes in rural areas; b) Critically discuss and evaluate theories of the State, governance, policy-making and rurality; c) Knowledgeably discuss major contemporary political issues effecting the British countryside; d) Critically compare rural politics in Britain with rural politics in Europe and North America; e) Demonstrate competence in individual study and in oral and written presentations.

Reading Lists
Books
P. Cloke & J. Little. (1990) The Rural State. Oxford: Oxford University Press
H. Newby, C. Bell, D. Rose & P. Saunders. (1978) Property, Paternalism and Power. London: Hutchinson
J. Murdoch & T. Marsden. (1994) Reconstituting Rurality. London: UCL Press
M. Winter. (1996) Rural Politics. London: Routledge

Articles
M. Mormont. (1983) The emergence or rural struggles and their ideological effects. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 7, 559-575.