Module Identifier IP10710  
Module Title UK POLITICS  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Dafydd Trystan-Davies  
Semester Semester 1  
Mutually Exclusive GW10710  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   5 Hours (5 x 1 hour)  
  Lecture   18 Hours (18 x 1 hour)  
Assessment Essay   1 x 1,500 word essay.   30%  
  Exam   2 Hours   70%  

Brief description


The module is designed to be an introduction to the politics of the United Kingdom and the system within which it operates. After briefly examining the historical and institutional context. the operation of politics in the UK will be explored through a series of contemporary topics. These may very according to current events but would typically include issues such as: Europe, devolution and the decline of Westminster; gender, race and class in UK political life; constitutional reform, including the House of Lords; and the changing dynamics of party power.

Aims of the module


The aim of the module is to explore the workings of the UK political system by examining its operation in relation to contemporary developments and events.

Objectives


By the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:


- identify key trends in the development of contemporary UK Politics
- appreciate the illustrate the relative power positions held by the various participants in the political proccess, as well as the tensions and aspirations of these political agents.
- show a critial awareness of the context of the ceaseless flow of political news, as well as the words and deeds of politicisns operating in the UK today.

Reading Lists

Books
A Birch. British System of Government, 9th ed (1993).
A Birch. British System of Government, 9th ed (1993).
D Kavanagh. British Politics, Continuities and change, 3rd ed (1996).
P Norton. The British Polity, 3rd ed (1994).
W Coxall & L Robins. Contemporary British Politics, 2nd ed (1994).
D Childs. Britain since 1945: Political History, 3rd (1992).