Aims and objectives

The main aim of the module is to introduce students to developments in Welsh politics since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. The creation of the new institution will be discussed, and within this context the structures of governance and the legal framework will be examined. Furthermore, the module will disscuss the policy process of the National Assembly in some detail, as a means of evaluating the complexity of politics and policy-making in devolved Wales.

The seminars will trace key elements and themes in Welsh politics since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales, concentrating specifically on the structures of governance, the policy process and legal issues before moving on to discuss the broader roles of the National Assembly for Wales in contemporary Welsh and British politcs. By the end of the module, students will not only have developed a detailed knowledge of its structures, functions and work of the National Assembly for Wales, and be able to evaluate developments in Wales from a broader UK and European perspective.

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

- critically assess and evaluate the key issues in Welsh politics post 1999
- develop an understanding of the structures of governance, the policy process and the legal issues associated with politics in devolved Wales
- identify and evaluate key policy issues in Welsh politics
- analyse the relationship between the National Assembly and other political actors in Wales, and
- contextualise developments in Welsh politics within a broader UK and European framework.