Module Identifier IPM6330  
Module Title POST-DEVOLUTION POLITICS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Miss Rebecca Jones  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Seminar   1 x 2 hours per week  
Assessment Essay   1 x 3,000 words   50%  
  Exam   3 Hours   50%  

Aims


The aim of the module is to locate devolution and political developments in Wales within their broader British and European context. Adopting a comparative approach, the module will facilitate a broader understanding of the newly devolved bodies with the UK, their relationship with each other and with Westminster and Whitehall, and the implications of devolution for British, European and World Politics. The module will evaluate the practical and theoretical problems and challenges that constitutional reform and devolution pose to the future of the British state.


The module will begin with an evaluation of each of the different constitutional settlements in the constituent parts of the UK, before moving on to critically analyse contemporary inter-governmental relations with the UK. The module will then approach some of the key theoretical questions raised by this radical overhaul of the British constitution, before finally moving on to discuss reactions and attitudes towards devolution and constitutional change, as well as posing questions for the future of the politics of devolution in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Objectives


On completion of the module, students will be able to:


- develop a critical understanding of the new constitutional arrangements in the constituent parts of the UK, and analyse and evaluate the relationship between them.
- provide a detailed and comparative account of the impact of devolution on the constitution and politics of the United Kingdom
- critically evaluate the broader theoretical concepts inherent in the debate, including: sovereignty, federalism, Europe, independence, self-government and national identity.