Module Identifier |
IPM1630 |
Module Title |
DEVOLUTION AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES (S) |
Academic Year |
2003/2004 |
Co-ordinator |
Ms Elin Royles |
Semester |
Semester 2 |
Other staff |
Dr Richard W Jones |
Course delivery |
Seminars / Tutorials | 20 Hours 10 x 2 hour seminars per week |
Assessment |
Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
Semester Exam | 3 Hours | 50% |
Semester Assessment | Essay: | 50% |
Supplementary Exam | Students may, subject to Faculty approval, have the opportunity to resit this module, normally during the supplementary examination period. For further clarification please contact the Teaching Programme Administrator in the Department of International Politics. | |
|
Learning outcomes
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 politics actors in Wales, and
- contextualise developments in Welsh politics within a broader UK and European framework
Brief description
The module aims to provide an examination of developments in Welsh politics since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales. It discusses the structures of governance, the legal framework and the policy process to evaluate the complexity of politics and policy in devolved Wales.
Content
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Devolution and Wales in British Politics 1979-1999
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New Politics in Wales? Designing the National Assembly for Wales 1997-1999
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New Model Wales - the Constitutional Foundations of the National Assembly
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The Internal Structures of the National Assembly
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Legitimacy and Accountability - Assembly Elections and attitudes towards the Assembly since 1999
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The Policy Processes
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The National Assembly and Inter-governmental Relations (Britain and Europe)
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Representation in the National Assembly for Wales
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A Process not an Event: Devolution and the Future
Aims
The aim of the module is to provide an in depth assessment and evaluation of politics in Wales post-devolution. It aims both to develop students understanding of the detail of the devolution settlement in Wales, and to encourage a critical understanding of the broader theoretical issues associated with devolution in Wales.
Transferable skills
Students will have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of transferable skills that will enable them to understand, conceptualize and critically evaluate key political events, intricate technical detail and theoretical ideas and concepts. Throughout the course, students should practice and enhance their reading, comprehension and thinking skills, as well as advanced numeracy skills and self-management skills. In seminars students will enhance their analytical skills and will practice presentation, listening, explaining and debating skills, as well as team-working skills. A practical workshop session with political actors in the National Assembly for Wales will also encourage development of these skills outside of the classroom. Essay writing will encourage students to practice their independent research, writing and IT skills, and the examination will test analytical and written communication skills under conditions of time-constraint.
15 ECTS credits
Reading Lists
Books
Adams, J. Robinson, P (eds) (2002) Devolution in Practice: Public Policy Differences within the UK
London: IPPR
Balsom, D., Jones, B. (eds) (2000) The Road to the National Assembly of Wales
Cardiff: University of Wales Press
Jones, J.B., Osmond, J. (eds) (2001) Inclusive Government and Party Management: The National Assembly for Wales and the Work of its Committees
Cardiff: Institute of Welsh Affairs
Articles
Davies, R. (1999) Devolution: A Process not an Event (The Gregynog Papers, Vol 2, No 2 (Institute of Welsh Affairs)
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7