Module Identifier IPM1630  
Module Title DEVOLUTION AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES (S)  
Academic Year 2006/2007  
Co-ordinator Dr Elin Royles  
Semester Semester 1  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   22 Hours. 1 x 2 hour seminars per week  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment paper on a seminar of 1000 words  20%
Semester Assessment 2 x 3000 word essays  80%
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

This module is the core module for students on the 'S' pathway. The module introduces students to developments in Welsh politics since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

Aims

The main aim of the module is to investigate developments in Welsh politics since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. The creation of the new institution, the developments surrounding the structures of governance and the legal framework will be examined. Furthermore, the module will discuss the policy process of the National Assembly and will evaluate the complexity of politics in a devolved Wales. Consequently 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 to Wales.

Content

The module 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 relations of the National Assembly for Wales with other government structures at the UK and European levels. The first group of seminars will focus on the creation of the new institution; the constitutional foundations of the National Assembly for Wales, the internal structures of governance and the legal framework. The seminars will then focus on the intricacies of the policy process in Wales, before finally moving on to discuss external relations in post devolution Wales. By the end of the module, students will not only have developed a detailed knowledge of the National Assembly for Wales, its role, structures and functions, but they will also be able to evaluate the Assembly within broader debates regarding contemporary Welsh politics.

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. 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

s
** General Text
Chaney P, Hall T Pithouse (eds) (2001) New Governance - New Democracy? Post Devolution Wales University of Wales Press, Cardiff
Osmond J and Barry Jones, J (eds) (2003) Birth of Welsh Democracy: The First Term of the National Assembly Cardiff, Institute of Welsh Affairs

Books
Rawlings, Richard. Delineating Wales :constitutional, legal and administrative aspects of national devolution /by Richard Rawlings. 0708317391

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7