Module Identifier
IPM1630
Module Title
DEVOLUTION AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES (S)
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
To Be Arranged
Semester
Semester 2

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials 22 Hours. 1 x 2 hour seminars per week
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
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 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.

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 roles of the National Assembly for Wales in contemporary Welsh and British politics. 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 representation, legitimacy and external relations in post devolution 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 List

General Text
Chaney P, Hall T Pithouse (eds) (2001) New Governance - New Democracy? Post Devolution Wales University of Wales Press, Cardiff Primo search Osmond J and Barry Jones, J (eds) (2003) Birth of Welsh Democracy: The First Term of the National Assembly Cardiff, Institute of Welsh Affairs Primo search
Rawlings, Richard. Delineating Wales :constitutional, legal and administrative aspects of national devolution /by Richard Rawlings. Primo search

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7