Module Information

Module Identifier
IPM1630
Module Title
DEVOLUTION AND THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES
Academic Year
2010/2011
Co-ordinator
Dr Elin Royles
Semester
Semester 1

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials 22 Hours. 10 x 2 hour seminars per week
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 2x 3000 word essays  80%
Semester Assessment paper on a seminar of 1000 words  20%
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

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 relations of the National Assembly for Wales with UK-level government structures. The first group of seminars will focus on the creation of the new institution; the constitutional arrangements 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

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 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