BA Politics and French / Course details

We are living through a time of great change in British politics. The post-war period, so dominated by two main parties, regularly winning comfortable parliamentary majorities, persisted until the 2005 election. Since then, a variety of events – the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition formed in 2010, the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, the rise of parties of the populist right, the EU referendum of 2016, the 2017 election which returned a hung Parliament, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Liz Truss premiership – have illustrated a narrative of considerable change in British politics.

Yet there remains a clear argument that British politics was always traditionally stable, almost fixed, rests on certain historical and theoretical assumptions that demand interrogation. The history of British politics has been a troubled one, with a great many challenges rising to confront its people and institutions, including since the end of the Second World War. Challenges also come from outside the borders of the UK as well, through globalisation, migration, climate change, and other events. Some of these questions may seem new to Britain, but this module seeks to ground them in an understanding of theory, institutions and history that demonstrates their deep roots.

This module seeks to help students interrogate contemporary and common notions about British politics through a series of theories and themes. Then, it will use these theories to explore different themes in British politics – the changing roles of different institutions, for example, and trends throughout recent British political history.
 

This course aims to give students an ‘intellectual toolkit’ to unpack and understand contemporary trends and events in British politics. It does this through a three-stage approach, covering ideas, institutions, and history. In the first part, the course examines some of the key schools of thought on how British politics operates, laying out the underlying assumptions behind them. Then, it explores some of the most important institutions in British politics, and seeks to connect them to the schools of thought identified in the first section. Finally, it reviews contemporary British political history, and looks to see what patterns emerge, and what ties together key events and figures.

On completion of this course, successful students will be able to demonstrate:

1) a clear understanding of key conceptual approaches to understanding political power; 
2) an ability to apply these approaches to key themes within British politics;
3) the capacity to develop critical arguments, drawing on appropriate academic literatures about key case studies relating to British politics [internal and external]  and how they have changed over time.

Course Content

Week 1: Perspectives on British politics
Week 2: Competing theories of British politics
Week 3: British politics & society
Week 4: The core institutions of British politics
Week 5: Constitutional reform and change
Week 6: A ‘New Jerusalem’
Week 7: A Nation in Decline
Week 8: The Legacies of Thatcherism
Week 9: Britain and Europe – 1945-2016
Week 10/11: Brexit and the Undiscovered Country

Essay [1500 words] 40%

Exam [2 hr] 60%

Politics staff will provide feedback on written work within 15 working days of submission.

Students should be aware that all marks are provisional until confirmed by the external examiner and the final examinations boards in June.

For modules that do not have examination components the marks and feedback for the final assessed component are not subject to the 15 working day rule and will be released with the examination results.

You will receive feedback on assessed essays in a standard format. This will rate your essay in terms of various aspects of the argument that you have presented your use of sources and the quality of the style and presentation of the essay. If you have any queries about the feedback that you have received you should make an appointment to see your tutor.

On assessments submitted through Turnitin you will receive feedback via Blackboard. This will include suggestions about ways in which you could improve your work in future. You will also receive feedback on non-assessed coursework, whether this is individual or group work. This may be of a more informal kind and may include feedback from peers as well as academic staff

Some recommended textbooks:

• Blick, A. (2021) UK Politics. Oxford University Press.
• Griffiths, S. et al (2018). British Politics. Palgrave.
• Heffernan, R., et al (2016). Developments in British Politics 10. Palgrave 
• Jones, B. (2021) British Politics: The Basics. Routledge.
• Jones, B., Norton, P. and Hertner, I. (2022). Politics UK 10. Routledge. 
• McAnulla, S. (2006). British Politics: A Critical Introduction. Continuum
• Moran. M. (2015) Politics and Governance in the UK [3rd edition]. Palgrave
 

Information
Length of course: 12 weeks