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 Academic Year: | 2016/7 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Intermediate (FHEQ level 5) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CW 33%, ES 67% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | |
| Description:
| Aims: The Houses of Parliament at Westminster have in the past been referred to as 'the Mother of all parliaments' and seen as a beacon of democratic politics worldwide. But is this still the case in the 21st century? At heart, this unit will provide students with an assessment of the ways in which Parliament works in modern Britain, both in theory and practice, and provide them with the skills to draw their own conclusions on this matter. The unit will outline what parliament is, how it came to be, what it does do, what it doesn't, as well as consider the normative question of what it should do. The demographic makeup of MPs will be critically assessed, with this discussion being contextualised in the question of whether parliament is representative of the UK as a whole. Students will themselves be able to outline key debates relating to these issues, as well as those surrounding executive-legislative relations in parliament, the professionalisation of political personnel, in addition to assessing whether parliament is fit for purpose in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal and broader political disengagement. Learning Outcomes: By the end of this unit, students will be able to: * describe the origins and formal functions of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords; * critically assess the ability of the contemporary Parliament to fulfill these functions; * understand the role of political parties as the managers of Parliament; * assess the ways in which Parliament represents different sections of the UK population; * understand how devolution has affected the role of Parliament in modern British politics; * discuss parliamentary reform in the context of political disengagement and the MPs' expenses crisis. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of research are developed and assessed in this unit. Content: The unit will cover the following topics: * An introduction to Parliament; what is it? How did it come to be? What does it do? How can we study it? * Theories of representation - what does it mean to represent? Who does Parliament represent and how does it do it? * The role of political parties in Parliament as enforcers of discipline and managers of time. * How laws are made and how parliament oversees and scrutinises this process in various ways. * How to make a career in Parliament, either on the backbenches or the frontbenches, and whether or not this type of careerism is a good or bad thing. * An introduction to the House of Lords, its Members and its function. * How devolution has affected Westminster. * Whether or not Parliament is fit for purpose in the face of increasing political disengagement and following the MPs' expenses scandal. |
| Programme availability: |
PL20883 is Optional on the following programmes:Department of Economics
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Notes:
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