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PL20883: Parliament in modern British politics

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2013/4
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
Further information on credits Credits: 6
Further information on unit levels Level: Intermediate (FHEQ level 5)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Semester 2
Further information on unit assessment Assessment: CW33ES67
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites:
Further information on descriptions 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.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

PL20883 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • UHPL-AYB13 : BA (hons) French and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AYB12 : BA (hons) German and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AYB16 : BA (hons) Italian (ab initio) and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AYB14 : BA (hons) Italian and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AYB15 : BA (hons) Russian (ab initio) and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AYB17 : BA (hons) Spanish and Politics (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AAB30 : BSc (hons) Politics and International Relations (Full-time with Study Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AFB30 : BSc (hons) Politics and International Relations (Full-time) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AKB30 : BSc (hons) Politics and International Relations (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AAB10 : BSc (hons) Politics with Economics (Full-time with Study Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AFB10 : BSc (hons) Politics with Economics (Full-time) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AKB10 : BSc (hons) Politics with Economics (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AAB29 : BSc (hons) Politics with International Relations (Full-time with Study Year Abroad) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AFB29 : BSc (hons) Politics with International Relations (Full-time) - Year 2
  • UHPL-AKB29 : BSc (hons) Politics with International Relations (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 2

Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2013/4 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2014/15 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2013/14.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.