Module POLI2041: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

Department: GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (POLITICS)

POLI2041: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

Prerequisites

• Introduction to Politics: State and Society (POLI1021).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module will enable students to gain more detailed knowledge of two democratic political systems and their context.
• to encourage students to critically assess key aspects of these systems.
• to enable students to apply the knowledge and understanding gained with respect to these two political systems in order to investigate democratic political systems at greater depth at Level 3.

Content

• The following core topics will be covered with regard to both political systems: the historical, socio-economic and cultural context of each system of government.
• the constitutional framework and its importance.
• the form and operation of the electoral and party systems.
• the territorial and institutional distribution of political authority in each system.
• the organisation, operation and interaction of the main branches of government in both systems.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of:
• The institutional apparatus of democratic states and the social-political and political-cultural environments in which they operate
• The historical basis of the institutional apparatus and of salient political controversies in democratic states
• The nature and some examples of political contestation in democratic states
• Main areas of scholarly debate in the analysis of democratic institutions and processes.

• Students will acquire the ability to:
• Accurately and effectively describe political institutions and processes in the context of democratic states
• Place selected democratic political systems an appropriate historical and comparative context
• Analyse and evaluate competing conceptualisations and explanations of political phenomena, producing defensible judgements

• Students will develop their ability to:
• Retrieve and utilize resources they have been directed to
• Assess the suitability and quality of resources for research purposes
• Review, reinforce and integrate their knowledge independently in preparation for an examination
• Demonstrate these and the above acquisitions in written form under pressure of time and without supporting materials

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will take the form of 9 lectures for each political system and one concluding lecture in addition to 7 tutorials distributed over the academic year. The lectures provide the spine of the module content and by virtue of their common structure over the two cases establish a comparative framework. Tutorials will incorporate formatively assessed presentations and class discussion, helping consolidate knowledge and developing argumentative and critical ability. Formative essays will provide practice in the organization of material acquired through lectures, tutorials and research in response to a specific question. The examination will promote the ability to organize learned material independently and to bring it to bear in answers to specific questions under time constraint.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 essays and 1 seminar presentation per year.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University