Module SGIA2231: GERMAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2231: GERMAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• to enable students to gain detailed knowledge of the German political system and its historical and socio-economic context
• encourage students to critically analyse key aspects of the German political system and German society since 1945
• provide students with relevant knowledge and understanding to study the module The New Germany which examines issues in post-unification Germany at level 3

Content

• the historical, socio-economic and cultural context of the German political system
• the constitutional framework and its importance; the form and operation of the electoral as well as the party system
• the federal nature of the German system and the challenges it faces
• the organisation, operation and interaction of the main branches of government; aspects of German national identity
• Germany's changing international role since 1945

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have:
• considerable knowledge and understanding of the German political system and the society in which it operates, e.g. its constitutional framework; the form and operation of the electoral as well as the party system; the federal structure; the organisation, operation and interaction of the main branches of government and the relevance of contextual factors in the operation of these systems
• an appreciation of the changing role Germany's Nazi past has been playing in post-war German politics and society
• knowledge and understanding of the main areas of the scholarly debate in the analysis of German political institutions and processes
• an understanding of Germany's changing international role

• By the end of this module students will be able to demonstrate:
• the ability to accurately and effectively describe institutions and processes of the German political system
• an awareness of the multitude of factors which have contributed to the development of post-war German politics and society
• the ability to evaluate competing scholarly contributions to the debate on these developments

• By the end of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
• the ability to find and make critical use of relevant sources
• communication skills in their written work
• 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 place in the form of lectures and tutorials. The lectures introduce the relevant background and help to integrate the tutorial topics.
• Tutorials will allow students to engage with specific topics in more detail and to discuss different positions. Tutorial presentations will enhance students' ability to research topics, present their findings to their peers and stipulate debate. They will be formatively assessed in terms of the students' subject-specific knowledge and understanding as well as their intellectual, practical and transferable skills.
• The production of formative essays will give students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of particular aspects of German politics and society and practise and further develop their intellectual and practical skills.
• The end of year exam will test this subject specific knowledge and understanding as well as the intellectual skills required to plan work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding on their substantive content, and to start developing subject specific skills in interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in effective written communication and information presentation.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Two 1,500 word essays

■ 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