Module SGIA3441: ELECTIONS AND BRITISH POLITICS

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3441: ELECTIONS AND BRITISH POLITICS

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with a detailed understanding of theoretical debates about the nature electoral behaviour.
• To develop students’ knowledge of the central empirical features of British electoral behaviour.
• To equip students with the analytical tools necessary to relate evidence to arguments about electoral behaviour using both the existing literature and primary data.
• To give students practical experience of the analysis of the major sources of primary evidence for the understanding of British electoral behaviour.

Content

• The issue of how we should understand electoral behaviour has long been established as a core question in the study of politics. This module will examine the major debates about electoral behaviour in Britain. It will provide students with a through grounding in the theoretical and empirical debates about electoral behaviour. It will also look at the major sources of evidence used in the study of British elections. The module will enable students, including those initially apprehensive about numbers, to undertake a ‘hands on’ analysis of the British Electoral Survey and relate this to the substantive questions. Amongst the questions the module will address as such things as:
• The significance of ‘bias’ in British electoral system.
• The utility of rival models of electoral behaviour.
• The place of class voting in understanding British electoral behaviour.
• The impact of party membership and campaigning activity on elections.
• The significance of geography in the study of British elections.
• Debates about decreasing turnout.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the module students will gain knowledge of:
• the dynamics British electoral behaviour.
• the alternative uses of different sources of evidence available to analyse electoral behaviour.
• the logics of enquiry used in electoral analysis.
• theoretical and empirical debates in British electoral studies.
• how to access and analyse survey data.

• On completion of the module students will be able to:
• accurately and effectively describe alternative theoretical positions.
• select and implement appropriate analytical tools which use empirical material to support argumentation.
• apply frameworks from theoretical debates to structure detailed empirical discussion.
• extract hypotheses from secondary literature on electoral studies.
• use quantitative methods to test hypotheses.
• evaluate rival theories and interpretations with reference to factual evidence.

• retrieve and utilize primary and secondary resources that they have been directed to.
• find appropriate secondary resources beyond those they have been directed to.
• assess the suitability and quality of resources for research purposes
• undertake statistical analysis of primary data.
• present statistical evidence in the context of a written argument.

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

• Students will develop their understanding of substantive debates in electoral analysis through a series of 10 two-hour seminars. These seminars will be based around student-led class discussion. The two hour format is designed to provide the students with sufficient time to explore theoretical and empirical issues in detail. The seminars will be supplemented by a methods and sources support programme which will consist of three five lectures and four computer workshop sessions. This is designed to give students an appreciation of the primary sources available, introduce students to the methods which can be used in the analysis of them and give students the practical skills necessary to analyse the data.
• The summative assessment consists of two components. The first is a 1500 word data analysis exercise which will account for 33 per cent of the final marks. In this students will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of: the logics of enquiry in electoral research, how to access and analyse survey data, and of the uses of sources of evidence to analyse electoral behaviour. This will also test their ability to: extract hypotheses from the academic literature, undertake statistical analysis of primary data and present it in the context of a written argument, and their use of quantitative methods to test hypotheses and present statistical evidence in the context of a written argument. The second is a 4000-word essay which will account for 67 per cent of the final marks. This will test students’ knowledge of the dynamics of electoral behaviour, alternative sources of evidence, the logics of enquiry in electoral research, and of empirical and theoretical debates in electoral research. It will also test students’ ability to: describe theoretical positions, use the analysis of empirical material to support arguments, apply frameworks to support discussion, evaluate theories with respect to empirical evidence, retrieve and utilize secondary resources beyond those they have been directed to and assess the suitability of resources for research purposes.
• The formative assignment will consist of a 1500 data analysis exercise as students may not have had the opportunity to undertake this form of assessment previously in their studies.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1,500 word data analysis exercise

■ 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