Module SGIA3461: Parties, MPs and Parliamentary Politics in Britain

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3461: Parties, MPs and Parliamentary Politics in Britain

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To enable students to gain a detailed knowledge of the key features of the British Parliament at Westminster;
• To enable students to develop an understanding of the theoretical and empirical debates surrounding Parliamentary politics in Britain;
• To equip students with the basic analytical tools necessary to relate evidence to arguments about Parliamentary politics in Britain.

Content

• Parliament has played a role in British politics for centuries, and has served as a template for many other legislatures around the world. But the relevance of Parliament to modern British politics is often questioned and the interplay between MP and party often simplified. This module will examine the major contemporary debates surrounding the workings, role and function of the Westminster Parliament. It will provide students with a detailed knowledge of Parliament as an institution and a firm grasp of cutting edge research into Parliamentary politics in Britain. Although it focuses on one country, the module will very much approach British Parliamentary politics from a comparative perspective, encouraging students to utilise more general theories of legislative politics to better understand the British case. Topics may vary from year to year, but an indicative list includes:
• Parliament and executive in British politics;
• Party dominance and party discipline in the House of Commons;
• Parliament and the legislative process;
• The representativeness of Parliament as an institution;
• The MP-constituent link;
• Popular attitudes to Parliament;
• Constitutional reform in Britain.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the module students will gain knowledge of:
• The key institutional features of Parliament;
• Key actors in Parliamentary politics;
• The main contemporary theoretical and empirical debates surrounding the role and functioning of Parliament;
• Theories of the role of legislatures and political systems more generally;
• The logics of enquiry into Parliamentary politics.

• On completion of the module students will be able to:
• Describe accurately and effectively alternative theories of Parliamentary politics and explanations of Parliamentary behaviour;
• Use theoretical frameworks to structure detailed empirical discussion of Parliamentary politics;
• Evaluate and critique rival theories and interpretations of Parliamentary politics with reference to secondary empirical evidence;
• Evaluate and critique rival theories and interpretations of Parliamentary politics with reference to primary empirical evidence.

• Through the module, students will develop key skills, including the ability to:
• Retrieve and utilize primary and secondary resources that they have been directed to;
• Find appropriate primary and secondary resources beyond those they have been directed to;
• Assess the suitability and quality of resources for research purposes;
• Engage in independent thought in evaluating existing research;
• Demonstrate analytical skills which will establish and defend an intellectual position in response to essay questions, showing engagement with and evaluation of theoretical and conceptual material;
• Complete written work to a deadline and within word limits.

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

• The module will be structured around 12 two-hour seminars. The seminars will each focus on different aspects of British parliamentary politics. They will primarily involve student-led discussion on key texts assigned prior to the class, and at two hours are of sufficient length to allow thorough examination of theoretical and empirical issues. To equip students to engage with the contemporary literature on British parliamentary politics, where appropriate, the first portion of a small number of seminars will offer initial instruction on some of the key methodological approaches used in the literature - particularly quantitative empirical methods and formal theoretical approaches. These seminars will be supplemented with 2 two-hour case study support sessions, where students can receive support regarding the case study component of their summative assessment (in additional to seeking advice during standard officer hours).
• Summative assessment will have two components. For the first component, students will be asked to complete a 3,000 word essay which will account for 40% of the final marks. A set of essay questions will be provided and students will select one question from this set. All questions will test students’ understanding of parliamentary institutions and actors, and their ability to critically engage with theoretical and empirical debates about British Parliamentary politics. For the second component, students will complete a 3,000 word ‘case study’ of a particular Parliamentary vote, bill, or incident of their choosing ). Students will be expected to use the case study to evaluate the explanatory power of one or more theoretical arguments encountered on the course. This will test students’ ability to engage and critically evaluate theories of politics using primary evidence. The case study will account for 60% of the final mark for the module.
• Formative assessment will consist of a 1,500 word essay. A set of possible essay questions will be given to students. This will allow students to develop their understanding of the course material and receive initial feedback.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A 1,500 word essay with written feedback.

■ 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