Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC1003: British Government and Politics

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module provides you with an introduction to British politics which is intended to provoke thought and provide foundational concepts for the academic study of this topic. The lectures introduce you to the main institutions and processes of government with contemporary emphasis but historical awareness. The module covers democracy in Britain, electoral politics, executive politics and structures for developing and implementing public policy. A theme of the course will be the changes in the British constitution over the last 20 years or so. A second theme is to stress the new politics of permanent campaigning and direct action in a context where power is shifting upwards (to Europe) and downwards (to the devolved territories).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate your knowledge of the basic institutions and operation of British politics, recent political history and contrasting perspectives on developments in British politics in written and oral work.
2. evaluate of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and perspectives on British politics and anticipate how British politics is likely to evolve over the next five years in written and oral work.
Discipline-Specific Skills3. place descriptive material within a conceptual and theoretical context and to move from the concrete to the abstract and vice versa, and an ability to assimilate and analyse a wide range of disparate data in written work.
4. deal with theory and evidence about political institutions and processes in written and oral work.
Personal and Key Skills5. demonstrate essay writing techniques through two written assessments
6. demonstrate seminar presentation skills through one formative presentation and participation in seminar discussions
7. engage in group work through one group-based formative presentation and other spontaneous group activities during seminars