Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2114: Issues in Modern British Politics

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to enhance and deepen your understanding of specific issues of most relevance and importance in British politics, which will be selected by you from a wide range of potential issues. Drawing on vast academic literature, you will have an opportunity to decide whether to interrogate generational trends in political engagement (e.g., the phenomenon of a ‘youthquake’ (Prosser et al. 2018), apathy and alienation among the Millenials (Grasso 2014; Fox 2015)), or explore changes in social and political attitudes (e.g., in relation to homosexuality, gender roles, monarchy (Phillips et al 2018)), or consider legacy of multiculturalism in the UK (Heath and Demireva 2014) – among other topics.

The module encourages you to engage with a range of reliable scholarly sources in order to explore each issue from different angles and to engage in a lively, evidence-based, scholarly debate. Hence, the module uses various participatory and interactive techniques to encourage your participation in class and your contribution to each other’s learning.

Finally, it aims to build confidence and proficiency in formulating and conveying a convincing, evidence-based argument respectfully in different debate formats.   

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. Identify and critically examine scholarly and political debates on the core domestic issues in Britain in the context of wider context of British politics
2. Explain and evaluate the core arguments regarding the main issues in British politics and apply relevant scholarly and political debates to individual case studies
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of theoretical and methodological approaches for the analysis of the core domestic political issues in Britain and ability to apply them
4. Select, critically engage with and manage relevant learning resources and information and to develop own, evidence-based arguments
5. Collect, synthesise and analyse evidence, and present it in a coherent way to academic and non-academic audiences individually and as a part of a group
Personal and Key Skills6. Select and present in a coherent way, orally and in writing, empirical and theoretical arguments relevant to the issues covered by the module
7. Organise study time, plan and undertake assigned tasks, as well as reflect on and integrate oral and written feedback, individually and in collaboration with peers
8. Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, to academic and non-academic audiences individually and as a part of a group