This course will introduce students to a range of issues found in the study of British politics, including institutional and ideological frameworks, the main UK political parties, environment policy, Britain's relationship with the EU, and Britain's place in the world.

Seminar: two hours per week, for 10 weeks

POLITIC3020 Issues in British Politics

None

Blogpost (Report) of 1,500 words (30%)

Essay of 3,500 words (70%)

This course aims to deepen student knowledge of a range of issues in British Politics, including The British Political Tradition, the legacy of the post-war consensus (c.1945-1979), the rethinking of the state under the Thatcher governments, 1979-1990 and beyond, Conservative Party and Labour Party repositioning, constitutional reform by act of parliament (1997-present), the undoing of UK membership of the European Union, Britain's role in the world, and the extent to which a coherent policy on climate change and the environment has been achieved by successive governments are all considered.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Critically analyse key developments in British politics since 1979

■ Contextualise these developments with reference to economic and constitutional theory, ideology and international frameworks, 1945-present

■ Evaluate scholarly literature on each of the topics discussed

■ Apply knowledge gained analytically to identify likely future developments