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Semester 2

Parliamentary Studies (PLIT10091)

Subject

Politics

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

4

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 4 Politics courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses, and we cannot consider interdisciplinary courses or courses without sufficient Politics/Government/International Relations focus. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

The course is designed to develop expertise in the structures and processes of the UK and Scottish Parliaments, with an encouragement of students throughout to compare and contrast the two Parliaments. Several of the weekly sessions will involve contributions by officials or elected members of the two Parliaments, reflecting an emphasis on learning through engagement with parliamentary practice which is also carried through in the coursework assignments and in practice visits to one, or ideally both, Parliaments. The course begins with a consideration of the research skills and resources which students should use for the course, with substantive sessions following on the distinctiveness of the 'Westminster model', including the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and the House of Lords; the relationships of electorate to parliament, and of legislative to executive branches; women in parliament; and the process and structures of parliamentary decision-making.

Course Description

**A. Academic Description: Despite recent concerns about a crisis of democracy and the rise of anti-politics, parliaments and legislatures continue to be the central political arenas in any democratic system. They provide the critical linkages between, for instance, government and the public, government and civil society, and government and backbenchers. This course is designed to provide students with a policy-relevant and theoretically informed examination of parliaments in the United Kingdom. It is therefore concerned both with the formal processes and (perhaps more importantly) the cultures, traditions and relationships that make these institutions work. Although our institutional focus will be on the Houses of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, students will be encouraged to think comparatively and to situate these cases in a wider context. The course is intended to be of particular value to those students considering a career in politics. Uniquely, it is taught in association with the Houses of Parliament Outreach Service, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament. Students will develop a detailed knowledge of both parliaments and they will situate this alongside wider concerns about scrutiny, democratic engagement and multi-level governance. **B. Outline Content: The content changes each year depending on our guest speakers, but is likely to include: the parliamentary state; structure and procedure of the UK and Scottish Parliaments; legislative process in Westminster and Holyrood; role and reform of the House of Lords; executive-legislature relations; role and reform of select committees; women in parliament; and parliament and civil society. **C. Student Learning Experience: This course is taught through seminars chaired by the course convener. Each week we will welcome senior parliamentary officials and politicians to discuss the role and reform of parliament. Students must be able to engage with in-depth discussions at this level and thorough preparation is essential. The course also includes a visit to the Scottish Parliament and a visit to the Houses of Parliament in London.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a Politics exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in one Politics course each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. Enrolment in a second Politics course will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the January Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

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