HIS2328 : Politics in Britain: National Life since 1945
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Available for Study Abroad and Exchange students, subject to School approval at module registration
- Module Leader(s): Dr Martin Farr
- Lecturer: Dr Lindsay Aqui, Dr Lauren Darwin
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
This module explores politics in Britain since the Second World War. But rather than being a conventional – and very familiar – survey course with Parliament at the centre, it considers politics in the broadest possible sense: about power, but also about choices, about ideas, about moral causes, about identity. The broad thematic sections – one each week – allow for a multi-faceted way of understanding change as seen through the range and diversity of national life from 1945 to the present. It will consider very contemporary events too, and explain and understand them through the context that contemporary history provides. You will be able to write about any section you wish, and the wide range of primary resources available will help prepare you for third year and your dissertations.
Outline Of Syllabus
Subjects may be subject to variation:
media
parties and movements
popular culture
government
electoral reform
attitudes
nationalism
gender
sexuality
race and immigration
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Lectures, one per week |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 67 | 1:00 | 67:00 | Preparation time for assessment components |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Seminars, one per week |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 50 | 1:00 | 50:00 | Structured research and reading activities |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 50 | 1:00 | 50:00 | General consolidation activities |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will introduce topics and provide expert orientation and exposition on a broad range of themes and issues, supplemented by the module reading list.
Seminars will also consolidate the learning progress from lectures, and weekly readings by enabling students to focus on connected issues and material in greater depth.
Both lecturers and seminars will often be led by ongoing events which allows for the exposition and appreciation of historical context.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 20 | 500-word written exercise which feedback will feed through into final research essay. |
| Essay | 1 | A | 80 | 3000-word research essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Work submitted during the delivery of the module forms a means of determining student progress. Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing. The written exercise is intended to offer the chance for feedback and understanding writing technique which the research essay will build upon.
The research essay is an extended piece of writing based on primary materials, intended to prepare students for their stage 3, including dissertations.
Students will be able to choose freely from a wide variety of questions, with more than one for every lecture topic, as well as broader thematic questions.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- HIS2328's Timetable