POL3111 : UK Parliamentary Studies (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Professor Stephen Elstub
- Lecturer: Dr Nick Randall, Dr Orly Siow, Dr Maarja Luhiste
- Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
- 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 | |
Aims
The aims in this module are to enable students:
1. Gain a detailed knowledge of how the Westminster Parliament works in both theory and practice
2. Scrutinise the capacity of Westminster to fulfill five key democratic functions of parliament: representation, recruitment and maintenance of a government, scrutiny of the executive, legislation, and debate
3. Critically analyse the relationship between government and parliament
Outline Of Syllabus
Parliamentary Studies aims to provide students with a detailed knowledge of how the Westminster Parliament works in both theory and practice. The overarching and coordinating theme of the module will be to scrutinise the capacity of Westminster to fulfill five key democratic functions of parliament: representation, recruitment and maintenance of a government, scrutiny of the executive, legislation, and debate. It therefore focuses on how the Houses of Parliament operates. It provides students with a sense of why cultures, traditions and informal relationships matter as well as formal procedures. Indicative topics may include:
• The Functions of Parliament
• The role and reform of Select Committees
• Parties and Parliament
• Representation and Parliament
• Debate and deliberation in Parliament
• The role and reform of the House of Lords
• Public Engagement with Parliament
• Parliament and the Media
• The Good Parliament
• Parliament and the UK's External Relations
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 144:00 | 144:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Synchronous, PiP lecture |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Viewing parliamentary footage & posting comments to discussion board; generating q's for guest spkr |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | PiP seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 1 | 4:00 | 4:00 | Synchronous virtual visit to parliament |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Online recorded module talk giving assessment guidance. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Student contact will primarily take place through a series of lectures and seminar classes, supported by engagement through the module’s virtual learning environment. The lectures introduce students to the key themes, focusing on the academic and theoretical framing of the theme. Each lecture would be followed by a one hour seminar where the seminars allow for participation by students in clarifying and exploring key ideas and issues. These help to develop critical-analytical and oral communication skills. Further materials will be available via the modules VLE, where there will be a further opportunity for a virtual and more flexible discussion of the module themes. Additonal assessment guidance is provided through recorded module talks. Finally there will be a virtual visit to parliament to hear talks from, and question, parliamentary staff, MPs and Lords.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | 90 minutes, in person, on campus. |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 50 | 2000 word Report on parliamentary reform |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The parliamentary report and exam will provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate skills in research, critical analysis, writing, referencing and working autonomously. In the course of selecting, researching, and writing up a report and exam answers students will learn about the theory and substance of parliament, finding secondary sources, properly citing them, and developing research skills. The report will assess learning on a particular aspect of parliament. The exam will assess learning on broader understanding of parliament.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- POL3111's Timetable