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2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PIED2706 The UK Parliament: Between Tradition and Reform

20 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Email: C.Lesston-Bandeira@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

n.a.

Pre-requisites

PIED1100British Politics

Module replaces

PIED 2701

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module aims to introduce students to the UK Parliament and to how it has changed over time. Whilst it introduces students to the key literature and theories about Parliament, it also has a strong practical element that includes guest talks from parliamentary officials and assessment geared towards the development of key transferrable skills. The module is particularly suitable to those students who wish to pursue a career in public relations, lobbying, journalism, parliament or party politics. You need to have done British Politics as a pre-requisite to take this module, as an overall understanding of the British political system is required.

Objectives

The objective of the module is to provide students with an overall introduction to the UK Parliament and, in particular, to how its role has changed over time.
It will provide students with key knowledge and understanding of the institution and of how it has changed. We will examine how the institution is organised, who MPs and Peers are and how they perform their representative role. We will then focus on key roles such as law-making and scrutiny and accountability, where we will explore in particular the role of Select Committees and of questions to the government. We will also consider how Parliament relates to outside actors such as the public, government and pressure groups. Throughout our enquiry we will identify the role played by tradition in Parliament, as well as outlining paths for reform.
The module has been developed in conjunction with the Parliamentary Outreach Service of the UK Parliament and includes guest talks by parliamentary officials and Clerks.
Whilst the module introduces students to the key literature and theories on Parliament, it also has a very practical insight. It is therefore particularly suitable for those students considering a possible career in public relations, lobbying, journalism, as well as in parliament itself or party politics.
The module’s assessment has a strong practical component. It is composed of two reports, each actively encouraging the use of resources from Parliament and each putting students in a real life scenario.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
• Demonstrate understanding and breadth of knowledge about the workings and organisation of parliamentary activity;
• Identify and critically evaluate the different roles performed by the UK Parliament;
• Identify and critically evaluate the key changes that have affected the role of UK Parliament;
• Demonstrate the ability to use primary sources to support research on the UK parliament;
• Compare and contrast evidence to support a critical discussion of concepts.

Skills outcomes
Besides general transferable skills, through taking this module students will develop specific skills to Parliament: utilisation of parliamentary resources, ability to identify parliamentary procedures, research skills specific to parliament, writing of briefings.


Syllabus

Below we list an indication of the module’s contents (this is likely to change as it is updated):
1. Introduction (brief outline emergence of Parliament, key principles of sovereignty and research skills)
2. Parliament’s Organisation and its People (political and administration, role of rituals, identification of key political and administrative roles)
3. Representing the people (the representative role, Constituency role and practice)
4. MPs and Peers (descriptive representation: who they are, how this has changed over time; voting patterns; relationship with parties)
5. Law-making (the cycle, the key stages, how likely it is legislation gets amended; the process of scrutiny legislation)
6. Visiting Parliament
7. Scrutiny and accountability (questioning the government; the role of the opposition; different types of debates; raising issues)
8. Select Committees (what they do, membership, changes, their effectiveness)
9. House of Lords (role, discussions about composition and reform)
10. Influencing Parliament (external actors campaigning parliament to change the law and raise issues; through NGOs, APPGs, public campaigning, petitions)
11. Public engagement (levels of trust, public engagement activity developed; information, education, participation; digital debates, visits, Education Centre)

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Fieldwork11.001.00
Lecture101.0010.00
Seminar101.0010.00
Independent online learning hours10.00
Private study hours169.00
Total Contact hours21.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

Students will be expected to prepare for each weekly seminar, by reading 2/3 key texts and undertaking associated simple tasks. This preparation enables seminars to be far more effective and explore issues in depth. Besides this, as all of the module’s topics are interconnected, this weekly preparation also helps students to perform particularly well in their assessment. Students will also be asked to keep up to date with weekly announcements summarising points addressed in classes.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will be encouraged to submit plans of their assignments four weeks prior to submission in order to receive formative comments. Feedback will be discussed in one-to-one meetings between tutor and each student; peer feedback will also be encouraged. This will be complemented by Academic Office Hours which students will be able to use to discuss their progress. Students’ progress will also be monitored through the usual attendance monitoring processes, as well as engagement with the seminars’ discussions and activities. Feedback on the first assignment will also support monitoring of student progress.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Assignmentstrategy briefing for MP 2000 words50.00
AssignmentEvidence to a committee 2000 words50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 26/04/2017

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