2021/22 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PIED3771 Parliamentary Studies (Placement)

120 creditsClass Size: 15

Module manager: Dr Richard Hayton
Email: r.hayton@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2021/22

Pre-requisites

PIED2706

The UK Parliament: Between Tradition and Reform

Module replaces

PIED9975 Placement Year (120 credits)

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to obtain experience of working in a parliamentary office in Westminster. Options exist for students to split their placements between Westminster and North American offices (see outline syllabus for details)

Learning outcomes
The placement module enables students to gain a deeper understanding of the political process and develop their employability skills.

Syllabus

Students may have the opportunity to proceed down one of three different paths:

1. Autumn Term in the US Congress and Spring Term in Westminster
2. Autumn Term in the Canadian Parliament and Spring Term in Westminster
3. Both terms in Westminster

Students completing options 1 or 2 will be required to attend taught sessions at the partner institutions (Catholic University of America and Carleton University) during the autumn term. The students would be registered with the partner institution. They would place and monitor the students whilst on placement. The content of the taught classes are determined by the partner institution.

For North American Links: Placement workload determined through negotiation between the office manager/elected representative and the academic at our partner institutions placing the student.

For Westminster: Students complete a parliamentary placement workload determined through negotiation between the parliamentary office manager/MP and the academic in POLIS placing the student.

All students will attend five classes on Parliament in the spring term. The syllabus would be flexible enough to include emerging parliamentary themes / debates from year to year, but would normally include topics such as the Policy Making Process; Prime Minister’s Questions; The Role of the Whips Office; Evidence to Select Committees; Parliamentary Reform.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Work-based mentoring	1	960.00	960.00
Supervision Meetings	4	1.00	4.00
Seminar	5	2.00	10.00
Private study hours			0.00
Total Contact hours			974.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			974.00

Private study

Autumn Term: September to December
Student completes 12 weeks at 40 hours per week: 480 hours
Each students has 2 parliamentary tutoring visits: 2 hours

Spring Term: January to April
Student completes 12 weeks at 40 hours per week: 480 hours
Each students has 2 parliamentary tutoring visits: 2 hours
Students attend 5 two hour academic sessions on Parliament: 10 hours

Summer Term:
Private Study: 226 hours on preparing 8000 report

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will receive monitoring through three ways:

1. Parliamentary placement visits (4 per year for Westminster year long route; 2 per year for Westminster part year route). Visits are designed to identify whether the placement office managers are provided suitable mentoring and appropriate tasks to aid skills development
2. Students on North American placement are monitored through seminars and placement visits by our partner institutions
3. In the spring term students would be monitored through attendance and contribution to seminars

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	1 x 8,000 word project report	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

In the event of a resit, students submit a 8,000 report which will comprise of two elements: 1. Skills Development Report 2. Essay based on Seminar Programme

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 30/06/2021 11:55:12

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