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Issues in Modern British Politics

Module description

Drawing upon the vibrant and fast-moving landscape of the British political debate, this module enables you to explore and discuss the most relevant issues in modern British politics of interest to you. Hence, the set of issues covered is unique for each cohort and determined by you in the beginning of the module.

This module is suitable for non-specialist students interested in British politics. It does not have pre-requisites nor assumes prior knowledge and skills in this subject area. It is, however, focused on domestic British political issues, and might not be the best fit for those on interdisciplinary pathways.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to enhance and deepen your understanding of specific issues of most relevance and importance in British politics, which will be selected by you from a wide range of potential issues. Drawing on vast academic literature, you will have an opportunity to decide whether to interrogate generational trends in political engagement (e.g., the phenomenon of a ‘youthquake’ (Prosser et al. 2018), apathy and alienation among the Millenials (Grasso 2014; Fox 2015)), or explore changes in social and political attitudes (e.g., in relation to homosexuality, gender roles, monarchy (Phillips et al 2018)), or consider legacy of multiculturalism in the UK (Heath and Demireva 2014) – among other topics.

The module encourages you to engage with a range of reliable scholarly sources in order to explore each issue from different angles and to engage in a lively, evidence-based, scholarly debate. Hence, the module uses various participatory and interactive techniques to encourage your participation in class and your contribution to each other’s learning.

Finally, it aims to build confidence and proficiency in formulating and conveying a convincing, evidence-based argument respectfully in different debate formats.   

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Identify and critically examine scholarly and political debates on the core domestic issues in Britain in the context of wider context of British politics
• 2. Explain and evaluate the core arguments regarding the main issues in British politics and apply relevant scholarly and political debates to individual case studies

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of theoretical and methodological approaches for the analysis of the core domestic political issues in Britain and ability to apply them
• 4. Select, critically engage with and manage relevant learning resources and information and to develop own, evidence-based arguments
• 5. Collect, synthesise and analyse evidence, and present it in a coherent way to academic and non-academic audiences individually and as a part of a group

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Select and present in a coherent way, orally and in writing, empirical and theoretical arguments relevant to the issues covered by the module
• 7. Organise study time, plan and undertake assigned tasks, as well as reflect on and integrate oral and written feedback, individually and in collaboration with peers
• 8. Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, to academic and non-academic audiences individually and as a part of a group

Syllabus plan

The module’s precise content varies from year to year depending on the issues of relevance and importance that emerge.

In the beginning of the module, you will be asked to vote on and select 4 issues to be covered in the module.

The list of the possible issues includes the following topics:

• Reforming the electoral system – pros and cons (and how to)
• Future of multiculturalism and social cohesion
• Electoral rights (e.g., vote at 16, voting rights for non-citizen residents and non-resident citizens)
• Social and political values in a state of flux
• Political engagement beyond elections
• Changing nature of social class
• The rise of identity politics
• Media and politics
• Representative claims and challenges to representative democracy in Britain, etc.

In addition, the module will provide an opportunity to develop team working, debating and presentation skills through interactive sessions spread across the term.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Individual poster presentation is used as a form of re-assessment of a small group presentation as it evaluates same set of knowledge and skills, i.e. the students ability to formulate an evidence-based, literature-informed argument on the topic of student’s choice (as chosen in the beginning of the module) and communicate it in clearly in a visually appealing and engaging way.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Fieldhouse, E., Green, J., Evans, G., Mellon, J., Prosser, C., Schmitt, H., & van der Eijk, C. (2020). Electoral Shocks: The Volatile Voter in a Turbulent World. Oxford: OUP.
• Gallagher, M., & Mitchell, P. (Eds.). (2005). The politics of electoral systems. Oxford: OUP.
• Heath, A. F., Fisher, S. D., Rosenblatt, G., Sanders, D., & Sobolewska, M. (2013). The political integration of ethnic minorities in Britain. OUP Oxford.
• Heffernan, R., Hay, C., Russell, M., & Cowley, P. (Eds.) (2016). Developments in British Politics 10. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Kelso, A. (2013). Parliamentary Reform at Westminster. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Whiteley, P. (2011). Political participation in Britain: The decline and revival of civic culture. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Key words search

Issues in modern British politics