Huntingdon College | Political Science | Booklist | Courses | Dates | Office Hours | Requirements | Special Needs | What's New?
Check the current exchange rate of UK pound and US $ | Passport application notes

Union JackPSC 321: British Politics, Syllabus

revised 26 Oct. 2007 by Jeremy Lewis .

PURPOSE:
Catalog description, as proposed: 321. British Politics. Sem. 1; Cl. 3; Cr. 2-3.
Ideas, institutions, policies and processes of British liberal democracy. The role of the Prime Minister, Cabinet, Monarch, political parties, House of Commons and House of Lords.  Impact of the European Union, the welfare state, the political parties, and political concepts such as social democracy. Foreign and domestic policy topics, such as the Falklands /Malvinas battle, official secrecy, and privatization or "Thatcherism".
201 or 212 or permission of instructor prerequisite.

Learning objectives, to understand at the 300 level, and assessed by the final examination:

Travel option: This version prepares you for the British travel experience, on the Huntingdon Plan.  The trips in January 2004 and May 2005 involved visits to political sites in Westminster, Oxford and elsewhere.  We enjoyed such activities as touring castles, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament; and we heard from distinguished members of parliament and Oxford "dons" (university professors) on the differences between UK and US politics.  Of course, future trips (if any) may have different itinerary and features.

In preparation for this, we will discuss practical matters such as: getting around on the Tube, riding the top deck of a bus, pub grub, sterling (British money), driving on the left, and the joys of London taxis, and Cool Britannia.
.
You will learn through texts and a few video documentaries about the development of the modern Britain, spotting both similarities and contrasts with American ideas. You must expect to discuss current British affairs, such as a political crisis, even where this postpones part of the syllabus. You will become familiar with the House of Commons debates and question time, and leaders such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.  You will also consider the roles of monarchs such as Henry VIII, James I, and Elizabeth I and II (not only temporal powers but also officially, Defenders of the Faith.in an established church.)

Thus you will experience the modern, comparative approach as well as the traditional historical method; and a topical or policy approach as well as the institutional method.

The style of the course will be a reading-based seminar with students contributing essays, presentations and a research paper. Equipment and time permitting, we shall also explore British sources on the World Wide Web.

BOOKS & Materials:

1. Norton, Phillip.  The British Polity.  NY: Longmans.

2. Dunleavy, Patrick et al., (eds).  Developments in British Politics.  Palgrave Macmillan.  Publisher's Catalog entry.

3. Curtis, Michael (ed) The Great Political Theories, vols I and II (the political science companion reader, useful in all PSC classes.) Selected readings relevant to British politics (such as King James I, the utilitarians, Adam Smith, Herbert Spencer, the socialists and marxists.)

Supplementary Materials:
  • Recommended but no longer required: John Bartle and others, Britain at the Polls.  Excellent anthology series on British elections, valuable for term papers on British electin topics, but no longer required for exams.
  • Current Affairs magazine: order Newsweek or US News at a fine discount for the class. This will provide ammunition for you in answering questions about current affairs that occur during the term. For the magazines you supply me a mailing address to which the magazine will bill you directly.

    •  
  • Current material on British government will be shown in multimedia form, or linked on the web -- or in a ring binder on library Reserve. Documentary videos will be inserted only where time permits.
  • for examples:
  • Economist Newspaper, selected topical surveys and briefings on Britain.
  • Video, The Battle of the Falklands.
  • Video, An Ungentlemanly Act (Falklands).
  • Video, Question Time in the House of Commons.  With prime ministers Thatcher, Major and Blair.
  • Video, Yes, Prime Minister.  (Humorous yet strangely true account of the relations between a bumbling if creative minister and his crafty civil servant.)
  • Audio tapes or disk, Churchill's Wartime speeches.
    • You should also watch the House of Commons question time and debates on C-SPAN, Sunday evenings. BBC World News is found on some digital TV services and sometimes on APTV at 11:30 weeknights.

    Behavior: you are expected to comply with the HC Honor Code and with specific rules placed on our Requirements page above.

    Students With Disabilities, HC Notice:
    "Huntingdon College makes every reasonable accommodation for disabilities that have been processed and approved through our Disability Services Committee in accord with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In order to request disability-related services at Huntingdon College, students must self-identify to the Disabilities Intake Coordinator, and provide appropriate and up-to-date documentation to verify their disability or special needs. After the accommodations have been approved by the Disability Services Committee, the 504 Coordinator will notify your professor(s) of the Committee’s decision.
    If you have any questions regarding reasonable accommodation or need to request disability-related services, please contact Disability Services at (334) 833-4556 or email disabilityservices@huntingdon.edu."