GV311 One Unit
British Government
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Antony Travers
Availability
This course is available on the BA in Social Anthropology, BSc in History and Politics, BSc in International Social and Public Policy with Politics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (with a Year Abroad), BSc in Politics, BSc in Politics and Economics, BSc in Politics and International Relations, BSc in Politics and Philosophy and BSc in Social Anthropology. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course is not available to General Course students.
This course is capped.
Requisites
Pre-requisites:
Students must have completed GV101 before taking this course.
Course content
The course will provide an introduction to contemporary British government, notably the institutions involved and processes of policy-making. The first part of the course will explain the evolution of British government from the earliest times, including the philosophical ideas that have come to underpin contemporary politics. The key institutions of British government will be described and analysed, focusing on factors that explain the functioning of a complex modern State. By the end of the course, students will have a practical understanding of the entire system of British government and the influences that affect it.
Teaching
15 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the Autumn Term.
15 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the Winter Term.
1.5 hours of lectures in the Spring Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Essay
Essay
Students will be required to submit 2 unassessed essays in both the Autumn and Winter Terms.
Indicative reading
R. Heffernan, P Cowley and C Hay, Developments in British Politics 9, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
P. Norton, The British Polity, 5th Edition, London, Pearson Longman, 2010
M. Garnett and P. Lynch, Exploring British Politics, 2nd edition, London, Pearson Longman, 2009
R. A. W. Rhodes, Everyday Life in British Government, Oxford University Press, 2011
C. Hood, The blame game: spin, bureaucracy, and self-preservation in government, Princeton University Press, 2011
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 180 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Autumn, Winter and Spring Term
Unit value: One unit
FHEQ Level: Level 6
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 55
Average class size 2024/25: 18
Capped 2024/25: Yes(30)Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Communication