Guidance for submitting feedback
Department of Government students are invited to submit feedback on any aspect of their experience within the Department, at any point throughout the year. We are committed to listening to our students and ensuring that your voice is heard and you understand the impact you can have.
Please make sure you are specific with your suggestions for improvements – if your suggestion relates to a specific module, but you do not include the module number, the Department cannot take this forward. Please also note: feedback specific to modules and teaching is also collected through the Student Assessment of Modules and Teaching surveys – SAMTs – distributed in at the end of each term.
You may submit feedback anonymously.
The American political cycle yields what some commentators call “the never ending campaign.” The aim of this module is to investigate the American electoral and party system. It will examine the primary system, Congressional and Presidential elections and the role of parties in each. In particular, it will examine how federalism affects US parties and elections. The module will cover the historical origins of the primary system in subnational, national, and presidential elections, the role of political parties in American society, the consequences of the electoral system on the ideological positioning of the parties and candidates, and attempt to place the US in comparative perspective. The scheduled format for the module is for a two-hour weekly seminar.
This module provides a wide-ranging introduction to the study of policy formulation, the theories that underpin it, the constraints that shape it and the people who turn policy into practice. While the main focus of the module is on public policy in Britain, a series of case studies includes a comparative dimension where British policy making is compared with that of other countries. Although GV200 is not a requirement for this module, students will have the opportunity to explore the use of statistical analysis in the evaluation of public policy.
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the study of electoral behaviour. This field is quite broad and so the course will focus on individual and institutional influences on electoral choice. Individual influences examine how people reason about voting and politics more generally and why people vote and if they do so, why they choose one party or candidate rather than another. Aggregate influences look at the type of election focusing, for example, on whether it is a national or local election, the electoral system in operation and a number of other institutional characteristics of political systems. The focus will be on examining theoretical explanations of voting in light of the evidence from studies of elections in Britain and in other advanced democracies.
Negotiations are a prominent feature in all areas of international politics. The module investigates both theoretical and practical aspects of negotiations with the aim to understand how outcomes come about and how outcomes can be improved. I will focus on the analytical tools needed to understand international negotiations within the theory of International Relations, and in particular the role of bargaining in resolving international conflict. However, we will also consider the practical issues of international negotiations, such as the effect of different negotiation styles, including negotiation strategies and tactics, the influence of uncertainty, and the importance of justice. Particular issues will be explored by means of an 'ICONS' simulation (www.icons.umd.edu).
This module examines the changing nature of political parties in advanced democracies. The primary focus is Britain, but parties and party systems in Europe are also examined. The module looks at party motivations, party competition, electoral strategies, ideologies and changes in party organisation, such as party funding and leadership elections
The aims of this module are to examine the history and meaning of the concept of human rights and to relate them to contemporary theory and practice. This involves an understanding of how and why the concepts of human rights emerged to play an important role in international and national politics; how it is related to the development of the modern nation-state and economic processes; how the concept is related to other important concepts of political theory; and how the concept has been criticised and how it may be defended. The module aims to give students a thorough knowledge of the history, theory and most important contemporary issues raised by the concept of human rights.
The aims of this module are:
1. to enable students to understand the ethical and political implications of academic research and study;
2. to enable students to place the political theory of human rights in the wider context of Political Science as an academic discipline and in that of human rights practice;
3. to enable students to understand, critically analyse, and evaluate contemporary debates about human rights.
'In the final analysis, the justification for human rights as a theme in the curriculum lies in its ability to engage our critical intelligence and our moral sensitivity together; and to develop a clearer understanding, not only of how the world is, but of what kind of world we might come to inhabit. In doing so, it offers a challenge to both idealism and scepticism alike. The subject exemplifies, that is to say, a recurrent feature of the political condition: not only the struggle for power and influence between competing interests, but the collective striving for human betterment in an imperfect world' (David Beetham, 'Introduction: Human Rights in the Study of Politics', Political Studies, Special Issue, 'Politics and Human Rights', 1995, XLIII: 9).
The aims of this module are:
1. to enable students to understand the ethical and political implications of academic research and study;
2. to enable students to place the political theory of human rights in the wider context of Political Science as an academic discipline and in that of human rights practice;
3. to enable students to understand, critically analyse, and evaluate contemporary debates about human rights.
'In the final analysis, the justification for human rights as a theme in the curriculum lies in its ability to engage our critical intelligence and our moral sensitivity together; and to develop a clearer understanding, not only of how the world is, but of what kind of world we might come to inhabit. In doing so, it offers a challenge to both idealism and scepticism alike. The subject exemplifies, that is to say, a recurrent feature of the political condition: not only the struggle for power and influence between competing interests, but the collective striving for human betterment in an imperfect world' (David Beetham, 'Introduction: Human Rights in the Study of Politics', Political Studies, Special Issue, 'Politics and Human Rights', 1995, XLIII: 9).
This module investigates the normative aspects of key international policy issues: Do rich nations have the right to close their borders to economic migrants? Do we have a moral obligation to send troops in order to stop human right atrocities in far away countries? Should international trade be made more fair, and if so what would that imply? We will approach these issues by looking into recent discussions in normative political theory on global ethics and global justice.
This course considers the extent to which democracy is feasible and desirable outside the nation state. Students explore such issues as the viability of transnational citizenship and the role in the construction of a global order. Throughout, theory is related to practice by using current developments in the EU as a test case.
The course aims to provide students with an overview of contemporary theories of global democracy and citizenship, and develop their ability to apply them to the analysis of the democratic and constitutional arrangements of the EU.
The course aims to provide students with an overview of contemporary theories of global democracy and citizenship, and develop their ability to apply them to the analysis of the democratic and constitutional arrangements of the EU.
The mass media are the primary source of information about international politics. Newspapers, television, radio, internet sites and now a growing number of bloggers collect and disseminate a vast amount of information on those parts of the world that media users can have little direct knowledge. This information is occasionally based on first-hand observations from reporters in the field but is more usually based on data or evidence provided by governments, research agencies and campaigning organisations (such as Amnesty International). This module is, therefore, designed to provide students with an understanding how events and developments are processed and represented in media, the strengths and limitations of each source of evidence and how to assess the accuracy or validity of such information. The module is organized in two parts. The first surveys the various forms of quantitative and qualitative information relevant to international relations that are supplied by the media. The second introduces students to text analysis.
This module provides an introduction to contemporary research on the political economy of development. We will study how politics and political institutions enable and constrain policy choices and implementation.
Much of the best modern work combines theory and empirical work with a specific focus on identification and issues of causal inference. This micro-level literature will be a particular focus of this class.
The readings from this class are drawn from he modern political economy literature, a cross-disciplinary endeavor at the intersection of political science, economics, anthropology, and public health. Therefore, relevant papers from all of these fields are on this syllabus.
Much of the best modern work combines theory and empirical work with a specific focus on identification and issues of causal inference. This micro-level literature will be a particular focus of this class.
The readings from this class are drawn from he modern political economy literature, a cross-disciplinary endeavor at the intersection of political science, economics, anthropology, and public health. Therefore, relevant papers from all of these fields are on this syllabus.
This module is designed to introduce students to some of the major issues and theoretical approaches in Comparative Politics. We will discuss major methodological topics as well as a number, though not all, substantive issues in the field. The first part of the module focuses on the logic of comparative inquiry, the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches, and how they can be fruitfully combined. The second part of the module addresses classic topics in global and comparative politics as well as contemporary debates that are of interest to those studying politics in the developed and developing world. They include issues of democratization and regime stability, understanding democratic institutions and representation, as well as developing civil society and democratic legitimacy.
The Doctoral Research Seminar in Ideology and Discourse Analysis provides students with a forum in which to discuss current debates in post-structuralist political theory and philosophy; to engage with issues in the methodology of discourse analysis; and to present ongoing research. It also aims to foster and develop presentational, critical reading, and other professional-academic skills. The activities are meant to supplement and enhance the PhD student experience for our IDA and Political Theory PhD students, particularly in relation to GV994 (Professional Development Seminar) and PhD board and supervision meetings.