School of Politics, International Relations & Philosophy  
 
 
PIR-20028 German Government and Politics  
Co-ordinator: Dr Kurt Richard Luther    Room: CBA1.007, Tel:733482  
Teaching Team:  
Level: 2 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Prerequisites
N/A
Barred Combinations
N/A
Description

This module will first focus on the pre-war origins of contemporary German politics, as well as by an examination of some of the key features of the ill-fated Weimar Republic. In the main body of the module, students will be introduced to some of the central features of the government and politics of post-war (West) Germany. Likely topics include the motivations for and provisions of Germany’s Basic Law; German federalism; the German parliament; the federal president; the federal chancellor and the federal government; Germany’s electoral system and electoral outcomes. Finally, the module will examine current challenges to the “German model”, including those arising from German unification, as well as from the emergence of and support for parties opposed to the post-war consensus.




Aims
This module offers an introduction to the government and politics of post-war (West) Germany. It first identifies key dimensions of the historical legacy (or 'German Question') confronting political elites in 1945 and discusses how they were addressed in the post-war constitutional settlement. It then considers the processes and consequences of Germany's unification into the 'Berlin Republic'. Thereafter, it explores key institutional features of the German governmental system and current challenges to the 'German model' of political economy. Finally, it examines Germany's distinctive electoral system, recent electoral outcomes and a selection of political parties.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will have 1) understood the reasons behind and nature of West Germany's post-war constitutional settlement; 2) gained insights into the processes and residual challenges of German unification; 3) developed an appreciation of the structure and operation of key institutions of Germany's contemporary political system; 4) acquired an understanding Germany's electoral system and political parties.
Study hours
There will be five tutorials, attendance at which is compulsory.
Description of Module Assessment
50% of the module mark will come from a 2,000-word essay.

50% of the mark will come from a two hour unseen examination at the end of the module. The questions will be drawn from material covered in the lectures, tutorials and the recommended reading and worded so as to provide little or no opportunity to repeat material that might have been used in essays. Please note that since the focus of this module is post-war Germany, essay and examination answers should not - unless explicitly invited to do so - include significant amounts of material on Germany prior to 1945, as such material will not generate any credit.


1: Essay weighted 50%
ESSAY - 2000 WORDS
2: 2 Hour Unseen Exam weighted 50%
UNSEEN EXAM - 2 HOURS
Version: (1.03) Created: 08/Mar/2010

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.