Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
The US is one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world today. Little aspect of politics, culture or public discussion does not touch on events in the U.S. in some way. There is much made of the 'special relationship' between the US and UK which suggests that the political systems have much in common. This assumption can be deceptive, as the two countries have almost polar opposite approaches to politics in the structure of their governmental institutions and rationale for the way they are organised. Presidents are nothing like prime ministers and the US system is not designed with the efficient pursuit of public policy in mind. Instead, it seeks to check and limit governmental power in an attempt to protect people's liberty. This module analyses how the US government is structured and how it operates in practice. You will come away more able to fully understand the way in which complex issues play out in the US and why that policymaking seems so different from the UK.
Aims
1. To give students a basic introduction to US Government and politics to prepare them to take more advanced courses in US politics provided by the School.2. To enable students to analyse the interrelationships between US political institutions, the electoral system, public opinion and the making of public policy.3. To enable students to develop a critical perspective on the scholarly debates in the current literature and to develop their own perspectives on modern American politics.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Interpret and distinguish between different theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of US politics: 2Acquire, assess, organise and engage with a variety of sources as a part of conducting research: 2Effectively and fluently communicate complex arguments supported by the appropriate evidence in written form: 1,2Analyse key problems in the US political system integrating theoretical concepts and empirical material: 1,2
Lecture attendance - 11 hoursTutorial attendance - 11 hoursEngagement with online resources in preparation for tutorials - 48 hoursResearch and Preparation for short essay - 20 hoursResearch and Preparation of portfolio - 60 hours
Description of Module Assessment
1: Open Book Assessment weighted 25%Short work assignment analysing a newspaper articleStudents complete a 1000 word review of an article with a 28 hour time limit from when they are assigned their topic.
2: Portfolio weighted 75%PortfolioThe portfolio consists of a set of 8 short, in-class assignments in weeks 2-9 and a final, longer analysis that develops the ideas from the smaller assignments. The assignments in the portfolio are a single question about the reading answered in each class. Each question follows from the reading guidance questions in the module guide. They can be answered quickly (a few minutes) and feedback is oral and delivered to the whole class. The last, more extended piece of writing is in the form of a short essay following the themes of the class questions. Total word count 1500 words. 500 words for the smaller assignments and 1000 words for the final portfolio assignment.