Module manager: Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Email: C.Leston-Bandeira@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
| PIED1100 | British Politics |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Please note both Christina Leston-Bandeira and Alex Meakin co-lead this module, you are welcome to contact both Module Leaders via: C.Leston-Bandeira@leeds.ac.uk or A.Meakin@leeds.ac.uk. This module aims to introduce students to the UK Parliament and to how it has changed over time. Whilst it introduces students to the key literature and theories about Parliament, it also has a strong practical element that includes guest talks from parliamentary officials and assessment geared towards the development of key employability skills. The module is particularly suitable to those students who wish to pursue a career in public relations, lobbying, journalism, parliament or party politics. You need to have done British Politics as a pre-requisite to take this module, as an overall understanding of the British political system is required.
The objective of the module is to provide students with an overall introduction to the UK Parliament and, in particular, to how its role has changed over time. It will provide students with key knowledge and understanding of the institution and of how it has changed. We will examine how the institution is organised, who MPs and Peers are and how they perform their representative role. We will then focus on key roles such as law-making and scrutiny and accountability, where we will explore in particular the role of Select Committees and of questions to the government. We will also consider how Parliament relates to outside actors such as the public, government and pressure groups. Throughout our enquiry we will identify the role played by tradition in Parliament, as well as outlining paths for reform. The module has been developed in collaboration with the Parliamentary Outreach Service of the UK Parliament and includes guest talks by parliamentary officials and Clerks. Whilst the module introduces students to the key literature and theories on Parliament, it also has a very practical insight. It is therefore particularly suitable for those students considering a possible career in public relations, lobbying, journalism, as well as in parliament itself or party politics. The module’s assessment has a strong practical component. It consists of an MP Strategy Briefing, which actively encourages the use of resources from Parliament and puts students in a real life scenario. Besides analytical skills, it also therefore supports the development of key employability skills.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate understanding and breadth of knowledge about the workings and organisation of parliamentary activity;
2. Identify and critically evaluate the different roles performed by the UK Parliament;
3. Identify and critically evaluate the key changes that have affected the role of UK Parliament;
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Compare and contrast evidence to support a critical discussion of concepts.
5. Retrieve, organise, and produce complex summaries of information and/or data including primary sources on the UK parliament
6. Use digital technologies to retrieve data and information on the UK parliament, and use them to communicate this information to others.
7. Synthesize information into materials authentic to those used in the British Parliament.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Fieldwork | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 14 | 1 | 14 |
| Independent online learning hours | 10 | ||
| Private study hours | 160.7 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 29.3 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for each summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | . | 30 |
| Coursework | . | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 03/03/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team