EU9387: Elections in the UK

School	null
Department Code	null
Module Code	EU9387
External Subject Code	L230
Number of Credits	20
Level	L6
Language of Delivery	English
Module Leader	Professor Roger Awan-Scully
Semester	Spring Semester
Academic Year	2013/4

Outline Description of Module

This module will introduce students to the main elements of electoral politics, and examine how elections are studied. The module will first cover the history of modern electoral politics in the United Kingdom, before going on to examine major 'macro' influences on election outcomes, such as electoral systems. The focus will then shift to examining 'individual-level' understandings of elections, by exploring the formation of public opinion and theories of individual voting behaviour. Finally, students will be introduced to the practical tools of election analysis, such as large-N option surveys, small-N focus groups, and how to analyse data using the computer programme SPSS.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

Completion of this module should equip students with:

A detailed and critical knowledge of the history of contemporary British electoral politics
A detailed and critical knowledge of the major approaches to the study of elections
A basic working knowledge of how to conduct opinion surveys and focus groups
A basic working knowledge of how to handle quantitative data using SPSS

How the module will be delivered

The module will be delivered via 18 lectures and 7 seminars.

Skills that will be practised and developed

Completion of the module should enable students to develop the following transferable skills:

Written and oral communication
Group work with fellow students
Project management
IT skills, including data input and manipulation
Analytical thinking
Independent research skills
Understanding of quantitative information

How the module will be assessed

The module will be assessed in three parts. The group project will involve students working in small groups (3-4 students) to design, conduct and report the findings of an original opinion survey, on a topic related to electoral politics in the UK.

Type of assessment	% Contribution	Title	Duration (if applicable)	Approx. date of Assessment
Group Project	25%	This involves student groups submitting a completed data-set and documentation, and making a seminar presentation of their findings.		Final seminar
Individual Essay	25%	2000 words (plus tables and figures where necessary) based on the information gathered in the group project. This essay should address all of the following questions: How Robust and Representative was your sample? What were the major Strengths and Weaknesses of your questionnaire design? What do your findings tell us that we did not know beforehand? How might your findings be strengthened by further research – through things like a larger sample size, more questions, alternative research methods etc?		End of semester
Examination	50%	A two-hour essay-based examination, exploring students’ knowledge of material covered in the lectures, seminars and readings.	2 hours	End of semester examination period.

Assessment Breakdown

Type	%	Title	Duration(hrs)
Presentation	25	Elections In The Uk	N/A
Written Assessment	25	Elections In The Uk	N/A
Exam - Spring Semester	50	Elections In The Uk	2

Syllabus content

Lectures will follow the following schedule:

Introduction: Elections and Democratic Politics
The Historical Context, 1: Elections to Westminster
The Historical Context, 2: Devolved, European and Local Elections
The Actors, 1a: The Voters: Voting as Identity
The Actors, 1b: The Voters: Voting as Choice
The Actors, 2: Political Parties and Elections
Guest Lecture, 1: Fighting an Election Campaign – an Inside View
The Actors, 3: the News Media and Elections
Guest Lecture, 2: Covering an Election – the Journalist’s Perspective
Electoral Analysis, 1: Aggregate Results, ‘Community Studies’ and Focus Groups
Electoral Analysis, 2: Surveys
Electoral Analysis, 3: How to construct and analyse a data-set
Issues in Electoral Politics, 1: Turnout and Political Disengagement: Why Bother Voting?
Issues in Electoral Politics, 2: Electoral Systems and Electoral Reform
Issues in Electoral Politics, 3: Referendums
Issues in Electoral Politics, 4: Northern Ireland: a Place Apart
The Future of Electoral Politics in the UK
Conclusions and Exam Briefing

Seminars will follow the following schedule:

1. Start of Group Projects

2. Theories of Voting

3. Parties and the Media

4. Initial Group Presentations and Feedback

5. Turnout and Electoral Participation

6. Electoral Reform/Referendums

7. Final Group Presentations

Essential Reading and Resource List

Core Reading for the module will come from two sources.

The first is the main text-book for the module: David Denver, Elections and Voters in Britain 2^nd edition (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). In addition, there will also be a Readings Pack for this module; any Core Readings other than chapters in the Denver book will be included here. Core readings will be the minimum that students should read on each lecture topic; additional useful material will be listed in the module syllabus under ‘Other’ readings.

Much useful material is also available in academic journals. Among journals of particular relevance to this module are: Electoral Politics; European Journal of Political Research; Government & Opposition; Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties; Parliamentary Affairs; Party Politics; Political Studies; Representation; and West European Politics.

Useful websites include:

The Electoral Commission www.electoralcommission.org.uk/

Conservative Party www.conservatives.com

Labour Party www.labour.org.uk

Liberal Democrats www.libdems.org.uk

Plaid Cymru www.plaidcymru.org

Scottish National Party www.snp.org

UK Polling Report http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/index.php

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