Module description
This module will explore key topics in understanding British electoral behaviour, election campaigning and political communications, in particular the changing role and influence of public opinion on politics and vice versa. Topics covered will include: the nature and measurement of public opinion; theories of electoral behaviour and an introduction to the use of quantitative methods in political science; the nature, operation and impact on politics of the British electoral system; influence of the media on public opinion and politicians' attempts to communicate with the public through the media; the tension between "image" and "substance" in modern democratic decision making; and the democratic implications of modern trends including falling turnouts, lower engagement with politics and the parties' adoption of a political marketing philosophy. Each of these issues will be set in context by examining their contribution to explaining the significance and/or outcome of various key elections in Britain since the 1930s.
Each lecture will cover the main events and context of a single election, giving an overview of British electoral politics since the 1930s over the course of the term, but will also trace the gradual modernisation of campaigning and political communication techniques and developments in the study of electoral behaviour by focussing on a key innovation or event at each election as an excuse to discuss one of the themes of the course in a wider context.
Assessment details
2,000-word essay (50%) & 2-hour written exam (50%)
Educational aims & objectives
- To provide an understanding of elections and electoral politics in the UK since the late 1930s
- To introduce students to relevant analytical skills
- To develop student understanding of theoretical concepts
- To introduce students to a range of evidence and develop their ability to identify evidence and use it to discuss theoretical approaches and practical outcomes
Learning outcomes
Students will:
- gain an understanding of the major landmarks in British electoral history over the past three-quarters of a century and the way in which those elections were fought;
- be able to understand the historical context behind the functioning of the British political system today;
- be able to demonstrate the ability to identify key theoretical approaches to understanding the British political system;
- be introduced to the methods used to study electoral behaviour and be able to analyse the findings that have resulted;
- be able to consider critically the relationship between theoretical views of politics and democracy and the practical consequences of the sovereignty of the people in a 21st century society.