THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Politics

Undergraduate Course: Comparing Scottish Devolution (PLIT10080)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will teach students how to understand Scottish devolution by comparing it with other forms of territorial governance, especially devolution, federalism, multi-level governance, regionalism and nationalism. Reflecting on broader theories of nationalism, federalism and regionalism and bringing in examples from other multi-level polities in Europe, North America or beyond it seeks to answer the following questions: Why did the quest for Scottish devolution arise? What is Scotland's constitutional power and would it make any difference if the UK was a federal state? Who pays for Scotland? Does policy divergence between the UK nations threaten citizenship rights? What is Scotland's position in a Europe of the Regions? What has been the role of political parties and voters in Scotland in driving regional autonomy? What are intergovernmental relations for? Does the asymmetric constitutional arrangement in which self-rule only extends to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland turn the English into second class citizens? Does devolution put Scotland on a slippery slope towards secession?
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Introduction to Politics and International Relations (PLIT08004) OR Politics in a Changing World: An Introduction for non-specialists (PLIT08012) OR Politics and International Relations 1A: Concepts and Debates (PLIT08017)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students who have not taken Introduction to Politics and International Relations (PLIT08004) OR Politics in a Changing World (PLIT08012), but have taken a similar course, should contact the Course Organiser to confirm if they are eligible to take this course.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.

** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. understand the meaning of different forms of territorial governance, especially devolution, federalism, multi-level governance, regionalism, nationalism.
  2. critically appraise competing theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses on the development of regionalism and multi-level government in Scotland and other comparative cases.
  3. place Scottish devolution in a comparative perspective, and draw comparisons and contrasts with devolution across the UK, and with other forms of territorial government in other multi-level and multi-national states.
  4. effectively apply the comparative method.
  5. develop research, analytical and presentation skills, through guided research in preparation for assessment and tutorial presentations.
Reading List
"As the course will be delivered online, group activity is more difficult to organise and assess.
The briefing paper length has remained the same, although the % of the mark has decreased rather than increased. This is sometimes the first time that students may have completed a briefing paper, and I do not want it to account for as much as 40% of the course. For briefing papers, provided they are within the maximum length, the structure, content and style are more important.
The essay length has been extended to reflect the increased percentage of the grade."
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements This course has a quota. Preference will be given to Politics and IR students
Additional Class Delivery Information 1x 2 hour combined lecture and tutorial per week
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserProf Nicola McEwen
Tel: (0131 6)51 1831
Email: N.McEwen@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Daniel Jackson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8253
Email: Daniel.Jackson@ed.ac.uk
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