Contemporary Issues in Law and Politics

POLI10101 Contemporary Issues in Law and Politics 10 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 1 Louise Thompson Unit coordinator Eleanor Aspey Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' First part HE study/Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 5.0 The module provides an overview and introduction to the study of Law with Politics focusing on interdisciplinary aspects. Students are introduced to some of the key concepts associated with both the study of the law and of political science, as well as common methodologies. Crucial to the module is that these concepts are not taught in disciplinary isolation; students will be encouraged to explore how political science concepts such as representation, sovereignty and democracy relate to the study of law and, in turn, how legal processes are informed by, and shape, political processes.Each week, the lecture and workshop will explore a different contemporary issue from both legal and political science perspectives. These may include; Brexit and parliamentary sovereignty, human rights and equality, covid-19 and individual freedoms, social and political mobilisation and civil and political rights .  Although students will need to understand the differences inherent in the two disciplinary perspectives, material will be used and discussed in order to highlight how an inter-disciplinary approach can enhance our understanding of these issues.  In this way, it will act as a useful foundation for the start of the Law with Politics programme and a bridge between the two disciplines going forwards. Group work will be encouraged in the workshops, to enhance the sense of community and connectedness across the programme.    The module provides an overview and introduction to the study of Law with Politics focusing on interdisciplinary aspects. Students are introduced to some of the key concepts associated with both the study of the law and of political science, as well as common methodologies. Crucial to the module is that these concepts are not taught in disciplinary isolation; students will be encouraged to explore how political science concepts such as representation, sovereignty and democracy relate to the study of law and, in turn, how legal processes are informed by, and shape, political processes.Each week, the lecture and workshop will explore a different contemporary issue from both legal and political science perspectives. These may include; Brexit and parliamentary sovereignty, human rights and equality, covid-19 and individual freedoms, social and political mobilisation and civil and political rights .  Although students will need to understand the differences inherent in the two disciplinary perspectives, material will be used and discussed in order to highlight how an inter-disciplinary approach can enhance our understanding of these issues.  In this way, it will act as a useful foundation for the start of the Law with Politics programme and a bridge between the two disciplines going forwards. Group work will be encouraged in the workshops, to enhance the sense of community and connectedness across the programme. In the first assessment for the module, students will work in small groups to explore a case study of their choice, discussing relevant legal and political science academic work and showcasing the key intersections between the two. The results of the group work will be presented in the form of a group presentation. All members of the group will need to agree the roles and responsibilities of each member and this will include a designated presenter/(s). Only those designated as presenter will be required to speak during the group presentation. Students will be asked to notify the module convenor/s of any communication problems between group members. Most problems can be resolved if the convenor knows about them. If an individual group member is not fulfilling their commitments the other group members will be able to inform the module convenor as soon as possible before the presentation takes place. The convenor/s may penalise the individual in the assessment. There will also be a peer assessment of the group work undertaken through Buddycheck (more info here: <a href="https://www.teachingcollege.fse.manchester.ac.uk/get-started-buddycheck/">https://www.teachingcollege.fse.manchester.ac.uk/get-started-buddycheck/</a> )This will be incorporated into the overall presentation mark. For the second assessment, students will each submit a separate written piece of work exploring this case study and demonstrating their awareness and understanding of different legal and political science perspectives on it. This piece should include relevant academic literature from both Law and Politics. Students will be expected to work individually on their case study reports. They will be encouraged to utilise the feedback from the group presentations and to integrate discussion of academic literature to ensure that the reports are individual pieces of work. Standard plagiarism warnings will also be given to the group as well as further guidance at the end of the module about how to write the report.     The unit aims to:• Familiarise students with the disciplinary differences between law and politics• Introduce students to some of the common methodologies used within political science and law.• Illustrate the inherent interdependence and interplay between Law and Politics and the value of interdisciplinary critical approach of both as a coherent whole.• Demonstrate the ways in which the study of Law with Politics can add to our understanding of a range of contemporary political, legal and societal issues.• Provide the opportunity for first year students on the Law with Politics programme to work with peers to develop a shared understandings and build a foundation for future study. <ul> <li>Identify common methodologies used within law and political science.</li> <li>Analyse and evaluate key law and political science concepts and how they interact</li> <li>Explore different legal and political perspectives relating to the chosen case study topics</li></ul> <ul> <li>Identify key intersections between law and politics</li> <li>Relate key concepts in law and political science to contemporary case studies</li> <li>Apply critical analysis to interdisciplinary studies</li> <li>Interpret and evaluate legal and political sources when undertaking research tasks</li></ul> <ul> <li>Find, navigate and correctly reference legal and political sources</li> <li>Marshalling evidence from both law and politics literature to understand where they agree and disagree</li> <li>Present structured arguments and counter-arguments</li> <li>Undertake a set role within a structured team activity in order to reach defined goals and outputs</li></ul> <ul> <li>Effectively communicate in writing and orally</li> <li>Work independently with structured support</li></ul> 0 Other 100% <figure class="table"><table class="Table" style="border-collapse:collapse;" width="0"><tbody><tr><td>Assessment task</td><td>Length</td><td>How and when feedback is provided</td><td>Weighting within unit (if relevant) </td></tr><tr><td> Group presentation (Case Study) </td><td>10 minutes</td><td>Formal written feedback through blackboard</td><td>20%</td></tr><tr><td>Supporting Discussion</td><td>1000 words</td><td>Formal written feedback, through blackboard</td><td>80%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> Formative feedback will be given orally following the group presentation which, along with the written feedback will assist students with their individual case study reports. The presentations will be held in week 7/8 to allow sufficient time for this feedback to be integrated into students’ individual reports, where applicable.  Overview Texts Norton, P. (2020) Governing Britain: parliament, ministers and our ambiguous constitution, Manchester: MUP.Robert E. Goodin (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Political Science (OUP 2011), Part IV (241-320) Example case study: Brexit: Articles:Ewing, K. (2017) ‘Brexit and Parliamentary Sovereignty’, The Modern Law Review, Vol. 80 (4), pp. 711-726.McConalogue, J. (2019) ‘Brexit and prorogation: constitutional outrage or parliamentary sovereignty’, UK in a Changing Europe Blog, 30 August, Online at: <a href="https://ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-and-prorogation-constitutional-outrage-or-parliamentary-sovereignty/">https://ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-and-prorogation-constitutional-outrage-or-parliamentary-sovereignty/</a>McConalogue, J. (2019) ‘The British Constitution Resettled: Parliamentary Sovereignty after the EU Referendum, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 21 (2), pp. 439 – 458. Cases: 0 0 0