PO2BGP: British Government and Politics

Module code: PO2BGP

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: 5

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Mr Lawrence McKay, email: l.a.mckay@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: Micro placement

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 1 April 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module is designed to get beneath the surface of how British politics works, covering key academic debates. The module thus provides students with a foundational knowledge of the workings of government and parliament and discusses a range of related topics such as elections and vote choice, political parties, pressure groups and the system of devolution. We will discuss why the traditional party system, the government’s effectiveness and ultimately the nation-state itself have been strained so much by major developments such as Brexit and Covid-19. Throughout the module we will have discussions on current events and review them through the lens of scholarship on British politics. Students will develop and refine their written and oral skills, as well as their ability to interpret statistical data such as polling.  In the second semester students have the opportunity to conduct a micro-placement - developing their knowledge of a particular topic through first-hand experience – or carry out an independent research project. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Identify and evaluate the main structures of the British political and governmental system and their inter-relations 
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key scholarly debates in the field of British Politics and evaluate different points of view 
3. Develop a research question relating to British politics and develop and execute a research project either through a placement or a research report 
4. Effectively organise and communicate arguments both in written and oral fashion 

Module content

Topics will include (non-exhaustive list): 

1. Parliament and MPs
2. The executive and the Prime Minister
3. Political Parties  
4. Elections & voting
5. Descriptive and substantive representation
6. Pressure groups
7. Causes and consequences of Brexit
8. Devolved and local government

These topics will be discussed using academic scholarship as well as recent examples and case-studies where available. 

We will read work such as:

• Politics UK by Jones, Norton and Hertner (2025). (Key reference text).
• Sobolewska and Ford (2020). Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics.
• Heffernan, (2003). Prime ministerial predominance? Core executive politics in the UK.
• Bale, Webb, P., & Poletti (2019). Footsoldiers: Political party membership in the 21st century.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

In the first semester the module will be taught through weekly lectures and seminars. Lectures give a broad overview of the week’s topic whereas seminars provide in-depth discussion and development of skills required for the assessments.  

In the second semester students will either complete a micro-placement or work on their independent research project related to British politics. Students interested in placements will receive guidance from the convenor and from the school’s Placements Coordinatorl, in lectures, a workshop and in one-to-one meetings outside of class. There will be a feedback session in the second semester for students to discuss their ideas and progress on their placement or research report.  

Students electing to complete a placement, would have 80 placement and 20 independent study hours during Semester 2.  

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students receive feedback for their placement or independent research project in a 90 minute feedback session in semester 2. 

Reassessment

Additional costs