Government & Politics

In this course, Professor Andrew Blick (KCL) asks how truly democratic the UK is in practice. In the first lecture, we explore the origins of democracy and its importance to the modern UK, orienting our discussion around two aspects of democracy:...

In this course, Dr Matt Dawson (Glasgow University) explores the political ideas of Anthony Giddens. We begin with some context on the life and works of Anthony Giddens, before moving on in the second lecture to explore the history of socialism...

In this course, Professor Matthew Humphrey (University of Nottingham) thinks about ecologism as a political ideology by surveying five key thinkers to illustrate both the diversity of ecological thought, and its core unifying themes. We begin in...

In this course, Professor Keith Laybourn (University of Huddersfield) considers the early history of the Labour Party from its foundations in the trade union movement of the late nineteenth century to the achievements of Clement Attlee’s post-war...

In this course, Professor Andrew Blick (KCL) explores the theory and practice of representation in modern democracies. We begin by exploring the origins of representation in politics. Then, in the second lecture, we contrast representative...

In this course, Professor Eric Kaufmann (Birkbeck, University of London) provides an overview of Nationalism. In the first module, we define some of the key terms – ‘the state’, ‘ethnicity’, ‘the nation’ – as well as considering the question of...

This course explores the US Party System, oriented around the US Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. Throughout, we analyse voter statistics from the 2020 election, and refer to several useful examples from the...

In this course, Professor Pete Dorey (Cardiff) explores the UK House of Lords, orienting his discussion around the UK Politics section of the Government and Politics A-Level specifications. We begin in the first lecture by outlining the...

This course explores the Prime Minister and cabinet, drawing examples from the tenures of Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May throughout. We begin with the history of the role of Prime Minister, before moving on in the second module to discuss the...

In this course, Dr Andrew Blick (King’s College London) explores the similarities and differences between federalism in the United States and devolution in the United Kingdom. In the first module, we summarise the key characteristics of US...

In this course, Dr Clodagh Harrington (De Montfort University) examines the presidency of Barack Obama. We begin in the first module with Obama’s strategy and performance in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries and then the ...

In this course, Dr Patrick Diamond (Queen Mary, University of London) explores the parliamentary system of government known as the Westminster Model, with a focus in the second half of the course on one of its central pillars: a permanent ...

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the historical background to the US Constitution, up to and including the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In the first lecture, we consider the US in 1783, at the end of the War of Independence,...

In this course, Dr Simon Griffiths (Goldsmiths, University of London) discuss the ideolog(ies) of the contemporary Conservative party in the UK. We begin in the first lecture by exploring the complex relationship between party and ideology, before...