ENG4517 – The British Constitution

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

This course looks at the historical development of the British political system from the time of the Glorious Revolution in 1689 to the present.

Emphasis is placed on the gradual development of the system of "Crown-in-Parliament" over the course of the eighteenth century, and the subsequent challenges to, and reforms of, this system in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Central topics which are covered are:

  • the emergence of a radical challenge to the political system from the 1760s onwards
  • the subsequent three great reform acts of the nineteenth Century
  • devolution, constitutional reform and the effect of Britain’s EU-membership in the twentieth century

Learning outcome

After completing this course, you:

  • understand the nature of the British political system, and the notion of an evolving British Constitution,
  • can analyse the present challenges to the British Constitution, and the changes which have been carried out in the past.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

This course is for students admitted to the master programmes?European Languages (master)?and?Lektorprogrammet (masterspesialisering i engelsk).

Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

Seminar, two hours per week for 10 weeks, 20 hours in all.

Obligatory activity:

  • Students are expected to attend all teaching. The quality of the teaching depends on active participation in all seminars. If you are not able to attend, you must give notice to the seminar teacher no later than the same day as the absence.
  • Students must hand in a first draft of the paper during the semester. Feedback will be given. In addition to this, students will prepare one oral group presentation for the rest of the class.

All obligatory activities must be approved in the same semester.?Fulfilled course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.

Examination

The final gr