Political Systems and Issues: Germany (L2039)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

The aim of the module is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the structure and norms of governance in the Federal Republic of Germany.

We will examine the structure of German governance post-1945, looking at the formal codified arrangements of German federalism, and the relationship between the constitution, parties and the wider polity.

Emphasis is placed on Germany's role within the broader international community and the effects that unification has had on the structures and practices of German governance.

We will also look at foreign policy and asylum and immigration policy, in order to see how the structures of governance affect policy making and policy development in individual areas.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.