Politics

Political Systems and Issues: France

Module code: L2049
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Essay

Democracy in France has a troubled history, which continues to impact on contemporary politics in significant ways that have contributed to the representation of France as being in many ways ‘exceptional’.

This idea of the French Exception will serve as a context for this module, which aims to give you a basic understanding of the institutions, policies and issues that dominate political life in France today. The module uses current affairs in France as its starting point and will use this to build up a grasp of the institutional framework in which political power operates.

You'll analyse important themes including:

• institutional and constitutional change
• party dynamics
• policy reforms.

Module learning outcomes

• Analyse the structure and operation of an aspect of French politics
• Locate and evaluate academic literature related to a particular topic in French politics
• Identify and research a key issue or question relating to French politics