Scottish Politics

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No prior knowledge required.

Content of Course

1. Introduction to Scotland. What do we mean when we talk about Scottish politics? How can the referendum be understood in light of key factors, including historical perspectives, early political thought, ideas about state and society, ideas about state and nationhood, and the devolution process.

2. Scotland before Devolution: Autonomy and Influence. Scotland possessed a relative degree of administrative autonomy in the UK state prior to devolution. The pre-devolution forms of decision-making have important lessons for contemporary political life.

3. Scotland and Devolution: Parliament and Government. To what extent were early visions of Scottish devolution actualised? How was the Parliament designed and how has it developed? What is the role of the Scottish Government in the life of Scotland?

4. Political Parties in Scotland: Political Actors, Party Systems, and Electoral Results. Parties in Scotland have distinct histories and cultures with varied levels of autonomy throughout their life-time. What role do the parties play in Scottish politics? How have they shaped Scottish politics and, most importantly, has Scottish politics shaped the parties? How does the public engage with these parties? What patterns of voting behaviour exist?

5. Scottish Nationalism and Scottish Identity. How can we conceptualise Scottish nationalism and what is its impact on everyday Scottish life? What are the markers of Scottish identity and how does this influence perception of politics and political behaviour?

6. Policy-making in Scotland: Values, Structure, Actors. Is policy-making influenced by distinctly Scottish values and attitudes? What structures exist in Parliament for the scrutiny of decision-making? Who are the key actors in the process? Analysis of flag-ship policies and the decision-making process can help answer these key questions.

7. Scotland in the UK and Europe: Governments and Governance. The ways in which Edinburgh interacts with London, and the development of intergovernmental relations, hold lessons for our understanding of Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK. In wider terms, the reality of multi-level political interaction beyond UK borders has been a key feature of European integration, and Scotland’s experience in this framework hold lessons for our understanding of modern Europe.

8. Scotland in Comparative Perspective: Europe and Beyond. There are a number of territories across the world which share common characteristics with Scotland. To what extent do these stateless nations, regions, and territories demonstrate similar political development to Scotland? What lessons do these countries have for our understanding of Scotland?

9. The Referendum Campaign: How can we understand the referendum campaign? Who were the key actors and what were the key issues in the campaign? How have they responded to the results?

10. The Future of Scotland: Status Quo, Fiscal Autonomy, or Independence? The constitutional debate continues to shape contemporary Scottish politics. What are the various options for Scotland and what impact are they likely to have on political life? The various strands of the debate will be analysed and dissected to come to some understanding of the path that is laid before the people of Scotland.

Teaching method(s)

Each two hour class will combine lecture and tutor led discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Think critically about contemporary Scottish politics;

• Use comparative and theoretical techniques to analyse Scottish politics;

• Analyse policy and policy-making;

• Engage constructively in debate on Scottish politics.

Sources

Core Readings

These books are useful in understanding historical and contemporary Scottish politics. Students will be provided a comprehensive list of readings (available online) from a diverse range of voices at the start of term. 

• After Independence by Gerry Hassan and James Mitchell

• Debating Scotland: Issues of Independence and Union in the 2014 Referendum, edited by Michael Keating

• Scottish Politics: An Introduction by Neil McGarvey and Paul Cairney

• The independence of Scotland: self-government and the shifting politics of union by Michael Keating

Web Sources

https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk

Centre on Constitutional Change: analysis from experts

Class Handouts

Lecture summaries and tutorial planners will be provided.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.