Mohamed Khider University of Biskra Academic year: 2016/ 2017

Faculty of Letters and Languages

Department of Letters and Languages – ENGLISH

LEVEL: Master One

COURSE: British Civilization

TEACHER IN CHARGE:
Ms. Zerigui Naima
(course coordinator)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction:
This course is meant as a close study of the basic political concepts, history and political system and
institutions of the UK from the 19th centuryto the late 20th century. It is designed to provide master
one students with an understanding of the great tradition of power and authority in the UKthrough
the issues which are raised: the location of power; its institutional framework : the monarchy, the
executive body: the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, and the legislature; description of the origin
and the core ideas of the main modern political ideologies in UK :liberalism, conservatism, socialism,
and the other ideologies ; the British party system and the development of political parties in
Britain ; as well as the role and aims of pressure groups. Students Willalso be called upon to examine
criticaly the British political developments since 1945 till late 1990s from each historical landmark in
terms of how they relate to the critical political context of the time.

Aims:

The major aim of this lecture is to help Students gain a critical understanding of the UK political
system and institutions as well as the main political ideologies and currents that shaped 19th and
20thcentury British politics and society.

Assessment:
Master one students will be evaluated on the basis of a written examination at the end of each
semester and internal assessment for each course during the semester. Each paper will be
of fifteen to twenty minutes’ duration, and the maximum mark for each paper will be 7. There may
be one question in each paper which combines a number of short-answer questions on different
points drawn from divergent units.
The internal assessment for each course will be for 13 marks, out of which 10 marks will be for two
tests given by the instructor, and 3 marks for participation and discussion in the respective tutorials.

Course Coordinator:

Ms. Zerigui N.
Mohamed Khider University of Biskra Academic year: 2016/ 2017
Faculty of Letters and Languages
Department of Letters and Languages– ENGLISH

LEVEL: Master One

COURSE: British Civilization

TEACHER IN CHARGE: Ms. Zerigui Naima
(course coordinator)

COURSE PROGRAMME

MONTH WEEK LECTURE/ TUTORIAL OBSERVATION

- Introduction.
- Introduction to basic concepts :political culture and its
SEPTEMBER 4 types, its relation with public opinion ; and the
difference between political culture and political
ideology.
-What is politics? the two approaches; Civil
1 disobedience
-Political activity: its types and where it takes place.
-The British political culture.
2 -Politics in the UK: The location of power; its
OCTOBER institutional framework.
- Who exercises power in the UK?
3
-An exercise in power: the Battle of Twyford Down.
-The separation of powers and sources of the British
4 constitution.
-The evolution of the British constitution.
-The parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law
1
-A unitary state and Devolution.
-The monarchy: a constitutional monarchy and
2 constitutional reform.
- The executive body: Prime Minister and Cabinet.
NOVEMBER - The legislature: the House of Commons and the House
of Lords ; how effective is the Parliament ?
3
-The evolution of the main modern political ideologies in
UK : Ideology : origins and definition ; liberalism.
- Conservatism,
4
-Socialism, and the other ideologies .
-T he development of political parties in Britain: its party
system, the functions of political parties and their
1 financing.
-The Labours, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the
DECEMBER
minor parties.
-Pressure groups : what is it? And how do they achieve
2 their aims? And how their role has changed?
-Revision
 3

-The Beveridge Report, and the 1945 general election .

1
- The welfare state

2
JANUARY
3

- The post-war consensus.

4
-The Labour years (1945-1951)
-The thirteen years of Conservative government (1951-
1 1964)
- The Age of consensus (1964-1979)
-Why did the consensus breakdown? 1974- a turning
2 point?
FEBRUARY -The Labour government 1974-1979
-The New Right and its sources
3
-Thatcherism: what is it?

-The key elements of Thatcherism

4
-The Thatcher record

- The Thatcher record

1
-The opponents of Thatcherism

- The opponents of Thatcherism

2
-The fall of Margaret Thatcher
MARCH
3

-John Major' premiership 1990-1992

1 -The 1992 general election and -John Major' premiership
1992-1997
-The Labour Party under Tony Blair
2
- The 1997 general election campaign and result
APRIL
-The New Labour in power: the new Blair government
3
-Labour in power

- Labour in power
4
-The Third Way

-Britain'economic decline: two perspectives

MAY 1
-De-industrialisation.
 -The end of the Empire and loss of influence.
2
- The end of the Empire and loss of influence.

Course Coordinator:

Ms. Zerigui N.