Course Directors: David McCrone and Eberhard Bort
The Institute of Governance at the University of Edinburgh is pleased to offer an eight week summer interns course in cooperation with the Scottish Parliament. The aim is to introduce students to key aspects of Scottish and British politics and culture by means of formal tuition followed by placements in the Parliament. The objective of the course is to give students an understanding of how Scotland has evolved as a society, especially in the context of the United Kingdom, how key aspects of its cultural development reflect that process, as well as focusing on the policy-making process in Scotland and the impact the Scottish Parliament has had in the decade since it was established.
The focus is on the social, political and cultural development of a society which is one of Europe’s oldest nations, yet one which remains part of a bigger state, the United Kingdom. In a world in which an increasing number of territories consider themselves to be distinct nations while not fully self-governing, the Scottish case provides an exemplar for understanding a modern world in which ‘state’ and ‘nation’ are not coterminous.
Aspects of Scottish and British politics, the workings of the Scottish Parliament, and the exploration of Scottish society and culture are at the core of the course, complemented by hands-on social and cultural learning as well as a research-based placement (with a written research project as part of the degree). There are three weeks of intensive lectures and courses, provided by Institute of Governance staff, and a monitored five-week placement, in June and July, accompanied by a programme of lectures.
As Scotland’s historical capital, Edinburgh hosts not only the nation’s parliament, but many of its cultural institutions, including the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival of the Arts during August, which provides a unique resource for understanding the vital relationship between culture and national identities on a global scale. As such, Edinburgh provides a unique opportunity for international students to connect with local as well as global cultural and political developments in one of the world’s great cultural cities.
With ten years’ experience through its very successful semester-long ‘parliamentary programme’, and as part of one of the world’s great universities, the Institute of Governance is ideally placed to offer such a course at an exciting time in one of Europe’s oldest and vibrant countries.
There is a three-week period of intensive instruction in Scottish Politics and Scottish Society and Culture, with parallel courses in each of these twice a week for two hours, giving a total contact-hours weighting of 24 hours (12 in each).
The 2010 summer programme will run from 7 June to 30 July.
The Scottish Politics course is taught by Professor David McCrone, who is a fellow of the British Academy, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and founding director of the Institute of Governance (http://www.institute-of-governance.org/about/staff_profiles/mccrone_david).
The Scottish Culture course is taught by Eberhard Bort, the Academic Coordinator and Director of the Internship Programme.
Fuller biographies for McCrone and Bort are given in the appendix.
The course provides a basic introduction to Scottish politics. It considers the nature of Scottish autonomy and institutions within the British state. It examines the development of the national movement, and analyses the factors underpinning support for the Scottish Parliament. It considers the nature and extent of the 1997 devolution settlement and provides an understanding of the powers and structures of the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, the Scottish party system and the policy-making process. Scottish political identities and party politics are also considered in comparative perspective.
The class meets twice a week for two hours in the Seminar Room in Chisholm House. The course will involve a combination of lectures and tutorials. Students are expected to read the prescribed texts prior to class in order to respond constructively to lectures and participate fully in class discussions. The lectures and tutorials will be complemented by activities in the afternoon, including visits to the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh City Chambers.
Assessment will be based on two pieces of work: a short mid-term project worth 40% and a final class exam worth 60% of the final grade. For the mid-term project, students will be required to write a briefing paper (max 3 pages) on an aspect of Scottish politics. Two copies of the paper should be submitted to the Institute of Governance Main Office. The class exam is designed to test knowledge and understanding acquired through readings, lectures and tutorial discussions.
The course provides an introduction to Scottish society and culture. Scotland being an old country, with a long national history, means that many sociological features have been long in the making; Scotland being a small country, particularly in terms of population, affects the form and frequency of social interaction. The course progresses from the larger context of the economic, social and cultural history and identity of modern Scotland and the examination of key institutions which shape Scottish life, on to social groupings and, finally, to expressions of culture and the arts, especially the literature of Scotland.
The class meets twice a week for two hours in the Seminar Room in Chisholm House. The course involves a combination of lectures and tutorials. Students are expected to read the prescribed texts prior to class in order to respond constructively to lectures and participate fully in class discussions. The lectures and tutorials are complemented by activities in the afternoon, including visits to museums and galleries.
Assessment is based on two pieces of work: a short oral presentation submitted in written form (20%) and a c.2,500 word final essay (80%). Two copies of presentation paper and final essay are submitted to the Institute of Governance Main Office.
David McCrone is Professor of Sociology, and co-director of the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Governance, having founded the Institute in 1999. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a Fellow of the British Academy. He coordinated the research programme funded by The Leverhulme Trust on Constitutional Change and National Identity (1999-2005), and on National Identity, Citizenship and Social Inclusion (2006-2011). He was co-director of the ESRC-funded Scottish Election Study 1997, a principal investigator in the Scottish Parliamentary Election Study 1999, and has held a number of research grants over the years from ESRC, Leverhulme, Rowntree, and Nuffield. He has written extensively on the sociology and politics of Scotland, and the comparative study of nationalism. He was a member of the Expert Panel which devised procedures and standing orders for the Scottish Parliament, and was advisor to its Procedures Committee which reviewed the parliament’s founding principles.
His recent books include:
Eberhard Bort is the Academic Coordinator of the Institute of Governance and a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh. His teaching has included Scottish Society and Culture, Contemporary Irish Politics and British Studies. He is the director of the University’s ‘Parliamentary Programme’ with the Scottish Parliament. He is also Book Reviews Editor of Scottish Affairs.
Before coming to Edinburgh in 1995, he worked at Tübingen University in British and Irish Studies with Professor Christopher Harvie (now an MSP), taught in German Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, and at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wa., USA.
Between 1995 and 1998 he worked with Professor Malcolm Anderson on an ESRC-funded research project on 'The Internal and External Frontiers of the European Union'. From 1997 to 1999 he was Associate Director of the International Social Sciences Institute at Edinburgh University.
Publications include:
The deadline for applications for the summer interns course is end of April. If you have any enquiries about any part of the programme please feel free to contact Margaret MacPherson.
This page was published on 5 July 2010