This module is not currently running in 2021 to 2022.
The module uses the concept of federalism as a tool to analyse a wide range of political structures and processes, all of which have at their heart the purpose of diffusing political power. Focusing initially on classical federal states, and exploring their multi-level organisation of political authority, the module will continue to explore the relevance and use of federalism in contemporary national and supra-national institutions. Special attention will be paid to the European Union and to its multi-level framework of governance, as well as to the concepts closely related to federalism, such as consociationalism.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 178
Total study hours: 200
The module is not compulsory for any Kent programme. It is optional for students taking Masters programmes within the School of Politics and International Relations, and within other schools.
Essay 1, 1500 words (30%)
Essay 2, 4000 words (70%)
Reassessment methods: 100% coursework
Reading List (Indicative list, current at time of publication. Reading lists will be published annually)
Bache, Ian, and Matthew Flinders, eds. Multi-level Governance. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Burgess, Michael. Comparative Federalism: Theory and Practice. Routledge, 2006.
Burgess, Michael. In Search of the Federal Spirit: New Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives in Comparative Federalism. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Elazar, Daniel J. Exploring Federalism. University of Alabama Press, 1987.
Friedrich, Carl J. Trends of Federalism in Theory and Practice. Praeger, 1968.
Gagnon, Alain-G., Soeren Keil, and Sean Mueller, eds. Understanding Federalism and Federation. Ashgate, 2015.
Gaudreault-DesBiens, Jean-François, and Fabien Gélinas, eds. The States and Moods of Federalism: Governance, Identity and Methodology. Éditions Yvon Blais 2005.
Hueglin, Thomas O., and Alan Fenna. Comparative Federalism: A Systematic Enquiry. University of Toronto Press, 2015.
Karmis, Dimitrios, and Wayne Norman, eds. Theories of Federalism: A Reader. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
King, Preston. Federalism and Federation. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.
Ward, Ann, and Lee Ward, eds. The Ashgate Research Companion to Federalism, Ashgate, 2009.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1. Have a detailed and critical understanding of the core concepts, theories and debates relating to federalism and multi-level governance
8.2. Have a detailed understanding of the role and the limits of federal institutions in conflict management, drawing on key debates within the conceptual and empirical literatures
8.3. Have a critical understanding of, and an ability to use, the main analytic tools deployed in assessing multi-level forms of governance
8.4. Assess processes of European integration through a federal lens by reference to a critical reading of arguments and debates within the academic literature.
The intended generic learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 work with theoretical knowledge at the forefront of their discipline
9.2 Be aware of the ethical dimensions of the scholarly work done in their discipline in general as well as of their own work in particular
9.3 Have a comprehensive understanding of methods and methodologies in their discipline
9.4 undertake analysis of complex, incomplete or contradictory areas of knowledge
9.5 Have a level of conceptual understanding that will allow them to critically evaluate research, advanced scholarship and methodologies and argue alternative approaches
9.6 Be reflective and self-critical in their research work
9.7 engage in academic and professional communication orally and in writing
9.8 Have independent learning ability required for continuing professional study
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