My University Essays

Most of my modules are assessed 100% by examination - the exception is Western Political Thought and, obviously enough my dissertation.  That's why I didn't bother handing in so many essays - sometimes they just slow you down from other reading which might be more important, although I always try and hand one in for each subject.

Unfortunately I can't get HTML to do footnotes etc., in any sensible way, so I plan to add downloadableWord versions for people who are interested enough at some point.  Maybe even Adobe Acrobat.  Don't count on it any time soon though...

Perhaps more usefully, the revision notes for my Summer exams are down below, and very useful they were too.  And weeks and weeks of work they took too.  I spent so much time on the early USSR stuff that I answered that question on the exam, even though it came from an angle I didn't expect and I would have been better answering the one on Nationalism in the USSR.  I think this probably cost me a first in that subject.

Academic Year 1999-2000

Semester 1

Russian Politics

'The Russian Party System is at an Early Stage of Development' (R. Hill) - Discuss - Mark not yet received

Academic Year 1998-9

Semester 1

Western Political Thought - Overall course mark (100% coursework) - 64

Tutorial Report 1 - Does Plato's Argument for the Importance of Philosopher-Kings Provide a Secure Basis for Politics? - Mark 66.

Tutorial Portfolio Paper 2 - 'Can the methods of state craft which Machiavelli advocates ever be the foundation of an orderly state?' - Mark 63.

Tutorial Portfolio Paper 3 - 'Why does Hobbes think we should obey the state? - Mark 64.

Main Course Essay - Compare and Contrast the views of John Stuart Mill and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the Connection between Religion and Politics - Mark 64

German Politics - Overall course mark (100% exam) - 65

Discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of the 'Grand Coalition' of the 1960's - Mark 70.

Analyse the Party Political Situation in Germany after the General Election of 27 September 1998 - Mark 70.

Voting Behaviour and Electoral Systems - Overall course mark (100% exam) - 70

'In the 1970s, the British Electoral System Became More Controversial' - Discuss. - Mark 68.

Second essay not handed in!

Semester 2

British Politics - Overall course mark (100% exam) - 71

No essays handed in! Still got a first, though.

Irish Politics - Overall course mark (100% exam) - 70

Essay - 'Why Stormont Fell' - Mark 70
Second not handed in!

The USSR, Eastern Europe and the Disintegration of Communism - Overall course mark (100% exam) - 68

Essay - 'Did Communism have any Legitimacy in Eastern Europe' - Mark 75

Overall I am just sitting on the boundary between a first and an upper second, based on the predominance rule.

Revision Notes

These might be useful to some people.  They certainly were for me.

Contemporary Russian Politics
The Russian Party System
Russian Foreign Policy

British Politics
Local Government - after all that work, and a lecture on the topic, it didn't even come up in the exam.
The Conservatives
Devolution to Scotland and Wales
The Lib Dems

Irish Politics
The Northern Ireland Party System
The Stormont Régime (Northern Ireland 1922-72)
The Party System in the Republic of Ireland

USSR, Eastern Europe and disintegration of Communism
The Russian Revolutions - There was not enough stuff on different interpretations for this for the exam, but there was plenty of facts and stuff
Civil War and the Leninist Compound
NEP and Stalinism
Nationalism in the USSR
Legitimacy of Communism in Eastern Europe


Page uploaded 21 October 1998. Last updated 1 December 1999.

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