POL42490

This module will introduce students to the politics and political institutions on the island of Ireland. We will begin by exploring partition and the foundation of the state. In the first section of the module, we will focus on the Republic of Ireland and study the role of important institutions, including the Houses of the Oireachtas, political parties, referendums, the electoral system, and citizens’ assemblies. In the second section of the module, we will turn out attention to Northern Ireland examining the origins of ‘The Troubles’, the political initiatives that led to the 1998 peace agreement, and how Northern Ireland politics has developed in the 25 years since that Agreement was reached.