On 11 December 2009, Nottingham University's Centre for British Politics held a conference at the British Academy that drew together politicians, writers and academics to explore the interaction of British politics and fiction.

In addition to the conference several video interviews were conducted with some of the speakers on the day.

In this interview taken at the Fiction and British Politics Conference in London, academic and director of the Centre for British Politics, Professor Steven Fielding, talks about the fascination with politics by writers and filmmakers.

Suitable for Undergraduate study and community education

Professor Steven Fielding, School of Politics and International Relations

Professor Steven Fielding is Professor of Political History and Director of the Centre for British Politics: CBP at The University of Nottingham and is an expert on The Labour Party. He is currently working on a commissioned documentary for BBC Radio 4 on the media portrayal of the Labour Party under Tony Blair.

Professor Fielding is particularly focused on the fraught relationship between politicians and the society they represent in Parliament. He is also researching the fictional representation of politics in Britain and the US, focusing in part on novels, film and television from Anthony Trollope to ’The West Wing’ and ’The Thick Of It’.

The Centre for British Politics is based in the University's School of Politics and International Relations. www.nottingham.ac.uk/politics/cbp

On 11 December 2009, Nottingham University's Centre for British Politics held a conference at the British Academy that drew together politicians, writers and academics to explore the interaction of British politics and fiction.

In addition to the conference several video interviews were conducted with some of the speakers on the day.

In this interview taken at the Fiction and British Politics Conference in London, academic and director of the Centre for British Politics, Professor Steven Fielding, talks about the fascination with politics by writers and filmmakers.

Suitable for Undergraduate study and community education

Professor Steven Fielding, School of Politics and International Relations

Professor Steven Fielding is Professor of Political History and Director of the Centre for British Politics: CBP at The University of Nottingham and is an expert on The Labour Party. He is currently working on a commissioned documentary for BBC Radio 4 on the media portrayal of the Labour Party under Tony Blair.

Professor Fielding is particularly focused on the fraught relationship between politicians and the society they represent in Parliament. He is also researching the fictional representation of politics in Britain and the US, focusing in part on novels, film and television from Anthony Trollope to ’The West Wing’ and ’The Thick Of It’.

The Centre for British Politics is based in the University's School of Politics and International Relations. www.nottingham.ac.uk/politics/cbp

On 11 December 2009, Nottingham University's Centre for British Politics held a conference at the British Academy that drew together politicians, writers and academics to explore the interaction of British politics and fiction.

In addition to the conference several video interviews were conducted with some of the speakers on the day.

In this interview taken at the Fiction and British Politics Conference in London, screenwriter Tony Saint talks about an upcoming BBC drama based on the MPs expenses scandal.

Suitable for Undergraduate study and community education

Tony Saint, Screenwriter

Tony Saint is a screen-writer and novelist. Tony's television film Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley was broadcast in June 2008 to great critical acclaim. It has been nominated for Best Single Drama at the Broadcast and Royal Television Society Awards.

His three novels, Refusal Shoes, Blag and The ASBO Show have been published by Serpent's Tail to great acclaim.

The Centre for British Politics is based in the University's School of Politics and International Relations. www.nottingham.ac.uk/politics/cbp

On 11 December 2009, Nottingham University's Centre for British Politics held a conference at the British Academy that drew together politicians, writers and academics to explore the interaction of British politics and fiction.

In addition to the conference several video interviews were conducted with some of the speakers on the day.

In this interview taken at the Fiction and British Politics Conference in London, screenwriter Tony Saint talks about an upcoming BBC drama based on the MPs expenses scandal.

Suitable for Undergraduate study and community education

Tony Saint, Screenwriter

Tony Saint is a screen-writer and novelist. Tony's television film Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley was broadcast in June 2008 to great critical acclaim. It has been noinated for Best Single Drama at the Broadcast and Royal Television Society Awards.

His three novels, Refusal Shoes, Blag and The ASBO Show have been published by Serpent's Tail to great acclaim.

The Centre for British Politics is based in the University's School of Politics and International Relations. www.nottingham.ac.uk/politics/cbp

In this podcast, Professor Philip Cowley, from the School of Politics and International Relations, discusses the announcement of former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision to stand down as leader of the Labour Party and British Prime Minister on 27th June 2007. Professor Cowley discusses the reasons behind Tony Blair’s announcement and the pressure he has faced from within his own party.

Professor Cowley goes on to discuss why Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair uncontested and the potential problems this could present for the new Prime Minister. Finally, Professor Cowley discusses the contest for the deputy leadership, why the candidates are standing and the challenges they will face in winning.

Through lectures, discussions, and class exercises, 15.322 analyzes the human processes underlying organizational behavior and change. The class makes students aware of the challenge of organizational change and equips them to better handle it. There are many psychological and sociological phenomena that regularly occur in organizations, though many of these forces are difficult to see. The aim is to increase the students’ understanding of these forces – in themselves and in others – so they become more visible and manageable. The prerequisite for this course is 15.321 Leading Organizations I.

This inquiry takes students through an analysis and evaluation of the Compelling Question “Is protest important in a democracy?” using the Vietnam War as a lens to approach the topic. To accomplish this, students will become more media literate through evaluating sources, biases, perspectives, and the goals of creating media. Throughout the inquiry, students will engage in activities designed to promote and develop media literacy while analzying the Compelling Question and learning about the historical protests of the Vietnam Era.This inquiry is expected to take two weeks (10 periods) to complete: one 45-minute class period to stage the question, introduce the inquiry, and to review media literacy; two 45-minute class periods for each of the three supporting questions; and then three 45-minute class periods for students to write and research their argumentative thesis. If students are as of yet less familiar with media literacy, the instructor should add at least another class period, or more, introducing them more fully to this.The full unit, along with all materials and resources, is available as a PDF attachment.

This course explores the history of the ideal of personal freedom with an eye towards contemporary debates over the pros and cons of the regulatory state. The first part of the course surveys the sociological and theological sources of the concepts of freedom and civil society, and introduces liberty’s leading relatives or competitors: property, equality, community, and republicanism. The second part consists of a series of case studies in the rise of modern liberty and libertarianism: the abolition of slavery, the struggle for religious freedom, and the twentieth-century American civil liberties movement. In the last part of the course, we take up debates over the role of libertarianism vs. the regulatory state in a variety of contexts: counter-terrorism, health care, the financial markets, and the Internet.

The aim of this subject is to acquaint the student with some important works of systematic ethical philosophy and to bring to bear the viewpoint of those works on the study of classic works of literature. This subject will trace the history of ethical speculation in systematic philosophy by identifying four major positions: two from the ancient world and the two most important traditions of ethical philosophy since the renaissance. The two ancient positions will be represented by Plato and Aristotle, the two modern positions by Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. We will try to understand these four positions as engaged in a rivalry with one another, and we will also engage with the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, which offers a bridge between ancient and modern conceptions and provides a source for the rivalry between the viewpoints of Kant and Mill. Further, we will be mindful that the modern positions are subject to criticism today by new currents of philosophical speculation, some of which argue for a return to the positions of Plato and Aristotle.

The MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL) supports advances in election science by collecting, analyzing, and sharing core data and findings. The lab also aims to build relationships with election officials and others to help apply new scientific research to the practice of democracy in the United States.
By applying scientific principles to how elections are studied and administered, MEDSL aims to improve the democratic experience for all U.S. voters.
The MIT Election Lab is a founding partner in the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, which was developed to ensure that the 2020 election can proceed with integrity, safety, and equal access. The project aims to do this by bringing together academics, civic organizations, election administrators, and election administration experts to assess and promote best practices.

Democratization has become an important concept in the last ten years. With the end of the Cold War, the spread of globalization, and the extension of economic regulatory regimes, democratization has come to be seen as important to securing long-term political stability. Much has been written about democratization and gender in works on human rights, citizenship, women's movements and challenges to authoritarian regimes. This book, published in association with the United Nations, builds on this existing body of literature by looking at the relevance of national machineries for the advancement of women. Appropriate mechanisms through which the mainstreaming of gender can take place are considered, and the levels of governance involved - the relationship between gender mainstreaming and state structures, and the effect of this relationship on issues of decentralization, accountability, consultation and participation. It defines what the 'interests of women' are, and how and by what processes these interests are represented to the state policy making structures. Global strategies for the advancement of women, and how far these have penetrated at national level are considered. This is illuminated by a series of case studies - gender equality in Sweden and other Nordic countries, the Ugandan ministry of Gender, Culture and Social services, gender awareness in Central and Eastern Europe, and further examples from South Korea, the Lebanon, Beijing and Australia. This book will be of vital use to students of democratization, gender studies and politics, and is the first full-length appraisal of global strategies and national machineries for the advancement of women.

This course aims to get students thinking about politics and policy as a part of their everyday life. We treat politics as a struggle among competing advocates trying to persuade others to see the world as they do, working within a context that is structured primarily by institutions and cultural ideas. We’ll begin by developing a policymaking framework, understanding ideology, and taking a whirlwind tour of the American political system. Then, we’ll examine six policy issues in depth: health care, gun control, the federal budget, immigration reform, same-sex marriage, and energy and climate change.

Survey of Indian civilization from 2500 BC to present-day. Traces major political events as well as economic, social, ecological, and cultural developments. Primary and secondary readings enhance understanding of this unique civilization, and shape and improve understanding in analyzing and interpreting historical data. Examines major thematic debates in Indian history through class discussion.

Medieval and early modern Russia stood at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. In this course we will examine some of the native developments and foreign influences which most affected the course of Russian history. Particular topics include the rise of the Kievan State, the Mongol Yoke, the rise of Muscovy, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, relations with Western Europe. How did foreigners perceive Russia? How did those living in the Russian lands perceive foreigners? What social relations were developing between nobility and peasantry, town and country, women and men? What were the relations of each of these groups to the state? How did state formation come about in Kievan and Muscovite Russia? What were the political, religious, economic, and social factors affecting relations between state and society? In examining these questions we will consider a variety of sources including contemporary accounts (both domestic and foreign), legal and political documents, historical monographs and interpretive essays.

This course provides an introduction to public policy analysis. It is designed for students who may be planning a career in public or non-profit sectors. The primary goal is to help students understand the implications of public policy for different pursuits. The class examines various approaches to policy analysis by considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics, political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique these approaches through case studies of current public policy problems.

This course surveys the history of 19th and 20th century Africa. It focuses on the European conquest of Africa and the dynamics of colonial rule, especially its socioeconomic and cultural consequences. It looks at how the rising tide of African nationalism, in the form of labor strikes and guerrilla wars, ushered out colonialism. It also examines the postcolonial states, focusing on the politics of development, recent civil wars in countries like Rwanda and Liberia, the AIDS epidemic, and the history of apartheid in South Africa up to 1994. Finally, it surveys the entrepreneurship in the post-colonial period and China’s recent involvement in Africa.

This course discusses China’s emergence as a global power, which has arisen out of two centuries of significant change. It explores those transformations from 1800 to the present by examining the advent of foreign imperialism in the nineteenth century, the collapse of the last imperial dynasty in 1911, China’s debilitating war against Japan, the communist revolution, and the tumultuous history of the People’s Republic of China from 1949. Also, this course addresses the historical transformations that have shaped contemporary Chinese politics, ethnicity, gender, environment, economics, and international relations.

This course examines the modern definition of freedom, and the obligations that people accept in honoring it. It investigates how these obligations are captured in the principles of our political associations. This course also studies how the centrality of freedom plays out in the political thought of such authors as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke and Montesquieu, as well as debating which notions of freedom inspire and sustain the American experiment by careful reading of the documents and arguments of the founding of the United States.
This course is part of the Concourse program at MIT.

This edited collection presents a balanced analysis of the multifaceted roles taken on by religions, and religious actors, in global politics. The volume brings together over thirty leading scholars from a variety of disciplines who utilise case studies, empirical investigations, and theoretical examinations to move beyond the simplistic narratives and overly impassioned polemics which swamp the discourse on the subject.

The Norman Miller Archive is a multimedia collection of photos, scholarly articles, film, books, and unpublished field notes gathered by Norman Miller (1933-Present), one of the first American field workers who spent long periods of time in remote regions of Kenya and Tanzania. It covers a variety of topics, including rural local government, decolonialism, environmental conservation, the role of women in rural societies, HIV/AIDS, and Witchcraft.