This free course, The Scottish Parliament and law making, explores the law making powers of the Scottish Parliament and examines its place in the UK’s constitution. It considers how, and why, laws are made by both the Scottish and UK Parliaments before exploring devolved matters, reserved matters, legislative competence, secondary legislation, and the work of MSPs and MPs. It discusses the characteristics of the constitution, the importance of the concept of the rule of law, how an Act of Parliament is structured and considers how and why members of the public are encouraged to become involved with the work of the Scottish Parliament.
Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development.
Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation – which also displays your Open University badge.
Earn this free Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for completing the course and passing the quizzes.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand the role of the Scottish Parliament in law making
- understand the relationship between the Scottish and UK Parliaments
- understand the role played by law and how you can influence the law making process.
First Published: 23/05/2017
Updated: 09/01/2020
This course is less error ridden than Scottish Courts and the Law but still contains a hugely infuriating bug: in the Compulsory Badge Quiz Week 4 Question 5 requires the answer "Scotland Act 1998" but the system's response is “The following words are not in our dictionary : Scotland. Please correct your spelling.” So it is impossible to complete all of the quiz. Unacceptable.