POLITICAL SCIENCE

Description

Objectives: The aim of the course is giving students the necessary tools and knowledge to understand the functioning and the transformations of contemporary political systems. Students will familiarise with the main approaches, theories, and methods of political science, and will become acquainted with the empirical results brought about by the discipline. Thus, students will develop abilities in understanding contemporary politics’ dynamics and in comparing such processes across different political systems. Assessment: The final exam is a written test with open-ended questions. The final grade is composed of the following components: • In-class presentations (30%) • Midterm written test with open-ended questions (35%) • Final written exam (35%) For students who do not take the midterm test, the final grade will be based on the in-class presentation (30%) and a final written exam covering the entire syllabus (70%). For students who do not complete the oral presentation, the final grade is based on the midterm written exam (50 percent) and the final exam (50 percent). For those who complete neither the written midterm nor the oral presentation, the grade is based solely on the comprehensive final exam (100 percent). Only students with at least 70 percent attendance will be eligible to sit the midterm exam, and this minimum attendance requirement must be maintained until the end of the course. Details about the exam format will be posted on the course’s MyLuiss page (which should always be consulted for any changes to the syllabus). Failure to complete or pass the oral presentation will result in an insufficient grade for that component of the final mark. Grades earned during the course (oral presentation and midterm written test) remain valid beyond the summer exam session. Teaching Methods: Classroom-taught lectures and class discussions. Interactive sessions through teamworks; workshops with students’ in class presentations. Prerequisites: No academic pre-requisites. Basic notions of contemporary history, public law, political philosophy and sociology are recommended. Contents: Political science is the scientific analysis of political phenomena. As such, it analyses, through the specific methods that guide empirical research in the social sciences, the processes and dynamics that govern politics, with specific regard to the behavior of political actors and how it is shaped by political institutions. For each main topic, the main theories and empirical results will be analysed. After a brief introduction on the definition of politics and the evolution of the discipline, the course will deal with the following topics: 1) methodology of political research; 2) political regimes (democracies and non-democratic regimes) and their transformations; 3) Actors of the political system (citizens, social movements, pressure groups, political parties); 4) Political institutions (parliaments, governments, local institutions); 5) processes of interaction between actors and democratic institutions (party systems, elections, electoral systems); 6) the output of the political system (public policies). Reference Texts: Cotta, D. Della Porta, L. Morlino, Scienza Politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008. Chapters 6,10,15,16 excluded. Fabbrini, S., Politica comparata, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008. Chapters 1 and 9 excluded. Course slides Thesis assignment criteria: Grade not lower than 30/30, high interest in the subject and active participation during the course. The instructor will accept up to 5 students for each academic year and will write reference letters only to students who graduated or are graduating with her. Intended learning outcomes: Knowledge and understanding: students will have acquired a comprehensive theoretical knowledge of the core concepts of political science; the methods and theories of comparative politics; the institutional structures and functioning of consolidated democracies; the nature and functioning of non-democratic regimes; political participation and social movements; public policies and the policy-making; the relationship between European integration and the member states. During the course, such knowledge will be assessed across the board, combining discussion in workshops with formal exams (midterm and finals). Applying knowledge and understanding: students will get to apply such theoretical competencies to specific case-studies during frontal lectures. In particular, students will be able to distinguish the main models of democracy and types of non-democratic regime; analytically interpret the role of social movements and interest groups in consolidated democracies; examine the implications of each perspective of European integration. Making judgements: students will have developed the necessary skills to formulate independent judgements concerning the topics of the course. Specifically, students will be able to put forward arguments in a clear and structured manner, and to base them on empirical cases discussed during the course. Communication skills: students will have developed, also thanks to workshops and seminars, the necessary skills to express the main concepts of the course in a clear and exhaustive way, and to question specific aspects related to the topics of the course. At the end of the course, students will be able to address both practitioners and non-experts alike. Learning skills: students will have developed a good command of the core methods and theories of the course. Such command will be useful to pursue successive learning paths in full autonomy and independence. Students’ skills will be further stimulated through participation in workshops and seminars based on the reading and understanding of reference books. Objectives: The aim of the course is giving students the necessary tools and knowledge to understand the functioning and the transformations of contemporary political systems. Students will familiarise with the main approaches, theories, and methods of political science, and will become acquainted with the empirical results brought about by the discipline. Thus, students will develop abilities in understanding contemporary politics’ dynamics and in comparing such processes across different political systems. Assessment: The final exam is a written test with open-ended questions. The final grade is composed of the following components: • In-class presentations (30%) • Midterm written test with open-ended questions (35%) • Final written exam (35%) For students who do not take the midterm test, the final grade will be based on the in-class presentation (30%) and a final written exam covering the entire syllabus (70%). For students who do not complete the oral presentation, the final grade is based on the midterm written exam (50 percent) and the final exam (50 percent). For those who complete neither the written midterm nor the oral presentation, the grade is based solely on the comprehensive final exam (100 percent). Only students with at least 70 percent attendance will be eligible to sit the midterm exam, and this minimum attendance requirement must be maintained until the end of the course. Details about the exam format will be posted on the course’s MyLuiss page (which should always be consulted for any changes to the syllabus). Failure to complete or pass the oral presentation will result in an insufficient grade for that component of the final mark. Grades earned during the course (oral presentation and midterm written test) remain valid beyond the summer exam session. Teaching Methods: Classroom-taught lectures and class discussions. Interactive sessions through teamworks; workshops with students’ in class presentations. Prerequisites: No academic pre-requisites. Basic notions of contemporary history, public law, political philosophy and sociology are recommended. Contents: Political science is the scientific analysis of political phenomena. As such, it analyses, through the specific methods that guide empirical research in the social sciences, the processes and dynamics that govern politics, with specific regard to the behavior of political actors and how it is shaped by political institutions. For each main topic, the main theories and empirical results will be analysed. After a brief introduction on the definition of politics and the evolution of the discipline, the course will deal with the following topics: 1) methodology of political research; 2) political regimes (democracies and non-democratic regimes) and their transformations; 3) Actors of the political system (citizens, social movements, pressure groups, political parties); 4) Political institutions (parliaments, governments, local institutions); 5) processes of interaction between actors and democratic institutions (party systems, elections, electoral systems); 6) the output of the political system (public policies). Reference Texts: Cotta, D. Della Porta, L. Morlino, Scienza Politica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008. Chapters 6,10,15,16 excluded. Fabbrini, S., Politica comparata, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008. Chapters 1 and 9 excluded. Course slides Thesis assignment criteria: Grade not lower than 30/30, high interest in the subject and active participation during the course. The instructor will accept up to 5 students for each academic year and will write reference letters only to students who graduated or are graduating with her. Intended learning outcomes: Knowledge and understanding: students will have acquired a comprehensive theoretical knowledge of the core concepts of political science; the methods and theories of comparative politics; the institutional structures and functioning of consolidated democracies; the nature and functioning of non-democratic regimes; political participation and social movements; public policies and the policy-making; the relationship between European integration and the member states. During the course, such knowledge will be assessed across the board, combining discussion in workshops with formal exams (midterm and finals). Applying knowledge and understanding: students will get to apply such theoretical competencies to specific case-studies during frontal lectures. In particular, students will be able to distinguish the main models of democracy and types of non-democratic regime; analytically interpret the role of social movements and interest groups in consolidated democracies; examine the implications of each perspective of European integration. Making judgements: students will have developed the necessary skills to formulate independent judgements concerning the topics of the course. Specifically, students will be able to put forward arguments in a clear and structured manner, and to base them on empirical cases discussed during the course. Communication skills: students will have developed, also thanks to workshops and seminars, the necessary skills to express the main concepts of the course in a clear and exhaustive way, and to question specific aspects related to the topics of the course. At the end of the course, students will be able to address both practitioners and non-experts alike. Learning skills: students will have developed a good command of the core methods and theories of the course. Such command will be useful to pursue successive learning paths in full autonomy and independence. Students’ skills will be further stimulated through participation in workshops and seminars based on the reading and understanding of reference books.