Political Behaviour

Description

Overview: THIS CLASS IS NOT AVAILABLE TO EXCHANGE STUDENTS How and why do people get involved in politics? Why do they vote, go on a protest march, or join a political party? Which are the main determinants of electoral behaviour? These questions are at the heart of political science but they are also some of the most difficult questions to answer in our discipline. This class aims to give an overview of the various approaches that try to explain political behaviour and to test their validity by using empirical studies of a broad range of forms of political action. The main analytical focus of the class will be at the individual level. What determines whether an individual citizen takes part in the political process in one way or another? Explanations will focus on a range of individual characteristics, such as education, socio- economic status, political attitudes and values, or involvement in social and political networks. However contextual factors such as the institutional framework can also play a role for a wide range of political actions. Political behaviour is conceived in terms of a broad range of actions. While we will thoroughly look at the determinants of behaviour in the electoral context, we will also focus on non-electoral forms of political behaviour such as taking part in demonstrations or joining a political party. In terms of empirical sources, we will mainly analyse quantitative studies with a comparative approach. Syllabus: This class has a credit weighting of 20 and an associated ‘learning time’ of 200 hours. This means that the time spent in seminars is only a small part of the time you need to devote to your studies. The total time spent on reading, preparing presentations, researching and writing assessment essays, studying and sitting during the formal examination should be no less than 200 hours. Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding Students should be able to: • critically evaluate various theoretical approaches on political behaviour, reflect on their premises and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses; • discuss and analyse empirical data on various forms of political behaviour; • apply a variety of theoretical approaches to the empirical study of political behaviour. Skills (Intellectual, Transferable) The primary skills to be developed are: • the application of a variety of theoretical and empirical approaches to the in-depth study of one particular field of politics, in this case political behaviour. This seminar is particularly well-suited to demonstrate the usefulness of a range of approaches taken from different disciplines and sub-disciplines: sociology of social movements, political psychology, rational choice theory, etc. This requires a flexibility of thinking which moves the student beyond the confines of one particular approach. The skill of handling such a type of problem within the context of academic study brings the students closer to 'real-life' problem-solving in which the uni-dimensional application of one particular approach is usually not very successful; • the ability to identify and discuss relevant academic literature on political behaviour, drawing on a wide range of social science traditions; • the articulation of reasoned arguments, based on the discussion of empirical evidence. The ability to reason and to respond to the expression of a wide range of views in seminars is sought to be encouraged, as is the capacity to express opinions in a concise and logical manner. Seminars are designed to enable students to marshal their ideas and substantive knowledge in order to respond to unanticipated questions. Students will be encouraged to develop their oral capacity to communicate their ideas effectively; • the opportunity for critical self-reflection of learning strategies, and the independent capacity to organise and manage work schedules; • the ability to present a sustained, structured and academically-informed written discussion; • the further development of succinct and analytical writing skills. Assessment: Assessment will be on the basis of both class work and examination. Students will be required to sit at a two-hour examination at the end of the second semester. The exam will constitute 60% of the final mark. In addition, you will be required to submit an essay of between 4,000 and 5,000 words which will constitute 40% of the final mark.