Description
Objective: 1. To enhance familiarity with the concepts, debates and available studies on political parties, democratization and representative democracy.
Objective: 2. To increase empirical knowledge and develop analytical skills in academic writing and reporting.
Content: This course concentrates on the role and function of political parties in modern (European) democracies, in particular on their role during democratic transitions and their contribution to democratic legitimacy. We will also pay attention to the changes in the societal structures underpinning contemporary party systems, patterns of alliances and oppositions, the development of alternative forms of political mobilization, and the consequences of EU integration.
Methods of Instruction
Seminars, close reading, group discussions, group work, individual student presentations.
Study Material
A collection of academic book chapters and journal articles – to be announced
Timetable
Examination
TBA
Admission requirements
None
Registration
See preliminary info