Description:
The aim of this course is to provide students with an overview of key political institutions and processes in contemporary political systems, such as political parties and party systems, social movements, executive-legislative relations, electoral systems or bureaucracies. At the same time, the course also introduces students to some of the key concepts in political science, such as political culture, social capital, political participation, or electoral behavior. What are the functions of political parties, and how do parties organize? Is there a difference between the position of presidents in the United States and in France? How can we distinguish a social movement from an interest group? What is lobbying? Why is political participation important for political systems, and has it declined in recent years? The focus throughout the course is on modern representative government, but the course also encourages students to understand the differences between democracies and non-democracies and to appreciate the role of institutions and political processes in authoritarian contexts. The course is not about one particular country or region. The examples of institutions and political processes are drawn from a wide range of empirical contexts, with the aim of introducing students to their patterns from an international comparative perspective. In that sense, the course also serves as an introduction to the comparative method and the discipline of comparative politics more generally.
Course objectives:
Objective 1: To introduce key political institutions and processes in contemporary political systems, with a particular focus on modern representative government.
Objective 2: To introduce some of the key political science concepts.
Objective 3: To introduce patterns of politics and institutions in comparative perspective.
Schedule
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Teaching method
- Plenary lectures and extra interactive sessions centered around the literature and student questions
Exchange students take this course for 5 EC and do not follow the working groups
Assessment Method
- final exam (100% Multiple Choice questions); 2 hours.
Resit, review & feedback
The time and location of inspection and debriefing of the exam will be announced via Brightspace no later than the publication of the grades.
Reading list
Lectures:
McCormick, J. & Hague, R. & Harrop, M. (2025). Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction (13th ed.). London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.
Registration
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer(s) (listed in the right information bar). For questions about enrolment, contact the Student Services Centre: ssc@leiden.edu.