| Unit name | Comparative European Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM3026 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Colomer |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit analyzes and compares the political regimes of (West) European countries. The study focuses on the interaction between formal institutions and political actors&? strategies producing the subsequent outcomes. First, the unit will analyze in a comparative perspective political parties, policy issues, electoral rules and elections, parliaments and governments, and unitary and federal arrangements. Second, the unit examines the political regimes of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Low Countries, and the Nordic Countries.
Aims:
The course will provide an introduction to the study of political institutions and processes in the member-states of the EU. In so doing it will allow students to develop a set of analytical tools, including simple models and quantitative measurements and to obtain a knowledge of the comparative method and its applications.
Seminars: During the 2-hour seminar, a relevant topic will be introduced by the unit director. Student will be engaged in discussion through individual presentations and by addressing the proposed issues for debate through selected exercises such as group work.
Formative assessment: seminar presentations supported by a handout. The seminar presentation supported by a handout provides formative assessment of (1) the student’s grasp of the substantive issues associated with this unit and (2) the student’s ability to engage with that substantive material in an articulate, concise and persuasive way both verbally and in written form. Summative assessment: an essay at least 2,500 words long and no longer than 3,500 words long. A candidate may not do an assessed essay on the same topic as a seminar presentation. The assessed essay provides summative assessment of (1) the student’s substantive grasp of issues covered by this unit; (2) the student’s ability to engage with those substantive issues in an articulate, persuasive and critical manner in written form; and (3) the student’s ability to engage with the relevant literature and achieve and appropriate degree of depth which is still concise.
