B1935 - Foundations of Politics

Learning outcomes

The course introduces students to fundamental concepts, theories, methods, and trends in modern political science. At the end of the course, students will be able to identify, describe and interpret key contemporary political phenomena, with a focus on the origins, functioning, and transformations of both democratic and autocratic political systems. The course provides students with theoretical tools and empirical evidence for understanding politics from global comparative perspective, decoding hot-button issues that fuel contemporary political debates across different world regions.

Course contents

The course addresses the following key issues related to politics in a globalized world: power, authority, and the State; institutions and institutional change; democracy and democratization; autocracy and autocratization; political participation and behavior; the organization of political systems and governance institutions; the international and transnational dimensions of politics, and the nexus between domestic, regional, and global governance.

The first module of the course consists of 16 lectures structured into six sections. Section one addresses the origins of political science, provides basic definitions of core political concepts and theories, and explores the epistemological foundations of and methodological approaches to the study of politics. Section two analyzes the most significant political unit of the modern world: the State. Additionally, section two analyzes the causes, characteristics, and effects of democracies and autocracies. Section three addresses key political institutions. Section four deals with the main actors and processes in contemporary politics. Section five addresses international and transnational politics, shedding light on the impact of globalization on domestic politics.

The second module of the course consists of seminar sessions focused on four world regions: Latin America & the Caribbean, East & Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa & the Middle East. The class will be divided into groups, each of which will focus on one of the four regions. The seminar requires students to critically read and actively discuss in class texts that address the following issues: (i) State formation and capacity; (ii) political participation; (iii) democracy and its enemies. At the end of the seminar, students will give group presentations focused on a specific country (of their choice), addressing one of the abovementioned issues.

Readings/Bibliography

Main texts for the course’s first module (selected chapters)

• Baylis, J., Smith, S., Owens, P. 2019. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. Oxford University Press.

• Caramani, D. (Ed.) 2017. Comparative Politics. Oxford University Press.

• Heywood, A. 2019. Politics. Palgrave MacMillan.

• Ikenberry, J. 2020. A World Safe for Democracy. Liberal Internationalism and the Crises of Global Order. Yale University Press.

• Morlino, L., Berg-Schlosser, D., and Badie, B. 2017. Political Science. A Global Perspective. SAGE.

• Newton, K. and Van Deth W.V. 2021. Foundations of Comparative Politics. Cambridge University Press.

• Weiss, T.G. 2013. Global Governance. Why? What? Whiter? Polity Press.

• Zürn, M. 2018. A Theory of Global Governance. Authority, Legitimacy, and Contestation. Oxford University Press.

Specific readings for each session are available on the online platform Virtuale, together with the course outline.

Teaching methods

The first module is organized in lectures, each dealing with a specific topic. Students are warmly encouraged to read the assigned texts beforehand. PowerPoint presentations shown in class will be made available before each lesson. The second module consists of interactive seminars, where students are required to critically discuss academic texts and make group presentations.

Assessment methods

During the first module, attending students will take two written tests, which will assess their learning of the topics dealt with in class. Each test combines multiple-choice and open-ended questions. During the course’s second module, students will give group presentations, which will be evaluated by the instructor. The final evaluation will be the average of the three scores. Those who miss one of the written tests or want to improve their grade will have to opportunity to re-take one if the mid-terms at the end of the course. Those who miss both written tests will have to take the exam as non-attending students.

The exam for non-attending students consists of an oral exam (to be held during the exam sessions), which will focus on the entire program of the first module plus the readings related to one of the four regions addressed in the course's second module.

Notice for students with learning disabilities (LD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the relevant University office promptly (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it). The office will advise the affected students of any accommodations. These accommodations must be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance, who will evaluate their suitability, also taking into account the course's learning objectives.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations; online course material.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Agostinis