77811 - Laboratory (3) (G.B)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the workshop, the students are able to design a laboratory experiment on cognitive processes (from literature analysis to stimulus selection, procedure set-up and programming), carry out research based on video analysis of social events (from video recording to video clip construction, transcription with software such as Quick time pro, Elan, Inqscribe) and research based on the narrative method.

Course contents

The lab, entitled “Elections and Communication”, aims to provide students with both theoretical and practical skills in the field of electoral analysis, with particular reference to the Italian context. At the end of the workshop, the student will:

• Have an in-depth knowledge of the main challenges currently facing representative democracy (anti-politics and populism), with a specific focus on the Italian case;
• Master the main techniques of writing, understanding, and interpreting press releases produced by the most important national research institutes (public and private) on the occasion of elections, both political and European.

The workshop (consisting in fifteen two-hour lessons) is divided into two parts. The first part (12 hours: weeks 1-2), conducted through the traditional “lecture” mode (albeit lightened by continuous student involvement in discussing the proposed topics), consists of six introductory lessons dedicated to a brief presentation of the main theoretical concepts of contemporary electoral analysis (political parties and social cleavages; political and electoral participation; electoral systems and party systems; anti-politics and populism).
The second part (18 hours: weeks 3-4-5) adopts a fully practical, laboratory-based approach, dividing the class into working groups tasked with producing a press release (focused on one of the following four themes: electoral participation; winners and losers; territorial distribution of votes; electoral differences between large cities and small towns) related to three successive Italian electoral events: the 2019 European elections; the 2022 political elections; the 2024 European elections. For each theme and each election, students are required to gather empirical data (first lesson), write the press release (second lesson), and finally present and discuss it in class (third lesson).

Group exercises in class: each group (ideally composed of three people) is asked to write a press release concerning a specific electoral event (2019 European, 2022 political, 2024 European), focusing on one of the following themes:

• Electoral participation: descriptive analysis, both synchronic-territorial (differences North-South) and diachronic (compared to previous elections); interpretative analysis (potential causes of observed trends)
• Winners and losers: descriptive diachronic analysis (differences from previous elections) concerning main parties and coalitions; interpretative analysis (potential causes of observed trends)
• Territorial distribution of votes: descriptive synchronic-territorial analysis (differences across geographic areas: northeast, northwest, center, south, and islands); interpretative analysis (potential causes of observed trends)
• Electoral differences between large cities and small towns: descriptive analysis, both synchronic-territorial (city-country differences across regions) and diachronic (compared to previous elections); interpretative analysis (potential causes of observed trends)

For each electoral event, group work will be divided into three parts:

1. Collecting the necessary electoral data (from the Ministry of the Interior website);
2. Writing the press release (no more than two or three pages);
3. Presenting their analysis (via PowerPoint) in no more than 15 minutes. After the presentations, a general discussion will follow.

Ideally, the workshop can accommodate up to 36 students.

Readings/Bibliography

Capano G., S. Piattoni, F. Raniolo e L. Verzichelli (2021), Elementi di scienza politica; Bologna: Il Mulino (chapters 3-4-8).

Teaching methods

The lab is conducted using multiple and varied teaching methods: from the traditional "lecture" (first part) to classroom exercises through group work (second part).

Assessment methods

The eligibility will be achieved after attending at least ten out of the fifteen scheduled lessons.

Teaching tools

Lectures will be supplemented by Power-point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pritoni