STV4316B - European Politics - Political Institutions and Parties
Course description
Course content
The purpose of this course is to provide tools for analysing the diverse patterns of democracy found across Europe. The theme of majoritarian and consensus democracies is used as a starting point for studying the politics of European states. We begin by revising the concept of democracy, the reasons for comparing modern democracies, the methods of comparative politics and the models of majoritarian and consensus democracies. From then on, we focus on the politics of individual European states, examining the extent to which they can be considered majoritarian or consensual and identifying processes of change. We will focus on several institutional features: government formation and duration; executive-legislative relations; traditional party families; new political parties; electoral systems and their consequences on government formation and party systems. The countries included in the course are Belgium and the Netherlands; France; United Kingdom and Ireland; Germany and Italy; Spain and Portugal; Estonia and Lithuania; Poland and Romania; Slovenia and Croatia. The course consists of a mix between lectures and seminars. Students are expected to complete the assigned readings before each class. This material also provides a good starting point for the assignments.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Students will:
- Become familiar with the key literature and current debates in European politics
- Recognise similarities and differences in the operation of European political systems
- Identify the majoritarian and consensual characteristics of European political institutions
- Analyse the relationship between executive and legislative institutions
- Identify the role played by political parties in European democracies
- Evaluate the merits of different electoral systems and the consequences of electoral reforms on the operation of European politics
- Develop a critical understanding of how and why national context affects the outcomes of political institutions
Skills
Students will:
- Strengthen their analytical ability
- Learn how to analyse European politics in a comparative manner
- Be able to use comparative methods to design their own research
Competences
Students will:
- Learn to identify processes of change in contemporary European politics
- Gain competence in writing academic texts
- Acquire the theoretical and analytical tools necessary for the design of comparative inquiries
Admission
Students admitted to other Master programmes may be qualified to apply for the course. Please see the webpage on Admission to single master's courses.
For incoming students: All Master's courses in Political Science must be registered manually by the Department, they will not appear in Studentweb. Contact your international coordinator at UiO.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
Students are expected to have previously taken a course in Comparative Politics to the level of STV 2300 - Komparativ politikk 2 and to have some knowledge of modern European politics. Students who are unsure of their level of preparation are strongly encouraged to revise the following textbook before the beginning of the course:
Gallagher, M., Laver, M., and Mair, P. (2011): Representative Government in Modern Europe. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with STV4332B - Vest-Europa (discontinued)
- 5 credits overlap with STV4333B - Sentral-Europa og Baltikum (tidlegare Sentral og Øst-Europa) (discontinued)
Teaching
10 lectures will be given. The lectures are held intensively for a period of 5 weeks.
Examination
A series of hand-in assignments.
The weekly assignment will be handed out after the last lecture of the week. The deadline for submitting the assignment is the following Monday at 17.00. Submission is in Fronter. No late submission or submission by email or paper.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
- Explanation of grades - deadline and processing time
- Appeal about grades
- Complaint about formal exam errors
Ask for explanation of your grade in this course
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
If you wish to withdraw from the exam you must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the deadline. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.
Special examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.