STV4322B - The Politics of Organized Political Actors
Course description
Course content
This master course within comparative politics provides an overview of different theoretical approaches to two main types of organized political actors in established democracies: political parties and interest groups. How do they organize? In what ways do parties matter for public policy? What explain lobbying success of interest groups? Focus will be on the actors’ organizational structures, strategies, behavior and political significance – in civil society, the public media sphere as well as in or vis-à-vis government. Particular emphasis will be on the issue of political influence. Attention is also paid to the (power) relationship between political parties and other organizations. Major comparative empirical studies within these fields of research will be presented. A key topic is what explains variation across political systems and over time. We concentrate politics at the national level in established democracies, but also address the role of organized political actors within the European Union.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Students will:
- obtain a good grasp of the core concepts and theoretical approaches within these fields of research;
- develop a deeper understanding of the nature of political parties, interest groups and social movement organizations, and the relationship between them;
- obtain empirical knowledge about their organizational structures, strategies, and behavior in contemporary established democracies;
- learn more about how and why they vary across countries and have changed over time;
- be well acquainted with how parties, interest groups and social movement organizations affect the public sphere, the legislative process and public policy outputs;
- obtain a better grasp of the relationship between organized political actors and democracy
Skills
Students are expected to:
- be able to define core concepts and describe theoretical approaches within these fields of research;
- conduct comparative analyses of parties and interest groups – of their structures, strategies, behavior, and political influence;
- improve their ability to discuss the relationship between organized political actors and democracy;
- be able to synthesize knowledge from different sources and fields
Competences
Students will:
- improve their general analytical skills;
- develop the ability to work with empirical data;
- enhance the competence to discuss academic literature with others;
- improve the ability to read scholarly literature instrumentally and critically
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
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Bachelor's degree in Political Science or equivalent.
Recommended previous knowledge
Students without much prior knowledge of comparative politics should in advance are recommended to consult the chapters on “Political Parties” (by Richard Katz) and “Interest Associations” (by Roland Erne) in Daniele Caramani’s edited text book Comparative Politics, Oxford University Press (available at the UHS library).
Overlapping courses
4 credits overlap with STV4306B - Politiske partier i representative demokratier (discontinued)
Teaching
10 lectures will be given. The lectures are held intensively for a period of 5 weeks, with the exam in the sixth week.
This course will be taught at the University of Oslo, Blindern campus. Other locations in Oslo may be used. Fronter will normally be used.
The course is part of the regular course offerings at the Faculty of Social Science. Teaching is mainly held during the daytime. Detailed course-information is found on the Webpage for the current semester.
Examination
One essay (10-15 pages in total) on a given topic, and a 3-hour written exam.
The written exam will count more than the essay, but no more than 60% of the grade. In order to pass the course, your essay and your written exam must be passed in the same semester as your course is taught. You will receive one overall grade for the course.
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
It is possible to submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or 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.