20638 - FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICS - PREPARATORY COURSE
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Course Director:
KERIM CAN KAVAKLI
KERIM CAN KAVAKLI
Instructors:
Class 1: KERIM CAN KAVAKLI
Class 1: KERIM CAN KAVAKLI
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
This course aims at preparing the students for the PPA program by introducing often-used theoretical and methodological approaches in the field of political science. The lectures cover both seminal contributions and recent developments in the field.
CONTENT SUMMARY
The course is organized in three parts.
- Part 1 introduces political science as an academic discipline and also introduces Bocconi faculty who are political scientists or work on related subjects. Then we cover a number of covers fundamental subjects (rationality assumption, the spatial model of preferences, the state and its origins)
- Part 2 covers topics related to "Comparative Politics", which focuses on political relations within a state. Lectures will be on the differences between democracy and dictatorship, different types of democracies (two visions of democracy), different electoral systems, different party systems, and veto players.
- Part 3 covers topics related to "International Relations", which focuses on political relations between states and non-state actors. The specific topics we will look at include the main schools of IR thought (e.g. Realism), rationalist explanations for conflict, diplomacy as a two-level game, and international organizations.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Define fundamental concepts in political science such as "veto players" or a "parliamentary system".
- Recognize different approaches to political phenomena such as conflict between states.
- Summarize explanations for important phenomena such as interstate war.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Demonstrate familiarity with fundamental concepts in political science.
- Compare the usefulness of different theoretical explanations for important phenomena.
- Prepare for coursework in courses on political science, public policy, and economics.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Online lectures
DETAILS
Online lectures are recordings of the face-to-face lectures.
Assessment methods
Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
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ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
This course is not mandatory and does not assess students' learning.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
The professor will provide all teaching materials (lecture slides and reading material) via Blackboard.
Last change 09/06/2022 00:35