Course 2025-2026 a.y.

30609 - TOPICS IN POLITICS

Department of Social and Political Sciences


Class timetable
Exam timetable

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
BAI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - BEMACS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - BIEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - BIEM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - BIG (6 credits - II sem. - OBS  |  SPS/04) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04) - WBB (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SPS/04)
Course Director:
UMBERTO PLATINI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: UMBERTO PLATINI


Suggested background knowledge

Familiarity with basic algebra and basic statistics

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Modern democracies around the world are under increasing pressure for change. The emergence of antidemocratic equilibria that lead to democratic erosion, populism and various attempts at reforming constitutions to ensure political stability are changing the way democratic states behave and decide upon legislation. In this course we will try to gather the theoretical tools to make sense of the evolving landscape of democratic decision making, with the scope of capturing how leadership styles and institutional reforms are likely to change our democracies. We will first discuss some theories about the emergence of democracies and statehood in general, then it will delve into more specialised topics. The main lectures will deal with macro elements of modern democracies such as contemporary approaches to executive power and its relationship with the judicial system and legislatures. Finally, we will study a core element of democratic life: political parties and electoral systems, comparing their functioning across countries. Each lecture is meant to foster in-class debate and elicit the opinions of students, building more acknowledged and educated guesses on the impact of party structures and institutional reforms on the experience of democratic life one wishes to experience.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The emergence of statehood and democracies.

 

Power epuilibria in democracies: Evecutive vs Judicial

 

Power epuilibria in democracies: Evecutive vs Legislative

 

Constitutional reforms and democratic norms

 

Electoral Competition

 

Emergence and purpose of political parties

 

How do basic democratic institutions (such as electoral laws) shape the way parties come into being, compete successfully, or perish?

 

How do parties organize in order to reach out to voters?

 

Types of electoral systems

 

Explanations for electoral system reforms

 

Consequences of reforms

 

Turnout and the consequences of abstension

 

 

 


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • understand the vast and exciting field of parties, party systems, electoral systems and reforms.
  • understand how parties come about and develop
  • distinguish between plurality and proportional electoral systems and their most popular subtypes,
  • evaluate the prevailing theories for how electoral systems come about,
  • assess the empirical evidence of electoral system consequences, 
  • understand the intricacies of democratic checks and balances
  • evaluate possible consequences of constitutional reforms and the evolutio nof democratic norms

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Ddesign a set of electoral institutions that are advantageous in a real-life political setting.
  • Present and discuss a case study detailing empirical aspects of party politics in one specific country of choice

 


Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Individual works / Assignments
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments

DETAILS

Students are expected to actively participate in class debates and share their views with their peers.  They will be requested to read all materials in advance.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Individual Works/ Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
 x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, the students’

assessment is based on the following components:

 

1. In-class participation (10% of the final grade) aimed to test the students’ ability to interact in a constructive way and to think critically.

 

2. Individual Assignment (20%) aimed at analyzing one specific country as a case study for the electoral institutions studied in class.

 

3. Collaborative Assignment (20%) aimed at testing the students' ability to analytically present and collaborate with each other.

 

4. Research Proposal/Essay (50%) aimed at employing the tools acquired in class to develop interesting and thought provoking research-oriented writing

 


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Students’ assessment will be based on one final written exam (with the same content of the exam for attending students), consisting of multiple choice and open questions. The exam will also include short statements to discuss, aimed to assess students’ ability to articulate reasoning and to evaluate the potential effects of given institutions and the trade-offs involved in the choice of institutions.

 


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

All reading materials will be indicated in the syllabus which will be published at the beginning of the semester.

Last change 30/11/2025 23:44