Course 2009-2010 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLES (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - BIEM (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - AI)

Course Director:
PAOLO ROBERTO GRAZIANO

Course Objectives

The course provides the main analytical tools needed to understand the nature of politics and political behaviour in both national and international contexts. In the first part the course addresses issues such as the evolution of political science, the description of the main features of various political regimes (democratic, authoritarian, totalitarian) and the role of power relations in contemporary democracies. Furthermore, public institutions, political actors and decision making processes are discussed using political science methodological tools and analytical approaches. In the second part,  the main characteristics of the Italian political system are analyzed.

Course Content Summary

First part

• What is politics?
• Analysing power: sources and types of power
• Political regimes: democracy, authoritarianism and totalitarianism
• The actors of democracy: political parties, interest groups
• The institutions of democracy: executive-legislative power relations
• The rules of democracy: decision making and electoral process
• The "levels" of democracy: between local and global
• The European political system.

Second part
This second part analyses the main characteristics of the Italian political system: history, empirical evidence and interpretation.

• Evolution of the Italian political system
• Recent trends: change or continuity?

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

There are only written exams. You have two options:

1. You may take two midterms. In this case, the exam will be considered as passed only if in both mid-terms the grade is at least 18/30.
2. You may take a general exam

Textbooks

• M. COTTA, L.VERZICHELLI, 2007, Political Institutions in Italy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
• Handouts and slides
• R.E. Goodin and H.-D. Klingemann (1998), A New Handbook of Political Science, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Last change 28/04/2009 17:24