Political behaviour and party politics

Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies

Teaching language: English
EKA: B410009102
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master

Course ID: B410009101
ECTS value: 10

Date of Approval:


Duration: 1 semester

Course ID

B410009101

Course Title

Political behaviour and party politics

Teaching language

English

ECTS value

10

Responsible study board

Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies

Course Responsible

Name Email Department
Pieter Vanhuysse vanhuysse@sam.sdu.dk

Offered in

Odense

Level

Master

Offered in

Autumn

Duration

1 semester

Mandatory prerequisites


Recommended prerequisites

Participation in the course “Development and reform of the welfare state” or a similar course on welfare-state theories will be helpful but is not strictly required.

Aim and purpose

The course provides an in-depth understanding of how the behaviour of political actors - citizens, parties, and political and policy decision-makers - shapes welfare state politics and welfare state reforms. The purpose of the course is to give students an advanced understanding of what drives the behavior of these political actors relating to welfare states and of why welfare state reforms are often necessary yet very difficult to implement, and under which circumstances they occur nonetheless. To this end, we will discuss recent theoretical advances and empirical studies. 
In sum, the course will advance students’ …
- Knowledge on various theories of political behaviour on the supply and demand sides of politics and their application to the case of the welfare state in theory and in selected empirical cases
- Competence to assess the political costs and benefits of welfare state reforms in a given political and economic context

Content

This course specifically covers the following topics:
- The welfare state as a case of incremental institutional change
- (Deeper) drivers of welfare attitudes and political powerholders
- Electoral punishment after cases of radical welfare state retrenchment
- The roles and strategies of different political actor types
- Radical retrenchment and economic crises: prospect theory, and elite framing

Learning goals

To achieve the goal of the course the learning outcome is that students…

… prove knowledgeable of:
- Discussed theories of political behaviour and party behaviour and their application to the case of the welfare state
- Discussed empirical cases of radical welfare state reform

…demonstrate skills to:
- Reflect on the merits and drawbacks of various theoretical approaches in explaining contemporary reforms
- Communicate and discuss the politics of contemporary reforms

… exhibit competency to
- Assess and communicate the political costs and benefits of welfare state reforms in a given political and economic context

Literature

There will be a reader complemented with journal articles (ca. 1200 pages in sum).

Teaching Method

This course will be taught in the form of an intensive summer course with two two-hour sessions per day. Time of classes: Last two weeks in August 2018.

Each session will start with a standard lecture, after which there will be joint class discussion.  


A 10 ECTS course entails a total workload of 270 hours. These are divided between different learning activities and below follows an estimation for the average student:
Face-to-face lectures = 34
Preparation for lectures = 116
Exam (preparation) = 120
Total = 270

Workload

17 sessions (2 hours each)

Examination regulations

Exam - oral exam

Name

Exam - oral exam

Timing

The examination will take place in September. Re-examination in September.

Rules

-3 is not allowed, 00 is not allowed

Tests

Exam - oral exam

Name

Exam - oral exam

Form of examination

Oral examination

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Date of birth

Language

English

Duration

20 minutes

Examination aids

None. 

ECTS value

10

Additional information

Registration for the course is automatically a registration for the ordinary examination in the course. Cancellation is not possible. If the student does not participate in the examination, the student will use an examination attempt. 
The university may grant an exemption from the rules in case of exceptional circumstances.


EKA

B410009102

External comment

The course is a Summer course, and it is not possible to deregister from summer courses. 

NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 97012301, Political behaviour and party politics/specialised Analysis of Reform Politics / Political behaviour and party politics/specialised Analysis of Reform Politics.


Used examination attempts in the former identical course will be transferred.
Courses that are identical with former courses that are passed according to applied rules cannot be retaken.

The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances. 
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.

Courses offered

Offer period Offer type Profile Education Semester
Fall 2018 Optional Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i statskundskab gældende for studerende optaget efter 1/9-15 Master of Science (MSc) in Political Science | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2015 Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS: Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense
Fall 2018 Optional Master of Social Sciences in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies valid from September 2016 Comparative Public and Welfare Studies | Master of Science (MSc) in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies | Odense

Teachers

Name Email Department City
Pieter Vanhuysse vanhuysse@sam.sdu.dk

URL for Skemaplan