High proficiency certificate or accredited level in English language. This course when taught in English is basically addressed to Erasmus and exchange students with a basic knowledge of Spanish politics and government and of contemporary Spanish History. - Political Actors - Political Behaviour

Instrumental knowledge of : - The stages and actors of the Spanish political transition and democratic consolidation. - The prevailing values and major fractures in the Spanish political culture. - The articulation and political consequences of electoral systems used in Spain . - The political and progressive transformation of the state of autonomous complexity. Spanish political

LEARNING OUTCOMES 1.Possess advanced knowledge and skills in Political Science, both related to theoretical issues and of a practical or methodological nature. 2. Will be able to collect data, produce information and use it to base their reflections and judgements on social andpolitical reality. 3.Will be able to apply the skills and knowledgeacquired to solve problems in complex situations and in academic or professional workenvironments that require creative or innovative ideas. BASIC COMPETENCES 2. Students are able to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possess the competences usually demonstrated through the development and defence of arguments and problem solving within their field of study. 3. Students have the ability to gatherand interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) in order to make judgements which include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues. 4.Students should be able to communicateinformation, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. 5. Students will have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further study with a high degree of autonomy. GENERAL COMPETENCES 1.To know the main elements and factors, bothstructural and dynamic, that shape and influence political reality. 2. To be able to recognize the social, political, cultural and religious diversity of contemporary societies and the relevance and transversality thatdemocratic values and human rights have in these societies. 3.To be able to study the social and political reality using the scientific method, from a critical perspective and recognizing the variety of theoretical and methodological approaches of the different subdisciplines and specialities in Political Science. 4. To know how to apply the theoretical knowledge and skills into practical professional problems. 5. To be able to communicate effectively and produce and defend, both orally and written, wellbuilt arguments within the field of Political Science. SPECIFIC COMPETENCES 2.To analyse the political systems¿ structure and functioning and theirinteraction with the environment 3. To know the structure andfunctioning of political institutions and their interrelation with the remaining components of the political system 4.To analyse political actors behaviour, political participation¿s processes and the role of citizens in contemporarydemocracies 5. To know the different components of theelectoral systems and to be able to recognize how they interact with the electoral process. 9. To recognize the historical dimension of political and social processes and to explain them by taking such dimension into account. TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES 1. To be able to work in multidisciplinary and international teams

This course addresses the main characteristics of the political system in Spain from a comparative perspective, that is, taking into account the singularities of the Spanish case in relation to political systems in other advanced democracies. The content organization is structured around five blocks. The first is a review of the origins of the current political system that explores the process of transition to democracy and transitional justice in comparison with other countries. The second block is made up of two sessions on the institutional design of the Spanish political system, one dedicated to the territorial model due to its relevance both in the constitutional debate and in the configuration of political competition, and another dedicated to the main institutional characteristics of the Spanish political system from a comparative perspective. The third block analyzes the study of the main actors of the political system - political parties, voters and civil society - and of the structure where these actors operate (public administration). In the fourth block, the tensions in the system originated after the financial crisis in 2008 are analyzed. The first session of this block deals with the crisis of representation during the first years of the 2010s and the second session is dedicated to the study of ideological and affective polarization. The last block addresses two aspects of the political system that have starred in the current debate in recent years: corruption and the quality of democracy.

The course consists of two parts: a part of lectures where the main theoretical contents will be taught, and another part of practical sessions. For each of the master classes, some readings will be provided that will mention the minimum contents of the session. The practical sessions are structured around the discussion of one or more relevant (compulsory) readings or online talks on the topics covered in the master classes. Students will prepare the practice session with the help of a question script that the practice teacher will provide in advance. Several of the sessions will consist in the discussion of an online talk and in four of these sessions the students will be asked for a brief (1-2 pages) reflection on its content (as a ¿reaction paper¿). These submissions are evaluated. In addition, the students of the course will be organized in small groups and will present in class for approximately 15-20 minutes a short research work (4000 words excluding bibliography) on some of the subjects of the subject. Said work must be structured around a research question and must have an original empirical part (qualitative and / or quantitative). The written delivery of the work will be made at the end of the course. Finally, attendance at practices is mandatory and, together with participation in lectures and practices, represent 10% of the grade.