Checking date: 10/07/2020

Versión en español

Course: 2020/2021

Political players and behaviour
(17049)
Study: Bachelor in International Studies (305)


Coordinating teacher: GARCIA ALBACETE, GEMA MARIA

Department assigned to the subject: Department of Social Sciences

Type: Electives
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:



Students are expected to have completed
Political Analysis
Objectives
Competences and skills: - Being able to explain the historical evolution of political parties, its types and their relations with each democratic model. - Knowing and being able to analyze the organizational structure of the political parties, as well as their interaction with society. - Being able to analyze the different functions political parties perform, both regarding institutions and society. - Being able to differentiate among different kinds of party systems in their main traits. - Knowing and being able to analyze the main characteristics and elements of pressure groups and (new) social movements. - Being able to differentiate the main political collective actors regarding their main elements and characteristics.
Description of contents: programme
Description of contents: Programme. - Unit 1. Poltical parties: definitions and historical evolution. Party models and democracy; from cadre to cartel and movement-parties. - Unit 2. The functions of political parties regarding institutions and society. - Unit 3. The organtion and structure of political parties: ideology, members, resources and faces of parties; dominant coalition and territorial structure. The finances of political parties. - Unit 4. Democracy in political parties: the making of political platforms and the selection of party officials and electoral candidates. - Unit 5. Democracy and party systems: definition and typologies. Stability and change. - Unit 6. Parties and party systems in democratic Spain. - Unit 7. Pressure groups: traits, organization and activity patterns. - Unit 8. The (new) social movements: evolution, traits, movilization patterns and interaction with the political system. New social movements and social networks.
Learning activities and methodology
In lecture sessions the teacher will explain the main foundations of each unit. Some resources could be recomended to complete the explanation of each unit. Work in seminar sessions will deal with comparing and analyzing cases suggested by the lecturer. Some sessions will be developped in the computing laboratories. The lecturer will asign reading materials (on which test could be implemented), as well as suggest the resources and references to be used by the students prior to each seminar session. Those resources will be written both in Spanish and English.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 60
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 40
Basic Bibliography
  • Dalton, R. J., y M. P. Wattenberg.. Parties without partisans: political change in advanced industrial democracies. . Oxford University Press. 2000
  • Duverger, M. . Los partidos políticos. Fondo de Cultura Económica. . 2002
  • Katz, R. S. y W. Crotty (eds.). Handbook of Party Politics. Sage. 2006
  • LaPalombara, J., and Weiner, M. (eds.) . Political Parties and Political Development. Princeton University Press. 1966
  • Mair, P. (ed.). The West European Party System. Oxford University Press. 1990
  • Montero, J. R., R. Gunther y J. Linz. Partidos políticos. Viejos conceptos y nuevos retos. Trotta. 2007
  • Panebianco, A. Modelos de partido. Alianza. 2003
  • Sartori, G.. Partidos y sistemas de partidos. Alianza. 1997
  • Tarrow,S. El poder en movimiento. Los movimientos sociales, la acción colectiva y la política. Alianza. 2005
  • Von Beyme, K. Partidos políticos en las democracias occidentales. CIS. 1986
  • Ware, A. . Partidos políticos y sistema de partidos. Istmo. 2004

The course syllabus and the academic weekly planning may change due academic events or other reasons.