Core Competencies
Possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
Students know how to apply their acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills in new or unfamiliar settings within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
Students are able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of making judgments based on incomplete or limited information that includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
Students know how to communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and the reasons behind them to both specialised and non-specialised audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
Students possess the learning skills that will enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
General Competencies
Understand the main analytical tools from political science, sociology or economic history.
Evaluate and compare different contributions to important social science debates from an analytical, methodological and empirical point of view.
Evaluate the internal logic of a scientific publication, examining the consistency between theory, analytical strategy, indicators, results and conclusions.
Understand and know how to synthesize the main theories into one or more contemporary debates in the social sciences.
Specific Competences
To analyze from a comparative, historical and statistical point of view (i) the main problems that arise in the construction of an institutional political order and (ii) the determinants of the political conflict.
Identify the economic and social bases for the functioning of political regimes.
Learning outcomes
To thoroughly understand the comparative method.
To understand the debate between case studies and the studies of variables.
To understand theories about the nature of the State.
To understand structural and agency theories about political regimes and regime transitions.
To be familiar with the main theories about democracy and dictatorship.
Mastery of the problems of measurement of political regimes.
Familiarity with the debate on the measurement (dichotomous/continuous) of democracy and authoritarianism.
Knowledge of the major debates on the determinants of political regimes: economy, culture, inequality, class struggles, international factors.
Familiarity with the literature on the economic consequences of regimes and their methodological problems.
To understand the theories that analyze institutions as being in a state of equilibrium.
To understand the literature on the instability of presidentialism.
To be familiar with the literature on types of authoritarian regime