Introduction to Politics

The main rationale behind this course is to explore competing understanding of politics and different traditions of political inquiry. As introductory course, this class also aims at making students more confident in debating political events and expressing their own opinions.

Students are introduced to basic questions, concepts, theories, and traditions of political argument.

The course is divided into three blocks. The first block covers different understanding of politics and traditions of political inquiry. It also includes information related to political concepts and political ideologies. The second block is devoted to the state and related topics (democracy, policymaking, voting, representation). The third block discusses the cultural and institutional contexts of contemporary politics (nationalism, the role of markets, the public sphere, and the media).

The course starts with explaining and discussing different meanings of politics. Then it proceeds to the presentation of various classical and modern traditions of political inquiry. Political concepts such as power, democracy, and freedom are treated as essentially contested and open to debate. Stress is laid on philosophical, methodological, theoretical and ideological pluralism as a defining feature of contemporary political science.

Another set of themes is related to the state, its origins, and various historical forms of the state. Different theories of the state are presented and discussed. Concepts such as legitimacy and regime are introduced. Special attention is paid to the problems of democracy in the contemporary world.

The third bloc of topics is concerned with the cultural embeddedness of politics. Various theories of nationalism, political culture, public sphere, and media are discussed in depth. Special attention is paid to the intersection between politics and markets both at the domestic and international levels.

Literature:

A. Sources:

Selections form Carl Schmitt, Antonio Gramsci, C. W. Mills, Max Weber, Arnold Gehlen, Robert Michels, Ernest Gellner, Isaiah Berlin, Hannah Arendt, Joseph Schumpeter, and other important political writers.

B. Secondary texts;

A. Heywood, Politics, 5 edition, MacMillan International 2019;

D. Marsch, G. Stoker, Theory and Methods in Political Science, various editions;

W. Philips Shivelly, The Craft of Political Research, Tenth Edition, Routledge 2017;

R. Eisfeld, Empowering Citizens, Engaging the Public: Political Science for the 21st Century. London: Palgrave Macmillan 2019;

J. Hoffman, P. Graham, Introduction to Political Concepts, Pearson-Longman, 2006;

W. Connoly, The Terms of Political Discourse, D. C. Heath and Company, 1974;

R. Bernstein, Restructuring Social and Political Theory, University of Pennsylvania Press 1978,

N. Johnson, Limits of Political Science, Clarendon Press, 1989;

B. Crick, In Defence of Politics, The Univeristy of Chicago Press, 1962.

K_W01 Students learn about the nature of political science and its relation to other fields of study, such as history, economics and humanities.

K_W04 Students get to know social, historical and cultural aspects of politics

K_W06 Students learn about the state and its relation to global markets.

K_W09. Students are acquainted with major tradition of political inquiry.

K_W11 Students learn about main political mechanisms.

K_U01 Students are able to analyze political events form the point of view of different theoretical traditions.

K_U02 Students apply various theories and concepts in interpretation political events.

K_U04. Students know how to apply basic political terms.

K_U06. Students are able to identify the main ethical controversis surrounding politics.

K_U09. Students are able to critically interpret media coverage of political events

K_K01. Students are prepared for the role of active and critical citizen

K_K02. Students are aware of ethical dilemmas related to political consulting.

Students are evaluated on the basis of their active participation in seminars. There is a final exam - wirtten. Exam questions cover material from both lectures and seminars.

Do not apply.