Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
---|---|---|---|
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics | FB | 1 | 1 |
There are no pre-requirements
Most of the subjects are taught in English. A B2 level of English of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required, although no specific test of English proficiency level is held to access the degree.
This course aims at two main goals:
1.- Making students acquainted with the main political institutions in contemporary societies, and the debates around them
2.- Making students familiar with the terminology of political institutions in English language
1.- What is politics? Clarifying the vocabulary: State, government, regime, public sector... Structure and actors
2.-v The main political structures of today: democracies, semi - democracies, dictatorships.
3.- Types of democracies..Can we measure democracy?
4.- Democracy, State and Law: the Rule of Law. Rights, liberties and political power. The division of powers and the types of democratic regimes: parliamentary and presidential regime.
5.- The institutions of democracy: Parliaments, executives, courts. Public administrations as the tools for institutional action.
6.- How to elect office - holders:types and consequences of electoral systems.
7.- Unitary and plural States: centralization and federation.
8.- Subnational government: regional and local structures.
9.-The actors of politics ( 1) : the citizens. How do they act and what do they think? Political cultures. Cultural change and the impact of mass - media
10.- The actors of politics (2): political parties. Types of parties and political families. The competition between parties: the party - systems.
11.-The actors of politics (3) : the social interests. Pluralism and social conflict: pressure groups, interest groups, social movements.
12.-The outcome of political action: public policies. The size of government. The Welfare State. Bureaucracy, legality, efficiency.
13.-The creation of economic and political spaces larger than nation - States: the case of the European Union.
14.-Democracies under criticism: citizen disaffection, malfunction of institutions, economic globalization. Rodrik's paradox: democracy, sovereignity, internationalization : you can only have two !
La posta en crisi de les democràcies en el segle XXI : desafecte ciutadà, mal funcionament de les institucions, globalització econòmica. La paradoxa de Rodrik: democràcia, sobirania, internacionalització ...només se’n poden tenir 2 !
The course will consist of:
- Presentations and discussions in the classroom, led by the lecturer.
- The writing and presentation of two papers by each student
- Individual or group discussion meetings
During the course an interval of 15 minutes will be allowed for students to answer the teaching assessment questionnaire provided by the University.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Directed | |||
Assessment | 7.5 | 0.3 | 6, 16, 15 |
Lectures | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 8, 7, 12, 10, 13, 14 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Individual and group meetings with lecturer | 7.5 | 0.3 | 6, 12, 15, 3 |
Type: Autonomous | |||
Reading, study and preparation | 70 | 2.8 | 1, 6, 7, 12, 17, 14, 16, 15, 3 |
The course is based on continuous evaluation : the final exam does not allow, on its own, to get a PASS qualification
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than one - third of the assessment items.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Classroom participation | Cca 15 % | 3 | 0.12 | 2, 6, 12, 14, 16, 15 |
Final general test | Cca 40 % | 2 | 0.08 | 6, 16, 15, 3 |
Preparation of an essay on a contemporary text | Cca 30 % | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 8, 7, 12, 10, 13, 14, 16, 15 |
Reading and discussion of a classic text | Cca 15 % | 10 | 0.4 | 6, 12, 17, 10, 16 |
MAIN TEXTBOOK :
J.Mª. Vallès, Ciencia Política: Una introducción. Barcelona (Ariel), various reprints.
REQUIRED READING FOR ALL STUDENTS :
Max Weber, La política como vocación. Many editions; lecturer will provide students with an on - line verion, in English.
REQUIRED READING (at student's choice) FOR ESSAYS' PREPARATION:ONE (at least !) AMONG:
Fernando Savater, Política para Amador. Barcelona, Ed. Ariel, various editions
Hugh Heclo, Pensar institucionalmente. Barcelona (Paidós) 2010
JM Colomer, A. Beale, Democracia y globalización: Ira, miedo y esperanza. Barcelona (Anagrama), 2021
JJ.Linz, A. Valenzuela, Las Crisis del presidencialismo. Madrid (Alianza Editorial),| 1997
Dani Rodrik, La Paradoja de la Globalización: la democracia y el futuro de la economía mundial. Barcelona (Ed. Antoni Bosch), 2011.
Norberto Bobbio, Derecha e izquierda: razones y significados de una distinción política. Madrid (Taurus), diverses edicions
WEBSITES WITH DATA, DOCUMENTS, ETC:
English version of Weber's text:
http://fs2.american.edu/dfagel/www/class%20readings/weber/politicsasavocation.pdf
Website of the InterParliamentary Union:
"Check - list" of the Venice Commission ( Council of Europe) :
Additional references and texts will be provided during the semester, if necessary
Students are expected to use normally software for text editing, as well as the ability to conduct on - line searches.