Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
---|---|---|---|
4313148 Marketing | OT | 0 | 2 |
4313335 Political Science | OT | 0 | 2 |
4317157 Advanced Research in Political Science | OT | 1 | 2 |
Students enrolled in this course are expected to have a bachelor’s degree level in political science or in any other social science discipline. Students are encouraged to gain familiarity with the following books, particularly if they have degrees from other disciplines:
- Dalton, R.J. (2013) Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. CQ Press
- Negrine, R. and Stanyer J. (eds) (2007) The Political Communication Reader. Routledge.
The first aim of this module is to understand the scientific bases of electoral behaviour. Thus, we will study what the causes of the vote are and will analyse the models that try to predict it. The second aim of the module deals with the communicative bases of politics. Thus, we will analyse how political actors, the media, and the people at large interact with political communication. The final aim of the module is to familiarize the student with the current debates on public opinion and electoral issues.
Part 1. Electoral Behaviour
1.1. The social-position bases of the vote: cleavages and alignments
1.2. The value bases of the vote: party identification, ideology and policy moods
1.3. The personal bases of the vote: the importance of the leaders
1.4. Issue voting and niche party support
1.5. The spatial models of party competition: proximity and directionality
1.6. Economic voting: the importance of the economic situation
1.7. Strategic voting: the importance of the electoral system
1.8. Event voting: how events shape election outcomes
1.9. Multilevel polities and second-order elections
1.10. Non-voting: causes and antecedents
1.11. The political consequences of non-voting
Part 2. Political Communication
2.1. Introduction to political communication. Political actors and the news media
2.2. Ownership and regulation of the media
2.3. Contemporary media systems
2.4. Media, political knowledge and participation
2.5. Agenda-setting effects
2.6. Issue framing and priming
2.7. Other media effects and conclusions on media effects
2.8. Election campaigns
2.9. Social media and contemporary democracies: an introduction
2.10. Digital footprints: what social media reveal about citizens' political attitudes and behaviour
2.11. Vote seekers (and getters?): online party rhetoric and its electoral effects
2.12. Political consequences of social media: the relationship with (mis)information and polarization
Part 3. Public Opinion
3.1. Public Opinion and its measurement: an introduction
3.2. Public Opinion Formation: a review of theories;
3.3. Public Opinion and policy responsiveness: the problem of mass-elite congruence;
3.4. Challenges in Public Opinion Research: the 'social desirability' issue and the quality of public opinion polls
3.5. Populism (i): Conceptualization and Measurement
3.6. Populism (ii): Causes and Consequences
3.7. Emotions in Politics
3.8. Motivated Reasoning
A typical session will include a lecture plus a common discussion of the compulsory readings. Here, a student will present a paper and the rest of the class will discuss the conclusions. All students are expected to read the compulsory readings for the seminar and to prepare their interventions.
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 | |||
Lectures | 40 | 1.6 | 7, 6, 27, 21, 17, 20, 25, 26, 23, 33, 31, 34, 38, 40 |
Seminars | 22.5 | 0.9 | 15, 20, 23, 4, 36, 35 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Essay writing | 21.5 | 0.86 | 16, 11, 27, 19, 43, 42 |
Reading | 50 | 2 | 5, 14, 13, 19, 24 |
The evaluation will take into account two items: written assignments and the weekly discussion of the compulsory readings.
The discussion of the compulsory readings will proceed as follows. A student will present a paper and the rest of the class will discuss the conclusions. All students are expected to read the compulsory readings for the week and to prepare their interventions, but presenters are in charge of proposing two or three questions about the compulsory readings of the session they present to be discussed in class.
The assignments may be written in English, Spanish or Catalan.
The lecturers will provide further details and information about the evaluation process during the presentation of the module.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Discussion of compulsory readings | 50 | 58 | 2.32 | 1, 2, 3, 16, 7, 5, 6, 12, 9, 10, 8, 14, 15, 13, 11, 27, 21, 17, 22, 20, 18, 19, 25, 24, 26, 30, 29, 28, 23, 4, 33, 32, 31, 34, 41, 43, 42, 38, 40, 39, 37, 36, 35 |
Essay for part 1 | 25 | 29 | 1.16 | 34 |
Essay for part 2 | 25 | 29 | 1.16 | 34 |
The syllabus contains detailed bibliography for each lecture.
Not applicable