Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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ESPO1165 - Political Science


USL-B


Credits : 5

Lecturer :
Teaching assistant :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.

Timetable :
First term
Friday from 10:45 to 12:45 at 43 Botanique 1

Language of instruction :
English.

Learning outcomes :
This course is an introductory course in political science which aims to present and familiarize students with the basic notions of political science, linking them to the essential references of the discipline.
Moreover, a gendered perspective will be offered on the different notions that will be developed during the course.


Prerequisites :
None

Co-requisites :
None

Course contents :
Part 1. General Introduction and Foundational Concepts
1.1. Introductory Session: What is Political Science?
1.2. Power, Domination and Legitimacy
1.3. A Portrait of the State

Part 2. Political Regimes
2.1. Authoritarian and Totalitarian Regimes
2.2. Democracy

Part 3. Political Actors
3.1. Political Parties: Genealogy and Organisation
3.2. Citizens: Political Socialisation and Political Participation
3.3. Electoral Behaviours
3.4. Social Movements: Resources, Repertoires and Mobilisation

Part 4. Policy Analysis
4.1. Public Policies: Definition and Analysis



Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Lectures

The personal activity for this course consists in the reading of a book which illustrates the common theme which runs throughout the course, i.e. gender and political science:
INGLEHART, Ronald, NORRIS, Pipa (2003), Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change around the World, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
The entire manuscript of the book is available on the Moodle platform of the course and in the syllabus (part II).
The students are asked to read the introduction of the book (“Explaining the Rising Tide of Gender Equality”) and one chapter: chapter 5 (“Political Activism”).

Exam preparation:
- All the PowerPoint documents are available on the Moodle platform of the course and as a syllabus.
- At the end of each PowerPoint document students can find a summary of the main points developed during each session + a list of open questions linked to this session.
- A methodological session will be organised in order to give students hints and advices on how to learn the course, how to read the book for the personal activity, and how to prepare for the exam.
- Assistant office hours will be organized every two weeks (on appointment via Moodle).
- Methodological material and examples of “good practices” concerning the personal activity question of the exam will be available on the Moodle platform.
- A mock-exam will be organised in order to help students prepare for the final exam.



Assessment methods and criteria :
The assessment of the course will consist in a final written exam, which will count for 100% of the total grade.
The final exam will last 2 hours, and it will consist of 3 parts:
- A Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (12 points - no negative points)
- An open question related to the content of the course (4 points)
- An open question related to the chapter of the book by Inglehart and Norris (4 points)
For the two open questions, students are expected to write a structured, elaborated and well-reasoned answer (i.e. no bullet points, etc.).
During the table exam, no documents are allowed, including dictionaries.
The structure of the exam will be identical in case of online exam (one question per page, randomly drawn questions, sequential navigation).


Recommended or required reading :
INGLEHART, Ronald, NORRIS, Pipa (2003), Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change around the World, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Bibliographical resources (textbooks):
- BROWN, Garrett W., McLEAN, Iain, McMILLAN, Alistair (2018), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University Press > available at the library
- GARNER, Robert, FERDINAND, Peter, LAWSON, Stephanie (2016), Introduction to Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press > available at the library
- HAGUE, Rod, HARROP, Martin, McCORMICK, John (2019), Political Science. A Comparative Introduction, Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan > available at the library.