Political Science (International) 2011 Introduction

This Political Science course is the international version of the Political Science course taught at Roskilde University as part of the Social Science Basic Studies Programme. Political Science is fundamentally about the accumulation and use of power. The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to the key concepts of political science. The course comprises 10 lectures, and some of the time will be dedicated to group exercises and discussions. The course is structured as follows. First we introduce some of the overarching concepts in the discipline such as power, democracy, political regimes, bureaucracies and political actors. An overview of the numerous approaches and levels of analysis which constitute modern Political Science will also be covered. Three lectures will cover the role of the state, the economy, society and the mass media, and interest groups. One lecture will also be given on the character of the Danish political system. We then examine the power flows as they move outwards to a range of actors linked into governing through networks, and upwards to the supra-national level (represented by the European Union, for example). The role of the political executive and theories of bureaucracy are explored. Finally, the policy process and system performance as the outputs of the political process are discussed. It is important that you do the specified reading prior to the lecture. Lectures are supplemental to the reading do not expect to pass the course unless you have read the required literature. Course responsible: Professor Jenny Lewis Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration Department of Society and Globalisation The text book for this subject is: Heywood, Andrew (2007) Politics, 3rd edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Some additional reading in relation to the lectures will be uploaded to the BSCW before the lecture.

Teaching Schedule Overview of Lectures and Reading

Lecture 1 14th September Politics and Power Jenny Lewis How do we define politics? How do political scientists understand power, and how do competing approaches to politics affect our perceptions of political phenomena? How do we go about making academic inquiries about Politics? Which sub-disciplines constitute Political Science? Which levels of analysis are available and how do they relate to the different approaches of the field? Reading: Heywood chapter 1, pp. 3-23.

Lecture 2 16th September Political Regimes and Ideologies Jenny Lewis One of the chief occupations in political science is to classify, and to compare, various forms of political regimes. How do we understand the concepts of political systems and a political regime? What kind of political regimes can be observed around the world? There are a number of competing political ideologies with different themes, theories and principles. We will explore what these are, how they have changed over time, and how to explain ideological changes. Reading: Heywood chapter 2 (pp 25-40) and chapter 3 (pp 43-69).

Lecture 3 19th September Power and Democracy Elisa Kankaala Democracy as an idea is currently more popular than ever, but the concept is far from unambiguous. What is Democracy, and how does it relate to democratic norms and models? How is power distributed within liberal democracies? Reading: Heywood chapter 4, pp71-88. ** See additional paper on the BSCW for this topic Lecture 4 21st September Government and the state Jenny Lewis The exercise of power in liberal democracies seems increasingly to take place at a distance; that is beyond the State and other public authorities. What is the difference between the State and the government? What is the difference between the government and governing? What major changes have taken place in the ways of governing the national economy in liberal democracies over the past three decades? Reading: Heywood chapter 5, pp89-106. NOTE: In this lecture we will also spend time discussing how to write essays, including how to refer correctly to the literature you are using, and how to make reference lists in the correct format. ** See additional paper on the BSCW for this topic

Lecture 5 23rd September Interest Groups Elisa Kankaala There are many groups of actors involved in politics, including political parties, unions, business associations and groups that reflect broader social movements. What are interest groups, and how do they use their influence in politics and public policy-making? What is a grassroots movement and can it really represent a new paradigm in politics? Is the political parties hitherto unprecedented dominance in politics in decline? Reading: Heywood chapter 14 (pp293-311). Lecture 6 26th September The Political System in Denmark Eva Srensen What characterises the political system of Denmark? What does separation of power entail in a Danish context and are there certain Danish exceptions? Reading: Heywood chapter 8 (pp163-180) Lecture 7 28th September Global Politics Jenny Lewis How does globalisation affect national political systems? Which aspects of globalisation challenge political orders and the distribution of power? What are the key positions of the two opposing school of thought in international politics? Why is the EU so important? Reading: Heywood chapter 7 (pp127-161).

Lecture 8 30th September The economy, society and the mass media Jenny Lewis Politics is exercised within the larger context of the economy and society. Can government control the economy? Should it? How relevant are class, race and gender in contemporary society and how do they impact on politics? The mass media is immensely important in contemporary society and in politics. We will examine the influence of mass media on governance, as well as how governments use the mass media. Reading: Heywood chapter 9 (pp183-203) and 11 (pp231-245)

Lecture 9 3rd October Political Executives and Bureaucracies Jenny Lewis This lecture discusses political executives and theories of bureaucracies as distinctive organizations that are key to politics and policy. To what extent is power concentrated in government elites? Does power ultimately rest with the bureaucracy of government? Reading: Heywood chapter 17 (pp357-379) and chapter 18 (pp381-400). ** See additional paper on the BSCW for this topic

Lecture 10 5th October Policy and performance Jenny Lewis Policy can be considered as an output of political systems and politics. How can we understand the policy making process? Is it scientific and rational or is it fundamentally based on political positions and power? Performance is crucial because policies must be evaluated in order to find out if they have achieved what they were supposed to. But how straightforward is it to measure the performance of policies? Reading: Heywood chapter 20 (pp425-444). ** See additional paper on the BSCW for this topic