Political parties and party systems

Politične stranke in strankarski sistemi

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 60 (30 hours of lectures, 0 hours of exercises, 30 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

prof. dr. Danica Fink Hafner

Type:

Required

Language:

Slovenian

Semester:

First semester

Study degree

1. level

Course execution:

• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Public Policies and Sdministration

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure.

Objectives and competences

To provide student with the clasical knowledge and up-to date research findings on party politics and develop their skills in research comunication and conducting research in the field. Competences: knowledge, understanding, critical thinking, applicability of knowledge, research skills, competences of oral and written communication.

Content (Syllabus outline)

Definitions, theories and development of parties, party models; party functions; party ideologies, cleavages and party families; organizational forms of parties (typology of parties); internal characteristics of parties (members, internal democracy, integration and problem of fractions, party funding); parties as organizations, professionalization and bureacratization of parties; parties and cleavages; forms of party systems (criteria and typology); electoral systems as determinants of party systems; interaction between party, electoral and parliamentary arena; parties as policy actors; crisis of parties in the 1980s; formation of 'new' type of parties; parties in parliamentary arena and coalition behaviour; developments of parties in Slovenia since 19th century and development of a modern party arena in Slovenia; specific characteristics worldwide, transition to democracy and specifics of party development; internatinal co-opeartion of parties and their operation on the supranational level (EU).

Intended learning outcomes:

The aim of the course is to acquire knowledge on political phenomena which determines representation democracy; on political parties and party systems. Parties are actors with an important influence on different political institutions and political systems. Parties had an important role in democratic transition, particularly in postsocialist countries. The course will offer students insight in formation, functions, internal characteristics of parties as well as in formation and main features of party systems.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures - Seminars - Individual and group consultations with professor - Public speaking and presentation/defence of a paper - e-learning.

Assessment

Written examination, seminar work. A precondition for accession to the written examination is positively evaluated seminar work.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature