Trumping the Mainstream: Populism and Democratic Politics
| Module title | Trumping the Mainstream: Populism and Democratic Politics |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3230 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Lise Herman (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
A paradox lies at the heart of the populist discourse. References to "The People" have paved the long road to democracy in the West, and still act today as a reminder of the centrality of popular sovereignty to representative government. Yet populism is also inherently at odds with the pluralist ethos that structures liberal democracy, and when in power threatens democratic institutions at their core. This module combines the insights of contemporary populism studies and the history of political thought to help you understand this paradox. It will provide you with a historical perspective on the relationship between populism and democracy, and offer you tools to understand the causes and consequences of populist success in the West in past decades. This module will encourage your active engagement in group work and class discussion, including formal debates and simulations.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aims of this module are to provide you with a detailed examination of the historical relation between populism and democracy, and of the manifestations of this relationship today. A key emphasis of the module will be to enrich your understanding of the role of populist parties both as revealers of pre-existing democratic crises and cause of such crises, using a range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples. Key case studies will include the radicalization of the US Republican Party, populism in power in Central Eastern Europe, the causes of Brexit, or the historical evolution of the French Front National. If you take this module and fully participate you will leave with a grasp of key debates in populism studies, and knowledge of historical and contemporary trends in the relationship between democracy and populist politics.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the role of populist appeals in the historical development of representative democracy and in its contemporary crises.
- 2. Gain expertise on the development of populist discourse and organizations in a specific country, and acquire the ability to put this knowledge in comparative perspective.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary debates in the field of populism studies.
- 4. Apply the comparative method to the analysis of populist developments in contemporary democracies
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Conduct independent research and exercise critical reasoning in weighing academic arguments
- 6. Demonstrate analytical capacity and structure in written and oral expression
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics.
- The first few classes provides the conceptual basis for the rest of the course. Drawing on contemporary political theory and the history of political ideas, they place the evolving meaning of key concepts such as "The People" and populism, the Left/Right divide, the fringe/mainstream dichotomy and differences between democracy and authoritarianism in historical perspective.
- The second part of the module focuses on trends in the rise of the populist claims and parties over the past few decades in the West. It will examine provide an overview of these trends, as well as of the major demand and supply-side factors that help explain them. These classes will examine the role of social change, the agency of radical political forces, the impact of a changing media landscape and the responsibility of mainstream political actors.
- The last section of the course will turn to present and future trends, focusing on both the consequences of radical right populism for democratic politics and the ways in which these consequences might be answered, for instance through institutional engineering, the emergence of national political alternatives or transnational forms of politics.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 44 | 22 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion. |
| Guided Independent Study | 136 | Reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Case study writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Presentation preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Essay writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group class presentations | 15 minutes | 1-6 | Oral |
| General seminar participation and engagement in group work | Throughout the course | 1-6 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 4,000 words | 1-6 | Written and Oral |
| Case study exercises | 50 | 7 x 500 words assignments | 1-6 | Written and Oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (4,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Case study exercises | Essay (3,500 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
No equivalent reassessment is available for the case study exercises.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Akkerman, Tjitske, Sarah L. de Lange, and Matthijs Rooduijn, eds (2016) Radical Right-Wing Populist Parties in Western Europe, Into the Mainstream? Abingdon, New York: Routledge.
Canovan, Margaret. 2005. The people, Key concepts (Polity Press). Cambridge: Polity.
Hay, Colin (2007), Why We Hate Politics, Cambridge: Polity.
Horwitz, Robert Britt (2013) America's right: anti-establishment conservatism from Goldwater to the Tea Party: Cambridge: Polity.
Linz, Juan J. 2000. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. Boulder, CO: Boulder, CO : Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Mudde, Cas (2007) Populist radical right parties in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Norris, Pippa (2005) Radical right: voters and parties in the electoral market. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Panizza, Francisco (ed.) (2005), Populism and the Mirror of Democracy, London: Verso.
Pirro, Andrea L. P (2015) The populist radical right in Central and Eastern Europe: ideology, impact, and electoral performance: London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Rosenthal, L., & Trost, C. (Eds.) (2012) Steep: the precipitous rise of the Tea Party. Berkeley, London: University of California Press.
Schäfer, Armin, and Wolfgang Streeck, eds. 2013. Politics in the age of austerity. Edited by Polity. Cambridge.
Skocpol, T., & Williamson, V. (2012). The Tea Party and the remaking of Republican conservatism. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 09/04/2018 |
