The Politics of Populism: Domestic and global challenges
| Module title | The Politics of Populism: Domestic and global challenges |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM155 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Lise Herman (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
Recent events such as the Brexit referendum, the election of Donald Trump in the United States and the accession of Marine Le Pen to the second round of the French Presidential elections mark a qualitative shift in the dynamic of fringe and mainstream politics in established democracies. Not only are far-right populists now able to win major electoral contests, and they therefore have gained more direct control over the political agenda, but this populist conquest of the mainstream has altered our political imagination in relation to the threats and opportunities posed by far-right populist discourse. This module provides you with the tools to make sense of the evolving relationship between far-right populism and mainstream politics in Western Europe and the United States in the past three decades. It focuses especially on the impact of populists on domestic and foreign policy, through their direct access to power or the influence they exert on mainstream parties. 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 relation of mutual influence between mainstream and populist political parties. It will examine in detail the role that mainstream political parties have played in the rise of populist parties and discourses and, in turn, the impact of populist parties and discourses on mainstream domestic and foreign policy decision-making. Key case studies will include the impact of far right parties on immigration policy in the EU, the deconstruction of democratic institutions by populists in power in Central Eastern Europe, the foreign policy of Donald Trump, the causes of Brexit, or alliances between mainstream and populist parties in continental Europe. 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 populism and contemporary 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 mainstream parties in the success of populist appeals, and the impact of populist parties on mainstream politics.
- 2. Gain expertise on populist politics in a specific country, and systematically put this knowledge in comparative perspective.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive understanding of contemporary debates in the field of populism studies.
- 4. Critically 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 substantive 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 provide 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 provide an overview of these trends, focusing especially on the evolving relationship between mainstream and populist political parties over the last decades. The agency of mainstream parties and their impact on populist success will especially be examined
- The last section of the course will turn to the consequences of radical right populism for both domestic and foreign policy in Europe and the United States.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion. |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 58 | Case study writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Presentation preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 80 | 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 | 6 x 500 words assignments | 1-6 | Written and Oral |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 (3,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
No available re-assessment 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) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 09/04/2018 |
