Political Conflicts in Europe
| Module title | Political Conflicts in Europe |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL2100 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Florian Stoeckel (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 60 |
|---|
Module description
This module takes a comparative focus on various political conflicts in Europe. You will gain an understanding of similarities and differences in party political conflict across European countries and the rise of right wing populism. You will also consider political conflict as it relates to the expansion of democracy in Europe and contemporary threats to the quality of democracy (e.g. developments in Eastern Europe, ‘post factual politics’ as a more general phenomenon). Finally, you will discuss research on conflict as a result of globalisation, immigration, and European integration. Country case studies come from Western, Eastern, and Southern Europe.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module familiarizes you with basic approaches to understand political conflicts in Europe from the perspective of comparative politics. This includes theories on party political conflict and its dimensions as well as theoretical approaches to understand ‘post-factual’ politics and threats to the quality of democracy. It aims at providing you with the skills to apply core theories to current political conflicts in a variety of European countries, to critically evaluate the usefulness of these theories, and to equip you with the presentation skills required to describe, analyse, and explain political conflicts in Europe yourself. That is, the module seeks to improve your ability to critically analyse texts and to communicate effectively. Apart from its focus on substantive issues, the module also seeks to introduce you to the comparative method and other quantitative research designs in political science. This focus also promotes an understanding of predictive social science models. Case studies come from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Northern Europe.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts and theories used in political science to understand conflicts in Europe;
- 2. evaluate theories in the field of comparative politics based on empirical evidence.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. exercise informed judgment concerning the use of empirical evidence in support of an argument in published research;
- 4. synthesize competing theories to analyse new problems.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. present complex arguments with clarity and concision;
- 6. work independently and with peers to meet common research and assessment deadlines effectively;
- 7. speak confidently in front of small and large audiences on a subject you have studied.
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:
Party political conflict
- Party systems and party families in Eastern and Western Europe
- The rise of right-wing populism in Western and Northern Europe
- Economic hardship and political conflict (case studies from Southern Europe)
The rise and fall of democracy
- The promotion of democracy and EU enlargement (case studies: Eastern European countries, Balkan)
- The quality of democracy (e.g. Poland and Hungary)
- Political culture: trust and mistrust in political institutions in the East and West
- Elite-mass linkages in a time of ‘post-factual’ politics
Globalisation and European integration
- European identity: threat or unifying force?
- Globalisation and immigration as a conflict at the national level
- The nature of political conflict at the European level
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22 | 11 x 2-hour lectures with a mix of lecture, collective discussion, and presentations |
| Guided Independent Study | 78 | Preparation and completion of course assignments (50 hours essay, 14 hours presentation, 14 hours reaction paper) |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Reading for seminars |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 400 words | 1-6 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 2,000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Group Presentation | 20 | 4 minutes per student (assessment based on individual presentation) | 1-7 | Written |
| 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 (2,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Presentation | 400 word report covering the topic of the presentation | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Ferrin, M., and H. Kriesi (2016). How Europeans view and evaluate democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Flynn, D., B. Nyhan and J. Reifler (2017). The nature and origins of misperceptions: understanding false and unsupported beliefs about politics. Political Psychology 38 (S1): 127–150.
Hooghe, L., and G. Marks (2017). Europe’s Crises and Political Contestation. Journal of European Public Policy, unassigned.
Hutter, S., E. Grande and H. Kriesi (eds) (2016). Politicising Europe: Integration and Mass Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mudde, C. (2013). Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what?. European Journal of Political Research 52.1: 1-19.
Jost, J. T., P. Barberá, R Bonneau, M Langer, M Metzger, J Nagler, J Sterling, and J A. Tucker (2018). How Social Media Facilitates Political Protest: Information, Motivation, and Social Networks. Political Psychology 39 (2018): 85-118.
Norris, P. and R. Inglehart, 2018. Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Authoritarian Populism. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Risse, T. (2010). A Community of Europeans? Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Vachudova, M. (2014). EU leverage and national interests in the Balkans: The puzzles of enlargement ten years on. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 52.1: 122-138.
Vachudova, M. A. (2005). Europe undivided: democracy, leverage, and integration after communism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/08/2017 |
| Last revision date | 02/02/2022 |
