Trumping the Mainstream: The Populist Radical Right and Democratic Politics
| Module title | Trumping the Mainstream: The Populist Radical Right and Democratic Politics |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3281 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Lise Herman (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 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 the Populist Radical Right (PRR), a specific nativist and authoritarian brand of populism, and democracy. It will also offer you tools to understand the causes and consequences of PRR 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 the PRR 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 PRR parties both as revealing pre-existing democratic crises and cause of such crises, using a range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples. You will also learn about the strengths and limitations of some of the key methods for measuring populist discourse, ideology and attitudes, and about how to apply some these methods using manifesto databases and text-analysis. 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, an understanding of different approaches to the theoretical conceptualization and empirical measure of populism, and knowledge of historical and contemporary trends in the relationship between democracy and PRR 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 PRR appeals in the historical development of representative democracy and in its contemporary crises;
- 2. show expertise on the development of PRR 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. demonstrate an understanding of the strengths and limits of different approaches to the theoretical conceptualization and empirical measure of party ideology in general and populist forms of the radical right especially.
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. evidence familiarity with some key methods of politics analysis, including text-analysis methods and the use of online tools of data visualization and analysis.
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", populism, the PRR, and differences between democracy and authoritarianism in historical perspective. This first part of the class also provides a comparative overview of key trends and patterns of success in the rise of the PRR claims and parties over the past few decades in the West.
- The second part of the module focuses on major demand and supply-side factors that help explain the trends outlined in Part 1. These classes will examine a variety of factors such as the role of social change and modernization theory, the agency of radical political forces, the impact of a changing media landscape and the responsibility of mainstream political actors.
The last part of the module turns 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hours per week seminars including small group work and class discussion |
| Guided Independent Study | 63 | Reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Case study writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 15 | Case study plan |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study plan | 900 words | 1-6 | Written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study 1 | 33 | 900 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Case study 2 | 33 | 900 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Case study 3 | 34 | 900 words | 1-6 | Written |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study 1 | Case study, 900 words | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Case study 2 | Case study, 900 words | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Case study 3 | Case study, 900 words | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - 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 | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None. |
| Module co-requisites | None. |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 22/02/2022 |
| Last revision date | 27/10/2022 |
