Sociology of Power and Politics

Code:

SOCI035

Acronym:

SPPOL

Instance: 2011/2012 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Sociology
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Sociology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LRI	4	Study Plan	2	-	6	52	162
			3
SOCI	74	SOCI - Study Plan	2	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Aims:
Knowledge of the main sociological patterns of analysis of power and political power phenomena;
identification and knowledge of the process of historical genesis of the State in Europe;
knowledge of the implications of the different views of society in the formulation of alternative frameworks of political power;
knowledge of the historical and social dimensions that are the base of the production of contemporary totalitarian and authoritative phenomena, maintaining the specificities of the Portuguese example;
knowledge of the genesis and structure of the democratic political-partisan field.


Competences:
- development of the capacity for thought and well-founded critical analysis of contemporary societies, using the conceptual frameworks of Sociology;
development of the ability to anticipate in a sociological way the phenomena of power inside societies and of the dynamics of its transformation in political power and political-partisan power;
- development of a culture of critical and reflexive citizenship and of professional attitudes based on ethical principles.

Program

1. Introduction. Sociology and Power.
2. Power, supremacy and authority. The diffusion of power in social life. The specificity of the political phenomena. The answer of the Classics of Sociology and their reformulations. Recent developments in the scope of Historical Sociology.
3. The various conceptions of power in accordance with the different views of society. The organic conceptions of society. The cybernetization of power. The theory of the “end of ideologies”. The conflicting conceptions of society and the State as dominant factors.
4. The practice of authority. State-reason and State-supremacy.
5. Concentrated political power. Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism. The Salazar period.
6. Genesis and structure of the democratic political-partisan field. Voting, explanations of voting tendencies, electoral systems and political parties.

Mandatory literature

Lipset, S. M. ; Consenso e Conflito, Gradiva, 1992
Bourdieu, Pierre ; O Poder Simbólico, Difel, 1988
Benedicto, Jorge; Morán, María Luz (Org.s); Sociedad y Política, Alianza Universidad Textos, 1995
Bourdieu, Pierre; Raisons pratiques, Seuil, 1994
Tilly, Charles ; As Revoluções na Europa 1492-1992, Presença, 1998
Bermeo, Nancy ; A Teoria da Democracia e as Realidades da Europa do Sul, Difel, 1999
Weber, Max ; Economía y Sociedad, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1964
Lopes, Fernando Farelo; Os Partidos Políticos. Modelos e realidades da Europa Ocidental e de Portugal, Celta, 2004
Fernandes, A. Teixeira ; Os Fenómenos Políticos, Afrontamento, 1988
Fernandes, António Teixeira; A Sociedade e O Estado, Afrontamento, 1997
Pinto, José Madureira ; Ideologias: inventário crítico de um conceito, Presença, 1978
Freire, André ; Modelos de Comportamento Eleitoral. Uma introdução crítica, Celta, 2001
Michels, Robert; Les Partis politiques, Flammarion, 1971
Held, David; Models of Democracy, Stanford University Press, 2006
Jalali, Carlos; Partidos e democracia em Portugal: 1974-2005, Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, 2007

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theorical-Pratical Sessons(TP9
Tutorial Sessons(OT)

Software

Não se aplica

keywords

Social sciences > Sociology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	56,00
Exam	Exame	2,00		2012-07-16
	Trabalho escrito	31,00		2012-07-16
	Total:	-	0,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Description	Type	Time (hours)	End date
	Estudo autónomo	73	2012-07-16
	Total:	73,00

Eligibility for exams

According to the parameters in the Assessment Regulations applicable to 1st cycle courses of FLUP, attendance is a pre-requirement of assessment. Students will meet this requirement if they do not miss more than 25% of estimated theory-practical classes and tutorials. The grade for each assessment may not be less than 8 (out of 20). The assessment corresponds to a weighted average of the grade obtained in the final exam and in the work done in tutorials, as shown in the next paragraph. Students who fail may sit the final exam in the Resit period.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final exam grade counts for 75% in the final grade.
The grade for the report counts for 25% of the final grade.

Examinations or Special Assignments

The report will be done on an individual basis and developed in the tutorials. Date of submission: on the day of the final exam.

Classification improvement

The improvement of grade is based on the assessment elements planned for the subject. Therefore, as regards the final exam, this implies sitting a new exam; as to the individual report, a new report will have to be prepared. The final grade maintains the calculation criteria shown above (the final exam counts for 75% of the final grade; the report counts for 25%).

Observations

The lecturer’s contact hours will be announced at the beginning of classes; students, however, must book the meetings the lecturer beforehand.