Political Science

Code:

CC007

Acronym:

CPOL

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Political science

Instance: 2022/2023 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of History, Political and International Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Communication Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CC	46	Study plan	2	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

- Define "politics" and identify the main approaches to its study;

- Understand the foundations of political activity; 

- Explore the main concepts and theories of political science, and promote the debate about some of its topics;

- Identify and understand the ideologies that have shaped the world we currently live in, and imagine alternatives to the status quo;

- Differentiate political institutions and groups, and analyse the role they play;

- Develop critical thinking and analytical and argumentative skills.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of this course unit, students are expected to be able to:

- Explain and critically analyse political issues and facts;

- Discuss different political ideas in a consistent and rigorous way.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

None.

Program

1. What is politics and how to study it?

2. Politics and the state (Western and non-Western perspectives)

3. Democracy and legitimacy

4. Freedom and justice

5. Political regimes

6. Politics, society and identity

7. Ideologies

7.1. Traditional ideologies: liberalism, socialism, conservatism, nationalism, fascism and anarchism

7.2. Challenges to the dominant ideologies: postmodernism and populism, feminism, multiculturalism, religious fundamentalism and environmentalism

8. Institutions and groups

8.1. Executives, legislatures and courts

8.2. Political parties, civil society, social movements, interest groups and the media

9. Public policy

10. Reflection on the current state of politics and perspectives for the future

Mandatory literature

A. L. Atchinson; Political Science Is for Everybody: An Introduction to Political Science, University of Toronto Press, 2021
R. Garner, P. Ferdinand, S. Lawson; Introduction to Politics, Oxford University Press, 2020
A. Heywood; Politics, Red Globe Press, 2019

Complementary Bibliography

A. Heywood; Political Theory, Palgrave, 2015
A. Heywood; Political Ideologies: An Introduction, Red Globe Press, 2021
M. C. Rom, M. Hidaka, R. Bzostek Walker; Introduction to Political Science, OpenStax, 2022

Comments from the literature

Additional reading material for classroom discussion will be provided during the semester.

Teaching methods and learning activities

TP classes: exposition of theories and concepts of political science, and discussion of political issues using book chapters, scientific articles and audiovisual material. OT classes: time to answer the students' questions and address other issues of interest to the class.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	121,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Obtaining a minimum of 10 (ten) points in the final exam.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam: 100%