UCL - Political Sociology

[POLS1121]

[30h] 4 credits

This course is taught in the 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Benoît Rihoux

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

This course expands on the Political Science (I) course: it studies in greater detail the analysis of civil society (introduced in the Political Science (I) course), and more particularly the two principal collective bodies at work in civil society: social movements and political parties. As such, the course complements the Political Science (II) course, a comparative analysis of institutions and political regimes.
The course has two objectives:
" Globally, to help students to develop an analytical capability and a capacity for personal reflection supported by a theoretical and conceptual apparatus (going beyond superficial observation and simple description);
" To help students gain a better understanding of the current socio-political climate and developments in "civil society" in Western societies.

Main themes

1. Social movements: classic studies
" analysis of the "crowd" and "calamities"/disasters/lynch mobs?
" definitions and typologies
" the organisation of social movements
" militancy
2. Social movements: recent developments
" the "new social movements"
" new phenomena: the "white movement", the alterglobalist movement etc: a new "new social unrest"?
" new forms of militancy
3. The political parties: review
" Definition (s) (review and expansion)
" Typologies, classifications (review and expansion)
4. The political parties: recent developments
" Recent developments - various theses
" Partisan organisations: developments/transformations
" The end of the political parties?

Content and teaching methods

Methods
The course is given principally in the form of lectures, with a small number of interactive sessions (debates, contributions from students in sub-groups, with possible participation of outside contributor).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Evaluation: Written examination at the end of the year. The examination consists of a number of closed, open and semi-open questions (max.10 points), and a short essay requiring students to show a broad understanding of the subjects covered in the course (10 points). A qualitative evaluation is also made of the interactive sessions and this is taken into account.
NB: the teachers of the Political science I and Political Science II courses may well work together to evaluate the courses (possibility of joint evaluation, etc).
Course materials: course handout provided