Contemporary political systems

LPOLS1212  2016-2017  Louvain-la-Neuve

Contemporary political systems
5.0 credits
30.0 h
2q

Teacher(s)
De Winter Lieven ;
Language
Français
Main themes
The course of contemporary political Systems is destined to present a preview of the main political régimes that meets in the contemporary States. It has been decided to keep political systems considered like democratic only. By "political system", one not only hears the exam of the efficient exercise of the power as it results from the dominant institutional practice, but also the synthetic presentation of the rules, legal or no, of organization and working of the authorities and the description of the electoral system, of the system of the parties and pressure groups.
Aims
The object of the course is to offer to the students a sufficient information on the institutions and the system politics of some countries of which the place in the world is important or original. It must also permit the deepening of some questions of political science

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content
Content In the first place, the course presents several classifications of the democratic régimes, the some based on legal criterias, the other on criterias of politologic order. Then, one studies the political systems of six democracies, chosen either because they appear as the examples that inspired some typological models, either because they present remarkable particularities: Germany, the United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Switzerland. Methodology The analyses make themselves "vertically." State by State. The national political systems are taught systematically according to the plan next one : - given of the constitutional system - actors and structure policies (parties, pressure groups) - synthesis: working of the political system.
Other information
prerequisite : The knowledge of the public right principles facilitates the understanding Assessment: The exam is written. Of 12 to 20 questions are put, calling precise and (relatively) short answers. Support: The student has two syllabi. The first, written by L. Of Winter, is dedicated to the first three quoted countries; he/it also contains a general presentation of the "political system" notion. The second, written by THERE. Lejeune, is dedicated to the three other countries. The first syllabus takes the whole detailed information that has been dispensed globally. The pictures, statistical or descriptive data that there represents act as illustration to the subject and permit to understand the real working of the systems described. The second syllabus is conceived like a structured summary, giving synthetic manner the minimum of basis information; he/it must be completed by the explanations and comparisons given to the course.
Faculty or entity<


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Program title
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Minor in Human and Social Sciences
5
-

Minor in Political Sciences
5
-

Bachelor in Political Sciences: General
5
-

Master [120] in Political Sciences: General
5
-