The aim of this course is to provide the basic knowledge with respect to the concepts, models and theories of Political Science, with specific attention to its empirical and research dimension. The course is divided into two parts. The first part introduces on the basic theoretical concepts of the discipline and the main political science research tools. The second part is a monographic focus on the Italian political system which adopts two perspectives: 1) the relationship between politics, political parties and society; 2) electoral participation and voting choice.

Theoretical part

• Introduction – Political science: politics, policies, polity
• The political system
• Democracy and its “alternatives”
• Political participation and its different dimensions
• Social movements, pressure groups and political parties
• Party models and party systems
• Elections, electoral systems and electoral behaviour
• Democratic representation and parliaments
• Institutions and levels of government
• Political communication
• Decisional process and public policies
• Political research methods and techniques; comparative research.

Monographic part

• Politics, parties and society in Italy in the transition between different “republics”
• The changing colours of the Italian political map
• Elections, Electoral participation and voting choice
• The Italian General Elections of 2013;
• New parties and new leaders;
• Towards the Third Republic?

• Knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course students must have acquired the knowledge of the basic concepts and main theories of political science. Educational methods used to reach these goals: frontal lectures, audio-visual materials, seminars with scholars and experts, class discussion.
• Applying knowledge and understanding: the students must be able to identify and apply appropriately, to real research and analysis situations, the concepts, models and theories presented throughout the course. In particular, they must be able to apply the acquired knowledge to the analysis of the transformation of politics and, specifically, to the evolution of the Italian political system.  Educational methods used to reach these goals: frontal lectures, audio-visual materials, seminars with scholars and experts, class discussion; group exercises.
• Making judgements: the students will strengthen their ability to connect the concepts, theories and models presented throughout the course, their ability to deal with complex problems independently, to make judgements and critical reflections about political phenomena and their transformations. Educational methods used to reach these goals: frontal lectures, audio-visual materials, seminars with scholars and experts, class discussion.
• Communication skills: the students must be able to clearly and incisively communicate, appropriately using the lexicon, the concepts and the theories of political science. Educational methods used to reach these goals: the students will be asked to interact with the lecturer and with their colleagues, asking questions and actively participating to class discussion.
• Learning skills: the students are supposed to develop adequate learning skills, so as to be able to extend and independently deepen the knowledge acquired throughout the course, following new paths of theoretical reflection or research. Educational methods used to reach these goals: frontal lectures, audio-visual materials, seminars with scholars and experts, class discussion.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

First (theoretical) part: frontal lectures, with slides show presentations and audio-visual materials; class discussion. Second (monographic) part: frontal lectures, with slides show presentations and audio-visual materials; presentation and discussion of research results; group exercises. Seminars with scholars and experts, on the themes included in the program, will be organised during the course period.

Course books

First (theoretical) part:

• Capano, G., S. Piattoni, F. Raniolo, L. Verzichelli, Manuale di scienza politica, Seconda edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna 2017.

Second (monographic) part:

• Diamanti I., F. Bordignon, L. Ceccarini, (a cura di) Un salto nel voto. Ritratto politico dell'Italia di oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2013.
• Diamanti I., Mappe dell’Italia politica. Bianco, rosso, verde, azzurro… e tricolore, il Mulino, Bologna, 2009.

The chapters of the “Manuale di scienza politica” attending students need to study will be specified during the course. For the monographic part, students must choose one of the two proposed books. Additional teaching material (research reports or articles taken from national and international scientific journal) could be made available by the lecturer during the course via the Moodle platform > blended.uniurb.it.

Assessment

Students can choose between two different paths: 
1) the first path entails (a) an exercise performed during the course, (b) a written exam at the end of the course, (c) a brief oral exam. The exercise entails the analysis of a current political event or a current political issue, using the concepts and the tools introduced during the course. The written exam entails two open questions the student is called to answer in two pages, in  60 minutes time. The final score is given by the sum of the scores of the exercise (5 points) and the written exam (25 points), adjusted on the basis of the result of the oral exam, which can add a maximum of ±3 points. The student must obtain a score of at least 15/30 to be admitted to the oral exam;
2) the second path, recommended for non-attending students or students who attend intermittently, is an oral exam following the standard exams calendar.

For both the written exam and the oral exam, the evaluation is based on:
- relevance of answers in relation to the contents of the course;
- articulation of answers;
- relevance of the language used.
 

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

First (theoretical) part:

• Capano, G., S. Piattoni, F. Raniolo, L. Verzichelli, Manuale di scienza politica, Seconda edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna 2017 (Chapters I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII VIII, IX, X).

Second (monographic) part:

• Diamanti I., F. Bordignon, L. Ceccarini, (a cura di) Un salto nel voto. Ritratto politico dell'Italia di oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2013.
• Diamanti I., Mappe dell’Italia politica. Bianco, rosso, verde, azzurro… e tricolore, il Mulino, Bologna, 2009.

For the monographic part, non-attending students must choose one of the two proposed books. Non-attending students are not supposed to study the additional teaching materials made available by the lecturer via the Moodle platform > blended.uniurb.it.

Assessment

Oral exam following the standard exams calendar

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

The student can request to sit the final exam in English with an alternative bibliography