Syllabus
1. Introduction, Changing Politics The course will be introduced, and the organisation of the semester will be presented. Besides this, the rationale and benefits of the course will be explained together with a debate on the recent changes in politics.
2. Polarisation Increasing polarisation is one of the most influential factors in today’s politics across the world. Thus, students will learn about polarisation’s definition, existence in different states and effects on political systems.
3. Conspiracy Theories Although conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, their importance in contemporary politics is rising due to easier spreading. Therefore, students will find out what the role of conspiracy theories in today’s politics is and what political science knows about them.
4. Populism Populism has been employed by not only minor but also mainstream political parties and politicians in different states in recent years, which makes it an influential political concept. Thus, students will understand populism together with its worldwide impacts.
5. Political Marketing Today’s politics is almost inseparable from political marketing. Thus, students will learn what the role of political marketing in contemporary politics is, and some relevant terms, such as permanent campaigning or politainment, will be discussed.
6. Changing Parties and Party Systems Contemporary politics witnesses new forms of political parties and transformations of party systems. Thus, students will reveal what the new party types are and in what manner party systems transform.
7. Evidence-Based Policy-Making Together with the increasing amount and accessibility of data, their role in the policy-making process is being discussed. Therefore, students will learn about an approach of evidence-based policy-making.
8. Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected almost all aspects of life across the globe and the world of politics has been no exception. Thus, students will understand how the pandemic has influenced not only the content of politics but also the form of governing and policy-making.
9. Trends in Your Country I Students will present contemporary trends that take place in their countries.
10. Trends in Your Country II Students will present contemporary trends that take place in their countries.
11. Trends in Your Country III Students will present contemporary trends that take place in their countries.
12. Trends in Your Country IV Students will present contemporary trends that take place in their countries.
Annotation
The world of politics has gone through substantial changes in recent years. Once stable party systems transform, social media change the way of political communication, and the COVID-19 pandemic affected not only a content but also a form of governing and policy-making.
The course focuses on some of these modern trends and asks not only how these changes influence the world of today’s politics but also how they affect the way of scrutinizing it. Besides this, the course gives students a chance to identify and understand contemporary trends in politics in their own countries since most of the changes demonstrate in specific ways in different countries.