Nothing remains the same? Changes in Party Systems of European Countries: New Cleavages, New Political Parties, New Party Systems?

Anotace

The course will be held by Dr. Malgorzata Kaczorowská (Warsaw University).

The Course is designed to provide students with through understanding of changing contemporary political parties and party systems, as well as the ideas and issues that have shaped contemporary politics mostly in Europe. The aim of the course is to define the basic cleavages of the political systems, to explain the main characteristics of different models of party systems; to explain the concepts of contemporary characteristic of functioning of political parties, as well as its problems and political mechanisms functioning within them. Throughout the course, comparisons with party systems in different countries will be made as a point of reference to provide the student with a framework for understanding why and how political parties and different party systems are changing. Because with alongside the time is passing by, nothing remains the same.

During the seminar we will try to answer a few questions: Are political parties changing and in what direction? What types of new political groupings are emerging in Europe? Have the party systems of European countries changed in recent years? Do changes in political parties affect changes in party systems? In what direction are these changes taking place?

Class sessions will include both (mixture of the) lecture and seminar, which means: presentations and discussions, where students are required to actively participate and contribute to these disputes. The required some reading which could be presented by students in a seminar fashion.

Whilst students are expected to learn the fundamentals of party systems in European countries, this course is not only about ‘memorizing’ factual detail. Rather, they should approach this class from an “analytical” perspective. Students are also expected to keep up with current affairs in in terms of political parties and party systems in the world and in Europe by reading publications in journals (such as: Party Politics, Western European Politics, International Political Science as well as Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The Economist) and daily news (all available online, in Internet).