Not available in 2018/19
GV454 Half Unit
Parties, Elections and Governments
This information is for the 2018/19 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Torun Dewan CON6.07
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in EU Politics, MSc in EU Politics (ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and Sciences Po) and MSc in Political Science and Political Economy. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Pre-requisites
There are no formal prerequisites.
Course content
The course focuses on key topics in political science concerning voting and representation. Topics covered include:
• Party and Candidate Strategy
• The Role and Origins of Parties
• Government Formation and Termination
• Electoral Systems: Franchise, Ballot, and Allocation formulas
• Leadership
• Political Careers
• Government Accountability
Examples will be drawn from a wide range of democracies.
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the LT.
In week 11 of LT students will sit a two hour mock exam
Formative coursework
All students are expected to submit one non-assessed essay.
Indicative reading
The course is focussed mainly on journal articles. However the following books are relevant to some of the topics covered
Gary Cox, Making Votes Count (1995); Gary Cox & Mathew McCubbins, Setting the Agenda (2005); George Tsebelis, Veto Players (2002); Kenneth Shepsle and Mark Boncheck, Analysing Politics (1997); Tim Besley, Principled Agents (2005); John Aldrich, Why Parties (1995); Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Alastair Smith, Randolph Siverson and James Morrow, The Logic of Political Survival (2003); Giovanni Sartori, Comparative Constitutional Engineering (1997); Michael Laver & Norman Schofield, MultiParty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe (1990).
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Student performance results
(2014/15 - 2016/17 combined)
Classification | % of students |
---|---|
Distinction | 18.4 |
Merit | 49 |
Pass | 30.6 |
Fail | 2 |
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2017/18: Unavailable
Average class size 2017/18: Unavailable
Controlled access 2017/18: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Problem solving
- Communication