Teaching code

4S010544

Teacher

Massimo Prearo

Coordinator

Massimo Prearo

Credits

9

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

SPS/04 - POLITICAL SCIENCE

Period

Sem. 1A, Sem. 1B

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

Students will know and understand:
- the fundamental principles, concepts, models, and theories of political science;
- the contemporary debates related to the socio-political transformations taking place in the globalized world;
- the contribution of political science literature to the theme of international strategy and security;
- emerging issues related to the governance of risk and vulnerability.
Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to contemporary political and strategic processes and phenomena.
Written and oral examination of the texts indicated in the syllabus and of the provided material.

Prerequisites and basic notions

No prerequisits

Program

What is political science? What does it mean to study politics scientifically? What are the theories, methods and objects of political science? What is the contribution of political science to the understanding of politics and international relations? How do strategic and security studies fit within this disciplinary field?
The course introduces the fundamental elements of political science with a focus on the international dynamics and crises that have determined and determine contemporary political scenarios: from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the collapse of the party system of the so-called "First Republic", from the transformations introduced by globalization to the international consequences of local crises, from the consolidation of the digitization of the world to new forms of political participation and contestation.
The study of the central themes of the discipline such as the state, democracy, systems of government, administration and bureaucracy, parties, representation, political participation, electoral systems, public policy, etc., will be conducted with an approach that is both theoretical and empirical. This means that the conceptual dimension of the discipline will be addressed through the scientific contribution of contemporary researchers to specific issues and problems.
For any needs or requests, the teacher receives by appointment upon request forwarded to massimo.prearo@univr.it
No distinction is made between attending and non-attending students for this course. The progran is therefore the same for all the students.
For the study and preparation of the exam, students can rely on two kind of texts:
- Textbook materials: the political science textbook indicated in the bibliography, and additional additional chapters indicated by the lecturer (the full list of which will be communicated before the start of the course).
- Readings: scholarly articles and book chapters indicated by the lecturer (the full list of which will be communicated before the start of the course).

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Each lesson and, in general, the course will take place alternating moments of frontal lessons and moments of participatory lessons, exchanges and discussions, also and above all starting from the commentary on the texts in the program.
To facilitate access to lessons for students who cannot attend for any reason, lessons will be recorded and made available starting from the last lesson of the course, i.e. 12 December 2023, and will remain available until the last exam session relating to the course of the cademic year 2023/2024.
Information, communications, tools and materials will be transmitted and made available on the Moodle of the course.
Registration on the Moodle page of the course is therefore mandatory for all students.

Learning assessment procedures

The written exam consists of two parts.
The first involves answering 3 open questions randomly drawn from a battery of about 70 questions. This battery of questions will be made available on the Moodle page about halfway through the course. The study for this part of the exam will be carried out on textbook materials.
The second consists in a critical review of one of the readings indicated in the bibliography, randomly assigned during the exam. During the course tools for the preparation of the commentary will be provided.
NB: Any slides made available by the teacher in no way replace the indicated texts (textbooks materials + readings), but serve only as a support to the work done in the classroom.

Evaluation criteria

The exam will allow to verify:
- Knowledge of the technical terms, concepts and notions of the discipline;
- The ability to argue scientifically by applying these terms, concepts and notions;
- Competence in developing autonomous analyzes and reflections.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade is expressed out of thirty and it is assigned based on an assessment rubric in which the expected skills and competencies are specified
The attribution of the distinction is envisaged in cases in which more than excellent, impeccable and excellent knowledge and skills have been demonstrated during the exam.

Exam language

italiano

Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs

This initiative contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030. More information on sustainability