Political Ideologies and Parties
Course code
RIT6032.YK
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Poliitilised ideoloogiad ja erakonnad
Course title in English
Political Ideologies and Parties
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
To introduce the major contemporary political ideologies and show how they get manifested in party politics and shape today's party systems. To develop understanding and skills to analyse the key themes and premiss of contemporary political ideologies and how political parties have evolved and function in contemporary democracies.
Brief description of the course
The course provides an overview of the following topics: the concept and main themes of political ideologies, liberalism, conservatism, socialism and social democracy, nationalism, fascism and national socialism, anarchism, feminism, ecologism, political parties and ideologies – modern party families, the functions of political parties in democracies, the evolution of political parties and the main models, party organisations and intra-party democracy, political parties and the electorate and social cleavages, political parties and the institutional context (parties in government, in parliament and funding of parties), party systems - the concept and different classifications, party systems in different countries and regions of the world, the rise of populism and the challenges to today's party democracy.
The independent work in the course includes reading seminar texts and applying the theories and concepts learned to different cases and countries.
The independent work in the course includes reading seminar texts and applying the theories and concepts learned to different cases and countries.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- knows the main political ideologies, their key traits and premises, and is able to distinguish and compare them;
- is able to link the ideological arguments and policy proposals found in the party manifestos with the relevant ideologies and their theoretical premises;
- understands the role of political parties in today's democracies and is familiar with the basic concepts and theories on political parties and party systems;
- is able to compare political parties and party systems in different countries with each other and analyse them in light of the concepts and theories learned in the course.
- knows the main political ideologies, their key traits and premises, and is able to distinguish and compare them;
- is able to link the ideological arguments and policy proposals found in the party manifestos with the relevant ideologies and their theoretical premises;
- understands the role of political parties in today's democracies and is familiar with the basic concepts and theories on political parties and party systems;
- is able to compare political parties and party systems in different countries with each other and analyse them in light of the concepts and theories learned in the course.
Teacher
Tõnis Saarts
Study programmes containing that course