ASPO 16A00 - Political Science

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to political science, its central concepts, major debates, and principal fields of inquiry. Each two-hour lecture is organized around a major issue in political science, including legitimacy, power, political parties, public opinion, political competition, political participation, and political cleavages.

The course consists of twelve lectures of two hours each. The final part of every session is devoted to discussion and questions from students. Lecture slides will be made available online after each class.

Due to the context of the French presidential election in April 2027, sessions 5 to 8 will show examples applied to French politics in this context.

COURSE SCHEDULE

• The Political Object

Why and how can politics be studied scientifically? What is political science? The place of political science among the social sciences. Politics, policy, and polity.

• State, Power, and Legitimacy

The emergence of the modern state in Europe; theories of state formation; nation and nationalism; competing conceptions of political power.

• Political Regimes and Forms of Democracy

Political regimes and their classifications. Contemporary developments in democracy: representative, participatory, deliberative, and illiberal forms.

• Totalitarianism and Authoritarian Regimes

Hannah Arendt and the origins of totalitarianism. Varieties of totalitarianism and authoritarianism. Key distinctions between authoritarian and totalitarian rule.

• Political Competition and Political Life

Political and electoral competition. The historical construction of political markets. Political professionals and the thesis of the “hidden census”.

• Political Parties, Candidates, and Elected Representatives

Bernard Manin’s three stages of representative democracy. Origins, functions, and classifications of political parties. Recruitment and careers in politics.

• Public Opinion and Political Communication

The concept of public opinion, opinion polling, and their controversies. The role of public opinion in democratic politics and political communication.

• Voting, elections and cleavages

The meaning of voting and the determinants of electoral participation. Sociological, psychological, and campaign-centred explanations of voting behaviour.

• Collective Action and Political Participation Beyond Voting

Protest, social movements, and collective action. Resource mobilization, rational choice, crowd psychology, and relative deprivation approaches.

• Public Policy Analysis

Understanding what governments do, why they do it, and with what consequences. Governance, public action, and multilevel policymaking.

• Europe, Globalization, and National Politics

Europeanization, globalization, and their effects on political systems. Hanspeter Kriesi’s analysis of globalization and political conflict.

• Political Science and Its Methods

Scientific methods in contemporary political science. Quantitative and qualitative approaches, data analysis, archives, and sources.

REQUIRED READING

Students wishing to deepen their understanding of each topic are encouraged to consult the recommended readings. The core textbook for the course is:

Andrew Heywood, Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 7th ed., Bloomsbury Academic, 2021.

Andrew Heywood, Political Theory: An Introduction, 5th ed., Bloomsbury Academic, 2023.

Robert Jubb & Patrick Tomlin, eds., Issues in Political Theory, 5th ed., Oxford University Press, 2026, qui pourra également faire double emploi avec le cours de théorie politique;

John McCormick, Rod Hague & Martin Harrop, Comparative Government and Politics, 13th ed., Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.

Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka et Rachel Bzostek Walker, Introduction to political science, OpenStax/Rice University, 2022

None

Lecture course and method tutorials

Assessment is based for:

• 50% on continuous assessment (the composition of this is : 40% on a midterm examination (date to be confirmed), 40% on an in-class presentation during methodology classes (the “conference de méthodes”), and 20% on in-class exercises or participation in discussions during methodology classes)
• 50% on a final examination (date to be confirmed).

As for the midterm and final examinations, two-thirds of the grade will be based on material covered in lectures, readings, slides, and methodology classes, while one-third will be based on material exclusively presented orally during lectures that will not be included in the slides.