ASPO 13A00 - INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

Political science is the scientific study of the institutions, forms of thought and organization, as well as the various actors comprising political life. Encompassing both theoretical and empirical perspectives, it provides the methodological tools necessary for describing states, societies, and political action and evaluating the objectives and efficacy of political processes. These processes are analyzed both from a macro-level (institutions on a regional, state and supranational level) and a micro-level perspective (individual-level analysis). This introductory course will introduce students to some of the main sub-disciplines of the field, including political theory, comparative politics, public policy, political economy, and international relations. Through a broad survey of the literature, students will become familiar with the key questions and debates within the field and acquire the concepts and methods necessary to interpret and analyze political phenomena of the past and present.

The course will introduce key concepts such as state, nation, political regime, electoral system, redistribution, political participation, collective action and regional integration; students will be expected to master the principal classification schemes presented in class. Attention will be paid to both theoretical approaches and comparative empirical analysis. The course will provide an initiation to the history of the discipline while providing students with references to contemporary research.

Students are expected to develop knowledge of the key authors in the field, hone the skills necessary for engaging with the political science literature in an objective and critical way, acquire methods for interpreting various types of documents (scientific articles, academic books, data sets, etc.), and cultivate the analytical and critical skills necessary for studies in political science.

A focus on Middle Eastern politics is developed over 6 sessions of 2 hours each. It supplements the general course of introduction to political science of 24 hours. The aim is to introduce students to major political science research questions as they stand in the Middle Eastern context (i.e. Iran, Israel, North Africa, the Arab Middle East, and Turkey). On the basis of empirical case studies, the course raises the issue of the transferability to the Middle East of theories and concepts that were initially elaborated to analyze political phenomena in a European and North American context.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION – CLASS SESSIONS:

Session 1. Introduction. Genesis, definitions, and methods of political science;

Session 2. Forms of political order and legitimacy;

Session 3. Identities: nations, nationalisms, and diversity;

Session 4. Democratic regimes: origins, classifications, and transformations;

Session 5. Policy-making processes;

Session 6. Authoritarian and totalitarian regimes;

Session 7. Redistribution and growth across regimes;

Session 8. Political socialization and paradigms of political culture;

Session 9. Electoral and party systems;

Session 10. Political participation and voting behavior;

Session 11. Organized civil society, collective action, and social movements;

Session 12. Regional integration and globalization.

FOCUS ON THE MIDDLE EAST – CLASS SESSIONS:

The final grade is divided as follows: the final exam (4 hours) constitutes 1/3 of the final grade; the conference grade (continuous assessment) counts for 2/3 of the final grade.

The conference grade is based on the following exercises:

• A mid-term exam (30%),
• An oral presentation in class (30%),
• A written essay (30%),
• In-class participation 10%

The regional focus on the Middle East and the Maghreb will be integrated into the course exercises and exams.