Module POL3256 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3256: Trumping the Mainstream: The Populist Radical Right and Democratic politics
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The aims of this module are to provide you with a detailed examination of the historical relation between the PRR and democracy, and of the manifestations of this relationship today. A key emphasis of the module will be to enrich your understanding of the role of PRR parties both as revealers of pre-existing democratic crises and cause of such crises, using a range of theoretical approaches and empirical examples. You will also learn about the strengths and limitations of some of the key methods for measuring populist discourse, ideology and attitudes, and about how to apply some these methods using manifesto databases and text-analysis. Key case studies will include the radicalization of the US Republican Party, populism in power in Central Eastern Europe, the causes of Brexit, or the historical evolution of the French Front National. If you take this module and fully participate you will leave with a grasp of key debates in populism studies, an understanding of different approaches to the theoretical conceptualization and empirical measure of populism, and knowledge of historical and contemporary trends in the relationship between democracy and PRR politics.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the role of PRR appeals in the historical development of representative democracy and in its contemporary crises. 2. Show expertise on the development of PRR discourse and organizations in a specific country and acquire the ability to put this knowledge in comparative perspective. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary debates in the field of populism studies. 4. Demonstrate an understanding of the strengths and limits of different approaches to the theoretical conceptualization and empirical measure of party ideology in general and populist forms of the radical right especially. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 5. Conduct independent research and exercise critical reasoning in weighing academic arguments 6. Evidence familiarity with some key methods of politics analysis, including text-analysis methods and the use of online tools of data visualization and analysis |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics.
- The first few classes provides the conceptual basis for the rest of the course. Drawing on contemporary political theory and the history of political ideas, they place the evolving meaning of key concepts such as "The People", populism, the PRR, and differences between democracy and authoritarianism in historical perspective. This first part of the class also provides a comparative overview of key trends and patterns of success in the rise of the PRR claims and parties over the past few decades in the West.
- The second part of the module focuses on major demand and supply-side factors that help explain the trends outlined in Part 1. These classes will examine a variety of factors such as the role of social change and modernization theory, the agency of radical political forces, the impact of a changing media landscape and the responsibility of mainstream political actors.
- The last part of the module turns to present and future trends, focusing on both the consequences of radical right populism for democratic politics and the ways in which these consequences might be answered, for instance through institutional engineering, the emergence of national political alternatives or transnational forms of politics.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 44 | 22 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, and class discussion |
| Guided independent study | 126 | Reading |
| Guided independent study | 64 | Case study writing |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Presentation preparation |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Essay writing |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
