International Relations MA(SocSci)
Political Parties and Democracy: Global Party Politics in Transition POLITIC4015
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Social and Political Sciences
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course covers the essentials of party politics. It will cover how parties operate and how they interact within party systems, but also the forces which determine the nature of these processes: namely the design of political institutions and the sociological composition of society. The course is global and comparative in focus.
Timetable
Seminar: two hours per week, for 10 weeks
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
■ Podcast documentary (25%)
■ Essay, 2000 words (50%)
■ Simulation reflection, 1500 words (25%)
Course Aims
Democratic and nondemocratic countries display a wide variety of political parties and institutions, so this course will be comparative, exploring cases from many parts of the world at different stages of development. We will examine the relationship between the party system and society, as well as the role played by institutions in the political process. We will also examine party ideologies, systems, organisations, members, and the challengers to established parties.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
■ Define and explain the differences between types of political parties and party systems
■ Assess theories on the relationship between party systems, institutional designs and societal cleavages
■ Apply knowledge gained to build reasoned and factually supported arguments to explain differences in party systems and political parties.