(in Polish) Polityka po komunizmie w Europie wschodniej 3500-SUM/FAKL-PpKwE
The course is aimed at introducing its participants to major factors shaping political competition in Eastern Europe during the almost 30 years after the fall of communism. It focuses primarily on the relationships between various dimension of the party system and the informal context associated with past legacies, political culture and the living conditions of the society as well as the institutional setting. It has been designed to fit the needs of Erasmus students from Western Europe who wish to familiarize themselves with Polish and Eastern European political reality.
The course commences with a lecture introducing to political and social history of this diverse region. Then, we will explore the matters of economic and political transformation that began in late 1980s and allowed Central European countries to become democracies and introduce market economy. All the topics will be discussed basing on students’ understanding of the readings provided by the instructor. Next, we analyze the foundations of the choice of electoral systems and their intendent and unintended consequences for the shape of party systems. Separate classes will be dedicated to questions of great importance for understanding voter behavior and party system dynamics, i.e. electoral volatility, economic voting and conditions of new party entry. We shall study whether these phenomena are significantly different in the post-communist context from older democracies. The course concludes with some topics associated with some recent uneasy developments in the region such as the rise of radical right and tendencies undermining the principles of the rule of law.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
K_W01 Knows and understands basic concepts of political sociology
K_W03 Is aware of ongoing theoretical and methodological disputes conducted in modern sociology; is reflective and critical of various positions
K_W16 Has in-depth knowledge about major international and domestic sociological research pertaining to selected areas of social reality or sub-domains of sociology
K_W27 Has in-depth knowledge of the 19th, 20th and 21st ideas and social processes which have shaped the face of the modern world
K_U04 Can critically select information and materials for academic work, using various sources in Polish and a foreign language as well as modern technologies
K_U16 Knows how to interpret the role of culture in the life of the individual and society
K_U17 Can relate an academic text to the problems of social life and its empirical studies
K_K02 Can propose a solution to a problem that requires an interdisciplinary research approach
K_K05 Can gather, find, synthesize and critically assess information about social sciences
K_K07 Can justify the choice of sources
Assessment criteria
In-class presentation, participation in discussion and a written test. Class attendance required.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: