Populism and Social Change 3700-ISSC-24-PSC
Populism has become one of the most widely used terms in today’s rapidly evolving world. Politicians, scholars, and journalists employ its various connotations for diverse purposes. Throughout the course, students will get acquainted with the meaning, nature, and manifestations of populism, as well as dig into major debates surrounding populism. Questions such as whether populism is on the rise or in decline, and whether there are distinctions between populist parties in opposition and those in power, will be explored. Moreover, we will examine how to assess the actions of populists both in positions of power and when they are in opposition.
During the course, we will examine the two primary approaches to populism: the ideational approach and the discursive approach, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in addressing key questions about populism. We will provide an overview of the waves of populism across different regions of the world and trace its development over the past two centuries.
Throughout the course, we will analyze several case studies encompassing different types of contemporary populism, including right-wing and left-wing variants, nationalist populism, centrist populism, and anti-colonial populism. Eventually, we will explore the interplay between populism and democracy, seeking to identify differences among various forms of populism when they are in positions of power.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
- student is familiar with the development of populism across different regions of the world and trace its development over the past two centuries (K_W01)
- Student understands the relationships between the various dimensions of social change and populism, and knows the approaches to populism ( K_W02)
- student understands the historical and cultural ties between the countries and the peoples of the EEA (K_W03)
- students knows the advanced new methods of analysis and interpretation of cultural texts (K_W07)
- student is able to interpret social process and a social change that took place in the EEA countries in an advanced and interdisciplinary way (K_U04)
- student is able to prepare an oral or written presentation taking into account the needs of recipients, in particular with the use of a range of digital tools; can present arguments to support her/his beliefs and knowledge in a logical and convincing manner (K_UO5)
- student is ready to show respect for partners in the discussion and uses substantive arguments; understands the principles of tolerance and cultural differences (K_K05)
Assessment criteria
Final grade depends on:
- Presence on the lectures (absence from more than one third of the classes makes it impossible to pass examination)
- Activity during the lectures
- Oral examination
(2 unjustified unattendances are accepted)
Bibliography
Cas Mudde “Populism: a very short introduction”
Margaret Canovan, “Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy”
Cas Mudde “The Populist Zeitgeist”
Paris Aslanidis “Is Populism an Ideology? A Refutation and a New Perspective”
Stijn van Kessel “The populist cat-dog: applying the concept of populism to contemporary European party systems”
Ernesto Laclau “On Populist Reason”
Cas Mudde; Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser “Populism and (Liberal) democracy: A framework for analysis in Populism in Europe and the Americas: threat or corrective for democracy?”
Yannis Stavrakakis “Populism, Anti-Populism and Democracy”
Winnie Lem “Notes on militant populism in contemporary France: contextualizing the gilets jaunes”
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: