Populism and Radical Politics 2100-ERASMUS-PRPO

Populism and radical politics (often, though not always interconnected) are hardly new or particularly uncommon phenomena.

Yet, their importance in today’s politics of several societies in various parts of the world becomes more and more evident.

The rise of populist tendencies in such countries as the USA, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy or France has been striking and challenging for many commentators and analysts. There is no doubt it deserves most serious attention.

The need for a deeper understanding of these trends, that would go beyond merely ad-hoc journalistic commentaries, is well justified.

It goes without saying that “populism” is not a neutral term in the public discourse. It usually signifies criticism towards tendencies labelled as populist. Such criticism in the course’s approach will certainly be present, though it will not exhaust our research intentions. Populism will be discussed not just as a democracy’s disease, but also as its possibly inherent feature.

The course begins with an introduction to most influential theories of populism and radicalism – this part also includes a historical overview of the problem.

Second part is devoted to specific cases, related to recent expressions of populism and radicalism in various countries, though our focus is on Europe and America, i.e. Western societies.

Each participant is to contribute with her/his class presentation of a selected case, depending on their background, knowledge and interests. Obvious case studies will include: Donald Trump in the U.S., Orban’s policies in Hungary, ideas and practice of the Law and Justice party in Poland and of the National Front in France.

Other cases, including non-Western ones, can be also considered, as for example Erdogan’s and Putin’s ideas and policies.

In its third part, the course culminates with a collective attempt to work out a practical interpretation of current populism and radicalism, based on comparative approach.

The course is open to students of political and social sciences. It requires no specific prerequisites, apart from 1) reasonable command of spoken and written English, 2) decent knowledge of fundamental political concepts and notions.

Course rules and requirements:

1. Steady attendance. Two absences are allowed without consequences. In case of greater number of absences, an extra assignment paper will be required.

2. Participation in class discussions, based first of all on assigned reading, is strongly recommended. It is required if a student intends to complete this course with “5” (=”A”) grade.

3. Preparing for classes (reading assigned texts) is expected. During classes, the lecturer may ask specific questions to specific participants.

4. Participating in a class discussion and/or answering lecturer's questions will require turning on a camera, not just a microphone.

5. Every participant will need to:
- write a short home essay - 5 normalized pages = 9000 characters with spaces,
OR
- have online class presentation (circa 15 minutes).

Please note that:
- the number of class presentations will be limited,
- it is either a class presentation, or a home essay, not both.

7. The course will end with an oral online examination during summer examination session in the second half of June. Questions will refer to the reading materials, content of lectures and student online presentations.