Introduction to Politics 4219-SF025
From the general theories of human politics, to the various forms and institutions that give shape to human political activity in today’s world, this class will help students get an firm introduction on the nature of politics. This is a general social science level introduction to the study of politics. The course offers a general introduction to political science. The topics to be introduced to the students include basic concepts such as power, authority, legitimacy; types of political systems and approaches to the study of politics; problems common to all political systems. Also this course will look at the state as a political phenomena and how it emerged as the dominate framework from which human politics operates within.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
• Ability to comment on or annotate documents appropriately in relation to critical issues about political institutions
• Ability to communicate orally in English using the appropriate terminology about political behavior.
• An understanding the varieties of human political behaviors and the various institutions which shape it.
• Examining the how institutions shape the behavior of political actors.
• The role individual decision makers can have on a general legislative/political process.
• Understanding the way political process and the general democracy pluralist system interact and how and why it produced the outcomes it does produce.
• Understanding the process by which socio-economic and political factors interact to shape how events are to be understood.
• The ability to apply critical thought processes to political processes.
• The ability to compare analogous examples.
Assessment criteria
Quizzes and final exam
Bibliography
Various photocopied and or electronically accessed materials.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: