EPOKA UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
COURSE SYLLABUS
2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE INFORMATIONCourse Title: PARTIES, ELECTIONS AND POLICY MAKING |
| Code | Course Type | Regular Semester | Theory | Practice | Lab | Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIR 206 | A | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) | Dr. Dea Haxhiu dbashkurti@epoka.edu.al |
| Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | Dr. Dea Haxhiu dbashkurti@epoka.edu.al |
| Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Language: | English |
| Compulsory/Elective: | Compulsory |
| Study program: (the study for which this course is offered) | Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) |
| Classroom and Meeting Time: | |
| Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Code of Ethics: |
Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline" |
| Attendance Requirement: | |
| Course Description: | This course aims to introduce students to political parties, party systems, and electoral systems. Theories of political parties and their inter-relation with democracy. Starting from the origin of parties, the party-based politics, up to the current transformation of political parties faced with new challenges. Moreover, a particular focus will be paid to inter-relation between party and electoral systems, how do they influence each other. The study will cover parties in consolidated as well as new emerging democracies, similarities and differences. This course if of micro-level in political sciences, penetrating inside the major political institutions like political parties. |
| Course Objectives: | The objective of the Course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the role and functions of political parties within democratic systems, including their history, organization, and ideological foundations. To analyze various electoral systems and their impact on party systems, representation, and political outcomes, with a focus on how electoral structures shape political behavior and decision-making. o explore how political parties influence policy formulation and decision-making, and the role of electoral outcomes in shaping policy agendas at both national and international levels. To enable students to critically assess real-world examples and case studies, providing insights into how parties, elections, and policies intersect and impact governance and political stability. |
|
BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE
|
| 1 | Political Party A political party is an organized group of individuals who share common political beliefs and goals. They aim to influence public policy by getting their candidates elected to public office. |
| 2 | Electoral System An electoral system is a set of rules that determine how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature or other political offices. Examples include first-past-the-post, proportional representation, and mixed systems. |
| 3 | Political Campaign A political campaign is an organized effort by a political party or candidate to influence the decision-making of voters in an election, typically involving speeches, advertisements, and media appearances. |
| 4 | Voting Behavior Voting behavior refers to the way in which different factors—such as socio-economic status, ideology, party affiliation, and individual preferences—affect the choices voters make in elections. |
| 5 | Electoral District An electoral district (or constituency) is a geographic area represented by a legislator. In most countries, voters in a specific electoral district choose a candidate to represent them in a legislative body. |
| 6 | Political Ideology Political ideology refers to a set of beliefs and values that guide individuals and political parties in their approach to governance, policy, and societal issues. Examples include liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and nationalism. |
| 7 | Party System A party system is the structure and organization of political parties within a political system. It can be categorized into types such as a one-party system, two-party system, or multi-party system, depending on how many parties dominate the political landscape. |
| 8 | Proportional Representation (PR) Proportional representation is an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive. It contrasts with majoritarian systems, like first-past-the-post, which tend to favor larger parties. |
| 9 | Coalition Government A coalition government is formed when multiple political parties collaborate to govern, typically because no single party has gained an outright majority in the legislature. This is common in parliamentary systems with multi-party systems. |
| 10 | Policy Making Policy making is the process by which governments or political parties develop laws, regulations, and actions to address specific issues or challenges within society. It includes stages like policy formulation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. |
|
COURSE OUTLINE
|
| Week | Topics |
| 1 | Introduction of the Course and its Objectives |
| 2 | Definitions and party evolution, Pg. 7-42 |
| 3 | Party Organisation, Pg. 45-55 |
| 4 | Party membership, Party Finance, Pg. 56-77 |
| 5 | Party institutionalisation, Pg. 78-89 |
| 6 | Party ideology and party families Part 1, Pg. 113-148 |
| 7 | Party ideology and party families Part 2, Pg. 149 - 196 |
| 8 | Midterm exam |
| 9 | Party competition and representation Part 1, Pg. 197-231 |
| 10 | Party competition and representation Part 2, Pg. 232-265 |
| 11 | Contemporary issues and challenges Part 1, Pg. 267-300 |
| 12 | Contemporary issues and challenges Part 2, Pg. 300-334 |
| 13 | Regional comparisons Pg. 347-436 |
| 14 | Methods for estimating party preferences 437-477 |
| Prerequisite(s): | |
| Textbook(s): | Carter, N., Keith, D., Sindre, G. M., & Vasilopoulou, S. (Eds.). (2023). The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties. Taylor & Francis. |
| Additional Literature: | Lawson, K. (Ed.). (2010). Political Parties and Democracy:[5 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. |
| Laboratory Work: | |
| Computer Usage: | |
| Others: | No |
|
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
| 1 | Understand the Role of Political Parties: Students will be able to analyze the function of political parties in representative democracies, examining how they organize political life, aggregate interests, and influence policy outcomes. |
| 2 | Explore Electoral Systems: Students will critically assess the variety of electoral systems used in different countries and understand how these systems shape party behavior, voter engagement, and electoral outcomes. |
| 3 | Analyze Voting Behavior: Students will examine the factors that influence voter behavior, including socio-economic status, ideology, and electoral strategies, and understand how these factors shape elections and policy outcomes. |
| 4 | Examine the Policy-Making Process: Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how policies are made within different political systems, from the drafting and negotiation stages to the final implementation and evaluation. |
| 5 | Critically Evaluate Political Campaigns: Students will develop the ability to assess the strategies employed by political parties during election campaigns, including media influence, public relations, and grassroots mobilization. |
| 6 | Understand Political Accountability: Students will explore the mechanisms of political accountability, including the role of elections, political competition, and public opinion in holding politicians and parties accountable. |
| 7 | Explore Comparative Politics: Students will apply comparative analysis to assess how different political systems (e.g., presidential vs. parliamentary) impact the operation of parties, elections, and policymaking. |
| 8 | Develop Practical Skills: Students will acquire practical skills such as the ability to conduct electoral analysis, interpret polling data, and evaluate the impact of policy decisions. |
|
COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES
(Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution) |
| No | Program Competencies | Cont. |
| Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) Program | ||
| 1 | Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources. | 5 |
| 2 | Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches. | 5 |
| 3 | Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects. | 5 |
| 4 | Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions. | 5 |
| 5 | Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations. | 5 |
| 6 | Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently. | 5 |
| 7 | Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena. | 5 |
| 8 | Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones. | 5 |
| 9 | Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles. | 5 |
| 10 | Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge. | 3 |
| 11 | Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments. | 5 |
| 12 | Having consciousness about human rights and environment. | 5 |
| 13 | Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning. | 5 |
|
COURSE EVALUATION METHOD
|
| Method | Quantity | Percentage |
| Midterm Exam(s) |
1
|
40
|
| Project |
1
|
40
|
| Attendance |
20
|
|
| Total Percent: | 100% |
|
ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)
|
| Activities | Quantity | Duration(Hours) | Total Workload(Hours) |
| Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Assignments | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Final examination | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Other | 1 | 5 | 5 |
|
Total Work Load:
|
125 | ||
|
Total Work Load/25(h):
|
5 | ||
|
ECTS Credit of the Course:
|
5 | ||
|
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER
|
|
This academic year’s course on Parties, Elections, and Policy Making provided valuable insights into political parties, electoral systems, and policy processes. Students were expected to engage in additional independent study to fully grasp complex concepts. For future sessions, I recommend incorporating more practical exercises and comparative case analyses to enhance understanding. |