POLS 222 Contemporary Political SystemsMEF ÜniversitesiAkademik Programlar Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkilerÖğrenciler için Genel BilgiDiploma EkiErasmus Beyanı
Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler
Lisans Programın Süresi: 4 Kredi Sayısı: 240 TYYÇ: 6. Düzey QF-EHEA: 1. Düzey EQF: 6. Düzey

Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri

School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Econ., Admin. and Social Sciences
Course Code POLS 222
Course Title in English Contemporary Political Systems
Course Title in Turkish Çağdaş Siyasal Sistemler
Language of Instruction EN
Type of Course Flipped Classroom
Level of Course Intermediate
Semester Bahar
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: 3 Recitation: None Lab: None Other: None
Estimated Student Workload 136 hours per semester
Number of Credits 5 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge None
Co-requisites None
Registration Restrictions Only undergraduate students
Overall Educational Objective To learn to analyze contemporary political systems from a comparative perspective in order to understand their impact on political life, human wellbeing, and state-society relations.
Course Description This course seeks to understand the origins, major institutions, and current manifestations of political systems from a comparative perspective. In particular, it will study types of democracy, , totalitarian regimes, types of authoritarianism, hybrid regimes, populisms and their impact on regime transitions. The course will offer both theoretical perspectives and case studies to make sense of system trajectories and their broader impact on political life.
Course Description in Turkish Ders, siyasal sistemlerin tarihsel kökenlerini, temel kurumlarını, ve günümüzdeki görünümlerini karşılaştırmalı bir perspektiften anlamaya çalışır. Demokrasinin farklı türlerini, hibrid rejimleri, farklı popülizm türlerini ve popülizmin rejim dönüşümlerindek etkisini, totaliter rejimleri, ve otoriteryanizmin farklı türlerini analiz eder. Bu konulara dair teorik arka planın yanı sıra, vaka çalışmalarından da yararlanarak, siyasal sistemlerin geçirdikleri dönüşümün siyasal hayat üzerindeki geniş etkilerini anlamaya çalışır.

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) xxx
2) xxx
3) xxx
4) xxx
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4
1) Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues.
2) Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts
3) Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice
4) Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions.
5) Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software
6) Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies
7) Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems
8) Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies
9) Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life
10) Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues. H Exam
2) Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts H Exam
3) Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice H Presentation
4) Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions. H Exam
5) Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software S Participation
6) Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies N
7) Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems S Participation
8) Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies H Participation
9) Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life H Exam
10) Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad H Exam
Prepared by and Date BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN , December 2023
Course Coordinator BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN
Semester Bahar
Name of Instructor Dr. Öğr. Üyesi BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN

Course Contents

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Required/Recommended ReadingsSchmitter, Philippe C., and Terry Lynn Karl. 1991. “What Democracy Is… and Is Not,” Journal of Democracy 2 (3 ): 75-88.  Kaplan, Seth. 2008. The remarkable story of Somaliland. Journal of Democracy 19(3): 143-57. 
 Recommended: Sen, Amartya Sen. 1999. “Democracy as a Universal Value,” Journal of Democracy 10, ( 3): 3-17. Coppedge, M., Gerring, J., Altman, D., Bernhard, M., Fish, S., Hicken, A., ... & Semetko, H. A. 2011. Conceptualizing and measuring democracy: A new approach. Perspectives on Politics, 247-267. Held, David. 2007. Models of Democracy, 3rd edn, Cambridge: Polity Press, pp: 56-79. "Social Democracy." Britannica Academic, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Dec. 2016. ezproxy.mef.edu.tr:2152/levels/collegiate/article/social-democracy/68443. Accessed 4 Feb. 2021. Ryner, J. Magnus. 2002. Capitalist Restructuring, Globalization and the Third Way: Lessons from the Swedish Model. London and New York: Routledge. Pp. 55-78. Linz, Juan J. 1990. "The Perils of Presidentialism," Journal of Democracy 1: 51–69 Horowitz, D. 1990. “Presidents vs. Parliaments: Comparing Democratic Systems,” Journal of Democracy 1(4): 73-79. Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Florida: Harcourt. pp: 460-483. Berman, Sheri Berman. 1997. “Civil Society and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic.” World Politics 49(3): 401-429. Hagenloh, Paul M. 1999. “Socially Harmful Elements” and the Great Terror”. In S. Fitzpatrick (ed.) Stalinism: New Directions London: Routledge, pp.286-303. Linz, Juan J. 2000. Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Pp. 169-171. Gandhi, Jennifer, and Przeworski, Adam. 2007. “Authoritarian Institutions and the Survival of Autocrats.” Comparative Political Studies 40(11): 1279–301. Bellin, Eva. 2012. “Reconsidering the Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Lessons from the Arab Spring.” Comparative Politics 44, no. 2 : 127- 149. Recommended: Tansey, Oisin, Kevin Koehler, and Alexander Schmotz. 2017. “Ties to the Rest: Autocratic Linkages and Regime Survival,” Comparative Political Studies 50(9): 1221-1254. Collier, D., & Levitsky, S. 1997. Democracy with adjectives: Conceptual innovation in comparative research. World politics, 49(3), 430-451.  Diamond, Larry. 2002. “Thinking about Hybrid Regimes.” Journal of Democracy 13(2):21-35.  Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way. 2010. Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War, New York: Cambridge University Press. Selected chapters. Bunce, Valierie J. and Sharon L. Wolchik . 2010. “Defeating dictators: Electoral change and stability in competitive authoritarian regimes”. World Politics 62 (1). 43–86. Recommended: Esen, B., & Gumuscu, S. 2016. “Rising competitive authoritarianism in Turkey”. Third World Quarterly, 37(9), 1581-1606. Barr, Robert R. 2019. “Populism as a Political Strategy”. In Carlos de la Torre (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Global Populism, London and New York: Routledge, pp: 44-56. Yannis Stavrakakis and Giorgos Katsambekis. 2014. ‘Left-wing populism in the European periphery: The Case of SYRIZA.’ Journal of Political Ideologies 19 (2): 119- 142. Rogenhofer, J. M., & Panievsky, A. 2020. Antidemocratic populism in power: comparing Erdoğan’s Turkey with Modi’s India and Netanyahu’s Israel. Democratization, 1-19. Wuthrich, F. M., & Ingleby, M. 2020. The Pushback Against Populism: Running on" Radical Love" in Turkey. Journal of Democracy, 31(2), 24-40. Diamond, L. 2020. Breaking Out of the Democratic Slump. Journal of Democracy, 31(1), 36-50.
Teaching MethodsFlipped Classroom methods such as pre-class videos, group discussions, quizzes, and presentations.
Homework and ProjectsPre-class assignments, group presentation
Laboratory WorkNone
Computer UseNone
Other ActivitiesNone
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Devam 14 % 15
Küçük Sınavlar 3 % 30
Ödev 3 % 40
Sunum 1 % 15
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration taskinbe@mef.edu.tr

Attendance and active participation are required. There would be no late presentations, quizzes, and late assignment submissions unless medical report provided. MEF university values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences. Students are subject to Higher Education Council of Turkey’s (YÖK) Disciplinary Regulations for academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Hours Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester Preparing for the Activity Spent in the Activity Itself Completing the Activity Requirements
Ders Saati 14 2 3 1 84
Sunum / Seminer 1 12 1 13
Ödevler 3 4 5 27
Küçük Sınavlar 3 3 1 12
Total Workload 136
Total Workload/25 5.4
ECTS 5