| School/Faculty/Institute | Faculty of Economics, Administrative 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 | Spring | ||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| 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 CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) understand different types of democracy and authoritarianism, and their repercussions for state-society relations 2) examine the past and present of hybrid regimes 3) analyze different types of populisms and their impact on regime transitions 4) evaluate the current state, problems, and the potential feature of democratic governance across the world |
| Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. | ||||
| 2) Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation. | ||||
| 3) Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes. | ||||
| 4) Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts. | ||||
| 5) Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline. | ||||
| 6) Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards. | ||||
| 7) Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences. | ||||
| 8) Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level). | ||||
| 9) Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. | ||||
| 10) Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement. | ||||
| 11) Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses. | ||||
| 12) Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning. | ||||
| 13) Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations. |
| N None | S Supportive | H Highly Related |
| Program Outcomes and Competences | Level | Assessed by | |
| 1) | Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. | N | |
| 2) | Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation. | N | |
| 3) | Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes. | H | Exam,HW,Participation |
| 4) | Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts. | N | |
| 5) | Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline. | N | |
| 6) | Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards. | N | |
| 7) | Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences. | N | |
| 8) | Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level). | N | |
| 9) | Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. | S | Participation |
| 10) | Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement. | S | HW,Participation |
| 11) | Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses. | N | |
| 12) | Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning. | S | Exam,HW |
| 13) | Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations. | H | Exam,HW |
| Prepared by and Date | BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN , December 2023 |
| Course Coordinator | BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN |
| Semester | Spring |
| Name of Instructor | Asst. Prof. Dr. BEGÜM UZUN TAŞKIN |
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | Introduction: Regimes, States, Institutions |
| 2) | Defining Democracy |
| 3) | Liberal Democracy and Its Critiques |
| 4) | Social Democracy |
| 5) | Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems: Which one is more democratic and why? |
| 6) | Totalitarianism |
| 7) | Midterm exam |
| 8) | Authoritarianism |
| 9) | Resilience of Authoritarianism |
| 10) | Hybrid Regimes |
| 11) | A Particular Type of Hybrid Regime: Competitive Authoritarianism |
| 12) | Understanding Populism |
| 13) | Is There a Way Out of Authoritarian Populism?: Prospects for Reclaiming Democracy |
| 14) | Presentations |
| 15) | Final examination period |
| 16) | Final examination period |
| Required/Recommended Readings | Schmitter, 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 Methods | Flipped Classroom methods such as pre-class videos, group discussions, quizzes, and presentations. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | Pre-class assignments, group presentation | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Computer Use | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other Activities | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| 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. |
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| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 84 | ||
| Presentations / Seminar | 1 | 12 | 1 | 13 | |||
| Homework Assignments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 27 | |||
| Quiz(zes) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Total Workload | 136 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 5.4 | ||||||
| ECTS | 5 | ||||||