INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE II

POLI111

Course Code: POLI111
Semester: Second Term (Spring)
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 6

Course Type

Compulsory Course

Course Level

Bachelor's Degree

Year of Study

Semester

Second Term (Spring)

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Associate Professor Nazlı Şenses Özcan

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

Acquire knowledge about the adventure of democracy in history of political thought.
Understand that most concepts that we often use in our daily lives and hear as part of political debates are indeed very debatable concepts (such as human nature, freedom, equality, democracy etc.)
Be able to distinguish different ideological perspectives from each other in terms of their responses to the current political (both national and global) developments (i.e. by the printed and visual media or by political parties and civil society actors).
Get the ability to shape her own political standpoint vis a vis fundamental socio-political issues and questions.
Develop her own perspective on the question of social justice.

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

There is no recommended optional programme component for this course.

Course Description

In this course, new topics, theories and concepts of Political Science is discussed within the framework of the topics covered during SIBU114. Thus, to be successful in this course, you must have a good command of the topics of SIBU114. The first topic of the course discusses nationalism and theories of state. Then the next topic is the different meanings attached to the concept of democracy with a specific focus on different theories of democracy. The following weeks will focus on the organization of state in democracies and how the separation of powers is attained. Following that we will focus on political parties and interest groups and how these interact with society at large and with the institutions of state. All in all, this course will focus on the political dimensions of certain processes, developments, institutions and spheres of life that are significant for understanding organisation of society. OYS password: 1112025

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Course Introduction: From political ideas to institutions
2^nd Week	Course Introduction: From political ideas to institutions
3^rd Week	Nationalism and the Political Construction of the Nation
4^th Week	Theories of the State and Democracy
5^th Week	Theories of the State and Democracy
6^th Week	Representation, Democratic Legitimacy and Populism
7^th Week	Midterm Exam
8^th Week	Assemblies, executives, and government systems
9^th Week	Assemblies, executives, and government systems
10^th Week	Bureaucracy and State Capacity
11^th Week	Political Parties
12^th Week	Electoral systems
13^th Week	Civil Society, Interest Groups and Social Movements
14^th Week	Final Discussion & Review

Recommended or Required Reading

Course books
Heywood, Andrew, Politics (4th edition), New York: Palgrave, 2019 (5th Edition)
Shively, W. Philips, Power & Choice: An Introduction to Political Science, New York: Mc Graw Hill,
2019 (15th Edition)

Recommended Reading
Atılgan, Gökhan & Aytekin, E. Atilla (der.) Siyaset Bilimi: Kavramlar, İdeolojiler Disiplinler Arası
İlişkiler, İstanbul: Yordam Kitap, 2012.
Caramani, Daniele (ed.), Comparative Politics, Oxford University Press, 2017
Köker, Levent. İki Farklı Siyaset. Ankara: Dipnot yayınları, 2012.
Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries,
Yale University Press, 1999.
Örs, H. Birsen (der.), 19. Yüzyıldan 20. Yüzyıla Modern Siyasal İdeolojiler, İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi
Yayınları, 2009.
Şenses, Fikret. İktisada (Farklı bir) Giriş: Giriş, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2017.
Taşkın, Yüksel (der.) Siyaset: Kavramlar, Kurumlar, Süreçler, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2015.
Sayarı, Sabri & Hasret Dikici Bilgin (der.) Karşılaştırmalı Sİyaset: Temel Konular ve Yaklaşımlar,
İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Questions/Answers

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Mid-term	1	40
Total(%)		40
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)		40
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)		60
Total(%)		100

ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload

Activities	Quantity	Duration (Hour)	Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam	1	1	1
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work	14	1	14
Preparation for Final exam	1	52	52
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam	1	40	40
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam	1	1.15	1.15
Homework
Total Work Load			150.15
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			5
ECTS Credit of the Course			6

Language of Instruction

English

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3	LO4	LO5
K1
K2					X
K3
K4
K5		X
K6	X
K7	X
K8
K9
K10
K11		X	X	X	X
K12					X
K13