MAIN APPROACHES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

PSIR540

Course Code: PSIR540
Semester: -
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 10

Course Type

Elective Course

Course Level

Master's Degree With Thesis

Year of Study

Semester

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Assistant Professor Erdem Damar

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

Explain the main theoretical and analytical approaches in political science.
Evaluate different theoretical perspectives through comparative analysis.
Develop theoretical insights into contemporary political issues.
Contribute to interdisciplinary debates from a political science perspective.
Present theoretical arguments both in written and oral form through conceptual analysis.

Mode of Delivery

Face to face

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

No recommended optional programme components.

Course Description

This course aims to examine the core theoretical and analytical approaches in political science. It explores the historical evolution and institutionalization of the discipline, as well as its major theoretical currents and analytical traditions. Topics include the behavioralist revolution, rational choice theory, new institutionalism, and cultural and historical approaches. Throughout the semester, students engage with current theoretical perspectives on key political themes such as the state, regime, identity, democracy, revolution, and secularism.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Introduction to Political Science: Definition and Disciplinary Boundaries
2^nd Week	Behavioralism and Its Critics
3^rd Week	Rational Choice Theory
4^th Week	Weberian and Marxist Approaches
5^th Week	New Institutionalism
6^th Week	Cultural and Historical Approaches
7^th Week	Theories of the State
8^th Week	Theories of Regimes and Democracy
9^th Week	Theories of Revolution
10^th Week	Identity and Nationalism
11^th Week	Religion and Secularism
12^th Week	Populism and Hegemony
13^th Week	Emotions and Politics
14^th Week	Disciplinary Boundaries and Future Directions

Recommended or Required Reading

Casanova, Jose. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Goodin, Robert E., ed. 2011. The Oxford Handbook of Political Science. Oxford: Oxford Uni-versity Press.
Hay, Colin. 2002. Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Leftwich, Adrian. 2004. What is Politics? The Activity and Its Study. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Marsh, David, and Gerry Stoker, eds. 2010. Theory and Methods in Political Science. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Newton, Kenneth, and Jan W. van Deth. 2016. Foundations of Comparative Politics: Democ-racies of the Modern World. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Skocpol, Theda. 1979. States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Rus-sia, and China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tilly, Charles. 1992. Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990?1992. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Presentation

Assessment Methods and Criteria

	Quantity	Percentage (%)
Assignment	10	40
Project	1	20
Total(%)		60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)		60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)		40
Total(%)		100

ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload

Activities	Quantity	Duration (Hour)	Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work	14	5	70
Preparation for Final exam	1	60	60
Course hours	14	3	42
Preparation for Midterm exam
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam	1	1.5	1.5
Homework	10	9	90
Project	1	40	40
Total Work Load			303.5
Total Work Load / 30 (h)			10.11
ECTS Credit of the Course			10

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Work Placement(s)

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3	LO4	LO5
K1			X	X
K2	X	X		X	X
K3			X
K4		X
K5	X	X			X
K6			X	X
K7			X
K8	X			X	X