Undergraduate Course: Populism: Pathology or Panacea? (PLIT10114)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course aims to introduce students to one of the most complex and challenging phenomena in contemporary politics: populism. We will analyse existing theorizations of populism; the major justifications and criticisms of it, some comparative case studies, and will conclude with examining the causes of populist politics. |
| Course description |
This course aims to introduce students to one of the most complex and challenging phenomena in contemporary politics: populism. We shall approach populism from four different directions which will match the four key sections of the course: (1) conceptually, we will survey and assess various theorizations of populism including the notions of populism as a discourse, ideology and political style; (2) analytically, we will explore both justifications and condemnations of populism; (3) comparatively, we will examine various regional contexts in which populism has gained traction, paying attention to both left-wing and right-wing movements and parties; and (4) critically, we will probe the causes of populist politics and the means by which it proceeds.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Section for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand different conceptualizations of populism
- comprehend various justificatory and critical perspectives on populism
- grasp the complexity of regional varieties of populist movements and parties
- reflect on the historical and social causes that explain the rise of populist politics
- contribute to discussions about how polities and citizens may respond to populism
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Reading List
Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo and Pierre Ostiguy, The Oxford Handbook of Populism. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Laclau, Ernesto. On Populist Reason. London/New York: Verso, 2005.
March, Luke. Radical Left Parties in Europe. New York: Routledge, 2011.
Mudde, Cas. Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Mudde, Cas, and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Populism: A Very Short Introduction. Very Short Introductions. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Müller, Jan-Werner. What Is Populism? Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016.
Panizza, Francisco, ed. Populism and the Mirror of Democracy. London/New York: Verso, 2005.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course, students should have strengthened their skills in:
- analysing evidence and using this to develop and support a line of argument,
- presenting and discussing information orally
-synthesizing theoretical knowledge and applying to real-world cases
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Luke March
Tel: (0131 6)50 4241
Email: L.March@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Alexander Dysart
Tel: (0131 6)51 5197
Email: Alex.Dysart@ed.ac.uk |
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