Undergraduate Course: Contemporary Issues in Political Science (PLIT10104)
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 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Topic for 2025/26 - Autocracy and Resistance in the 21st century
Electoral autocracy has become the most widespread and resilient form of authoritarianism. The course will examine the rise of ¿electoral authoritarianism¿, critically examining how Political Science and IR have engaged with this phenomenon, the challenges it presents for international actors, and the strategies used to resist its rise, and push for change. We¿ll read a wide range of sources including blogposts, podcasts, and academic literature, and invite experts and activists to join us in class and via Zoom.
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| Course description |
The substantive content of this course changes each year depending on topical issues and will be taught by experts on the issue itself or on particular approaches/methods from amongst permanent and postdoctoral staff. Students will learn substantive information about the topic itself but perhaps more importantly they will acquire the generic skills to analyse any phenomenon: how to place it within a larger context, where to look for information about context, the types of variables (whether social, economic, cultural, or political) to consider when analysing the phenomenon, how to identify wider theories and concepts to analyse the phenomenon and how to acquire evidence that would support one theoretical interpretation over another.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to honours students on a Politics or International Relations (including joint honours) degree programme. |
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 Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course will be assessed by:
Long essay (3000 words) 60%
Short essay (1500 words) 40% |
| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback on their written coursework. Feedback on their Short Paper will be designed to help improve the quality of their Research Paper. Students will be provided face-to-face feedback on their seminar participation. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain key theories and concepts
- Compare and evaluate the merits of different critical approaches
- Plan and organise independent research
- Develop specialist in-depth knowledge of specific areas and issues
- Analyse contemporary case studies, using both theoretical and empirical perspectives.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking and analysis
Teamwork
Effective written and verbal communication
Effective research and analytical skills
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sara Dorman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4239
Email: sara.dorman@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ian McClory
Tel: (0131 6)50 3932
Email: Ian.McClory@ed.ac.uk |
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