UVSRPVK159 Political Systems

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Winter 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Dušan Janák, Ph.D.
Institute of Public Administration and Social Policy – Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The course follows the course Introduction to Political Disciplines and is divided into three thematic circles. The first one widens basic theoretical knowledge about structure, functioning and comparison of political systems, the other two are aimed at acquisition of necessary empiric findings about political systems of selected western European liberal democracies and USA and post-communist countries of central Europe. The students acquire information about constitutional and political regimes, partial and electoral systems, the most important networks and organizations and structures of public administration in observed countries.
Syllabus
  • I. Political systems and democracy models
    1. Theory and political systems comparison
    2. Democracy models and their comparison
    3. Hybrid democracies, totalitarian and authoritative regimes
    II. Political systems of liberal democracies
    4. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
    5. The United States of America
    6. The French Republic, The Swiss Confederation
    7. The Federal Republic of Germany
    8. The Republic of Austria, The Kingdom of Sweden
    III. Political systems of Visegrad group countries
    9. Transformation of central European post-communist countries
    10. The Czech republic
    11. The Slovak Republic
    12. The Republic of Poland, the Republic of Hungary
Literature
    required literature
  • Říchová, B. a kol. Komparace politických systémů II. Praha, 2006. info
  • Dvořáková, V. a kol. Komparace politických systémů I. Praha, 2005. info
  • Cabada, L. - Dvořáková, V. a kol. Komparace politických systémů III. Praha, 2004. info
  • KUBÁT, M. a kol. Politické a ústavní systémy zemí středovýchodní Evropy. Praha: Eurolex Bohemia, 2004. info
  • Hloušek, V. - Kopeček, L. (eds.). Demokracie. Teorie, modely, osobnosti, podmínky, nepřátelé a perspektivy demokracie. Brno, 2003. info
  • ŘÍCHOVÁ, B. Úvod do současné politologie. Srovnávací analýza politických systémů. Praha: Portál, 2002. ISBN 80-7178-628-4. info
  • ŘÍCHOVÁ, B. Přehled moderních politologických teorií. Empiricko-analytický přístup v soudobé politické vědě. Praha, Portál, 2000. info
Teaching methods
Interactive lecture
Lecture supplemented with a discussion
Lecture with a video analysis
Assessment methods
Oral exam
The analysis of student 's performance
Didactic test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: Přednáška 9 HOD/SEM.
Teacher's information
Written semester paper to the extent of 8 pages (description and analysis of one discussed systems), written test to examine knowledge of basic terminology and theory of comparative politics and democracy as well as structure and functioning of political systems of current liberal democracies and Visegrad countries. The test comprises at least 30 closed questions with four possibilities, from which one, more, all or none can be correct.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2008, Winter 2009, Winter 2010, Winter 2011, Winter 2012, Winter 2013, Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Winter 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Winter 2017, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fvp/winter2017/UVSRPVK159