UVSRPCK066 Political Systems

Faculty of Public Policies in Opava
Winter 2015
Extent and Intensity
0/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Petr Hlaváček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Petr Hlaváček, 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 aim of the course is to acquaint students with the development of the form of contemporary political systems in selected countries of Western and Central Europe, including the USA system. The course follows the course Introduction to politics and it is divided into three thematic blocks. The first of these "Theory of comparison and models of democracy" expands the basic theoretical knowledge about the structure, functioning and comparison of political systems. The second block "The political system of liberal democracy" represents selected political systems of liberal democracies in Europe and the USA and the basic principles of their functioning. The third block 'Political Systems of Visegrad Group members" focuses on the new democratic systems formed in the post-communist countries of Central Europe, including defining the specifics of their democratic transition. Students will obtain information on key historical and political context of the development of the political systems in question, the form of their constitutional and political establishment, party and electoral systems, the most important interest groups and organizations as well as the structure of regional and local self-government arrangement. Study Outcomes: Professional Knowledge: Students are able to explain the main features of the theory of comparison of political systems and define basic models and specifics of democratic and non-democratic systems. They can also characterize the evolution of political systems in selected countries of Western and Central Europe, in view of both their chronology and content, describe and explain their main aspects, such as the forms of political agents, the character of governments, the functioning of party and electoral systems, the role of interest groups or the structure of the regional organization. Professional Skills: Students can independently apply the theory of comparison and models of political systems to individual systems, critically evaluate scientific literature in the field, identify and evaluate the key variables of political system development and the current political events. General Qualification: Students can independently analyse and compare political systems and apply appropriate theory to them. They are able to critically analyse a topic, determine the important aspects and find and use adequate literature.
Syllabus
  • 1. Theory and comparison of political systems.
    2. Models of democracy and their comparison.
    3. Hybrid democracy, totalitarian and authoritarian regimes.
    4. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 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
    9. The transition of post-communist countries of Central Europe.
    10. The Czech Republic
    11. The Slovak Republic
    12. The Republic of Poland, the Republic of Hungary.
    13. Summary
Literature
    required literature
  • HLAVÁČEK, P. Politické systémy vybraných zemí. Opava: Slezská univerzita v Opavě - Fakulta veře, 2012. info
  • Říchová, B. a kol.. Komparace politických systémů: západoevropské politické systémy. Praha: Vysoká škola ekonomická, 2009. info
  • Dvořáková, V. a kol. Základní modely demokratických systémů : komparace politických systémů. Praha: Oeconomica, 2008. info
  • KUBÁT, M. a kol. Politické a ústavní systémy zemí středovýchodní Evropy. Praha: Eurolex Bohemia, 2004. ISBN 80-86432-92-0. info
  • Hloušek, V., Kopeček, L. (eds.). Demokracie. Teorie, modely, osobnosti, podmínky, nepřátelé a perspektivy demokracie. Brno: Mezinárodní politologický ústav, 2003. info
    recommended literature
  • BALÍK, S. a HAVLÍK, V. a kol. Koaliční vládnutí ve střední Evropě: 1990-2010. Brno: Mezinárodní politologický ústav, 2011. ISBN 978-80-210-5537-7. info
  • ŘÍCHOVÁ, B. Přehled moderních politologických teorií. Praha: Portál, 2006. ISBN 80-7367-177-8. info
  • KENNEY, P. Karneval revoluce: střední Evropa 1989. Praha: BB/art, 2005. ISBN 80-7341-562-3. info
  • STRMISKA, M. a kol. Politické strany moderní Evropy: analýza stranicko-politických systémů. Praha: Portál, 2005. ISBN 80-7367-038-0. info
  • HLOUŠEK, V. a KOPEČEK, L. Konfliktní demokracie: moderní masová politika ve střední Evropě. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Mezinárodní politol, 2004. ISBN 80-210-3449-1. info
  • NOVÁK, M. a kol. Volební a stranické systémy: ČR v mezinárodním srovnání. Dobrá Voda: Aleš Čeněk, 2004. ISBN 80-86473-88-0. info
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
Exam requisites: term paper on a chosen topic, oral examination.
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2014.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fvp/winter2015/UVSRPCK066