Comparative Political Behavior
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The learning objectives is to increase the students' skills to build their own research design on one of the main topics of the course. This will be accomplish thanks two instruments. First, asking them to present and discuss in class a paper or book chapter and second to write an essay of their own choice, after having discusses with the instructor the topic, the research strategy and the paper structure. According to the student's willingness or competence, the final written paper can be an empirical or a review paper.
Expected learning outcomes
Expected outcomes are:
Knowledge of the main aspects of electoral behavior variation across countries and over elections, building eventually on what they already have learnt on the topic in the previous cycle.
Increase their understanding of how the individual electoral behavior relates to contextual characteristics as political institutions (governing, representative and electoral rules) usually addressed in other courses.
Increase their personal competence in making judgement on the outcomes and the characteristics of the electoral behavior, focusing how the former might be quite different from the standard after election journalistic or political accounts.
Increasing their capacity to develop their own research on what elections and electoral behaviour.
Knowledge of the main aspects of electoral behavior variation across countries and over elections, building eventually on what they already have learnt on the topic in the previous cycle.
Increase their understanding of how the individual electoral behavior relates to contextual characteristics as political institutions (governing, representative and electoral rules) usually addressed in other courses.
Increase their personal competence in making judgement on the outcomes and the characteristics of the electoral behavior, focusing how the former might be quite different from the standard after election journalistic or political accounts.
Increasing their capacity to develop their own research on what elections and electoral behaviour.
Lesson period: Third trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
The 2019-2020 course will focus on comparative voting behaviour. We will review the early research tradition by referring to the Rokkan and Lipset so-called structural approach to the formation of European party alternatives. We then will move to the individual level approaches by discussing the contribution of the Columbia and of the Michigan school. Afterwards, we will analyse the current approaches to the decision to vote and party choice. These themes will be approached from different theoretical perspectives, discussing how electoral behaviour depends on voters characteristics but it is also by the contexts in which voters are nested. Finally, some room will be devoted to understanding the extent to which elections are still perceived as the main linkage between voters and elites.
Prerequisites for admission
The course will be in English. Comparative studies on electoral behaviour are based on quantitative methods. Students should be able at least to interpret the results of elementary statistical analyses.
Teaching methods
The Course is based on seminars
After a few introductory lectures, attendant students have to present a paper of their own choice and discuss the other two presented by other students. They have also to write a paper of no more than 4000 words on a topic related to the course. The paper may be written in Italian.
After a few introductory lectures, attendant students have to present a paper of their own choice and discuss the other two presented by other students. They have also to write a paper of no more than 4000 words on a topic related to the course. The paper may be written in Italian.
Teaching Resources
Attendants students have to read
Cees van der Eijck and Mark N. Franklin, Election and Voters, London, Palgrave,2009 (mandatory)
and a few papers to be presented in class and uploaded on ariel at the beginning of the course on Ariel
https://psegatticpb.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx
Non attendants students have to read two out of the following three books
Paolo Belucci e Paolo Segatti (a cura di) , Votare in Italia, Bologna, 2011, Il Mulino
Aldo Di Virgilio and Paolo Segatti, La rappresentanza politica in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016
Hans Schadee, Paolo Segatti, Cristiano Vezzoni, L?apocalisse della Democrazia Italia, Bologna , Il Mulino 2019
Non-attendant English speaking students unable to read Italian may read
Cees van der Eijck and Mark N. Franklin, Election and Voters, London, Palgrave,2009 (mandatory) plus another text agreed upon with the teacher.
Cees van der Eijck and Mark N. Franklin, Election and Voters, London, Palgrave,2009 (mandatory)
and a few papers to be presented in class and uploaded on ariel at the beginning of the course on Ariel
https://psegatticpb.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/v5/home/Default.aspx
Non attendants students have to read two out of the following three books
Paolo Belucci e Paolo Segatti (a cura di) , Votare in Italia, Bologna, 2011, Il Mulino
Aldo Di Virgilio and Paolo Segatti, La rappresentanza politica in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016
Hans Schadee, Paolo Segatti, Cristiano Vezzoni, L?apocalisse della Democrazia Italia, Bologna , Il Mulino 2019
Non-attendant English speaking students unable to read Italian may read
Cees van der Eijck and Mark N. Franklin, Election and Voters, London, Palgrave,2009 (mandatory) plus another text agreed upon with the teacher.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Attendant students will be graded looking at their class participation, presentation of a paper of their choice among those that will be uploaded on Ariel, discussion of the paper presentation of other two fellow students, and writing a 4000 words essay on a topic relative to the course topic, and a final examination on the mandatory book. The final examination is oral and regards only the knowledge of the mandatory book since the other activities have been already evaluated.
Non-attendants students will be graded on two out of the three books on the list.
Non-attendants students will be graded on two out of the three books on the list.
SPS/11 - POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Segatti Paolo
Shifts:
-
Professor:
Segatti Paolo