6329.24 - Democracy, Electoral Systems and Voting Behaviour

6329.24

Democracy, Electoral Systems and Voting Behaviour

10

Upper secondary education or equivalent qualification.

That the student will acquire a thorough understanding of Democracy theory, concepts, and as a phenomenon, and how democracy is applied in practice.

In this course, we will study what democracy is, its origin in ancient Greece, and different perspectives on contemporary Democracy. During the course, students will learn about different competing perspectives on Democracy (e.g. Liberal-, Constitutional-, Republican-, and Deliberative Democracy), democratic theories and models, and how democratic institutions work in practice. In the second part of the course we will analyse representation, elctions and electoral systems. What effect does an electoral system have on the allocation of seats in parliament and voting behaviour? Does gender, age, income, social status e.t.c. have and effect on the electorate, and how does an election campaign influence the voters? We will examine electoral results and current elections plus how to design an election poll. The concept of representation will be studied and we will discuss some of the main challenges facing Democracy in the 21th century.

The course is 30 hours, and consists of lectures, group-work, and student presentations

Upon completion of the course, the student shall be able to: • Explain what Democracy as a governing system is, and where it originated. • Explain the different perspectives on Democracy, taught during the course, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. • Analyse how democracy works based on knowledge about democratic models and institutions. • Describe the role of political actors in a democratic system. • To evaluate and compare electoral systems, and to have a theoretical approach to voting behaviour. • Be able to asses relevant democratic issues in the contemporary society in a conscious and reasoned way, and to analyse election results and representation.

Written exam (5 hours).

External

7-

Approximately 1000 pages.

Jógvan Dalbø Hansen