Università Roma Tre

The aim of the first part of the course is providing to the students some basic instruments of knowledge in relation to: the meaning of politics; how to construct scientific theories; elements of methodology used by political science to investigate the political phenomena.
The second part of the course analyses some crucial themes, such as the state and the processes of state-building and nation-building and the process of European integration; the types and features of political regimes (non-democratic, hybrid and democratic regimes).
The third part of the course examines, always in a comparative perspective, the subject of democracy. The following themes will be analyzed:
a) the dimensions of the political system (elités and political classes, political parties, groups, social movements).
b) elections, electorial systems and political representation;
c) the democratic institutional systems (parliament, government, public administrations);
d) the actors and the dynamics of policy-making.

Texts for the exam (a.y. 2018-2019):

1) Handbook - PIETRO GRILLI DI CORTONA, ORAZIO LANZA, BARBARA PISCIOTTA, LUCA GERMANO, Capire la politica, Utet – Università, Novara, 2016;

2) Book - PIETRO GRILLI DI CORTONA, Lezioni di scienza politica, a cura di Rosalba Chiarini e Barbara Pisciotta, Editoriale Scientifica, Napoli, 2016.

Objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce the main concepts, approaches, methods and the central problems regarding the scientific analysis of political phenomena in order to provide students with basic knowledge for analyzing and understanding the functioning of contemporary political systems.

Program
The course will present and discuss in comparative perspective all main themes of the discipline, specifically will be analyzed the following topics: state, democracy, non-democratic regimes and regime changes, political parties, interest groups, electoral systems, parliaments, governments, bureaucracy and public policies.

Reference books
1) P. Grilli di Cortona, O. Lanza, B. Pisciotta, L. Germano, Capire la politica. Una prospettiva comparata, Utet, Novara, 2016 (II edizione);
2) P. Grilli di Cortona, Lezioni di scienza politica, a cura di R. Chiarini e B. Pisciotta, Editoriale Scientifica, Napoli, 2016.