Institutions and Political Representation

This class aims to provide a better understanding of the concept of representation and related issues such as accountability, and at analysing key institutions of contemporary democracies: parties and parliaments.

At the end of the course, students should:

• Have a good theoretical knowledge of the various meanings of political representation
• Be able to understand and synthesise a large scientific literature related to representation and political institutions
• Have developed critical thinking, discussion and writing skills
• Have a good understanding on the functioning of a legislative assembly in all its aspects: parliamentary work, party groups, committees, profiles of individual MPs, etc.
• Be able to analyse debates related to issues of representation.

The classes will consist of lectures, guest lectures and group discussions. The idea is that you have already processed the theoretical information by doing the preparatory reading, so we can discuss the texts to further deepen your knowledge on the topic under study. Depending on the sanitary situation and the classroom we have, the group might be split in 2 for the discussion sessions. Check the UV and your emails regularly.

The course will rely on these types of material:

• Powerpoint slides
• Guest speaker(s)
• Compulsory readings (and podcasts)
• Discussions in class (or Teams)

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Course material: Students will be granted access to the course material, which will be available on the UV. This material is covered by intellectual property rights regulations, so you are not authorised to share it outside the UV. By registering for the course, you consent to these conditions related to the course material.

Contacts

Gilles Pittoors

gilles.pittoors@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

The grade will be the summary of the grades for the 2 essays (80%) and the grade for active participation in class (20%)
Students will need to write two 1000-word essays over the course of the semester, which they can submit whenever they feel ready before the final deadline.

Each essay counts for 40% of the final grade, and will need to discuss different statements related to the concept and institutions of representation. A list of statements will be made available on the UV.

The essays will be graded based on:

• Quality of academic writing style
• Engagement with the readings/literature
• Quality and clarity of the argument

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Active participation : 20%
Essay 1: 40%
Essay 2: 40%

Language(s) of evaluation

• english