Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM155: The Politics of Populism: Domestic and global challenges

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The aims of this module are to provide you with a detailed examination of the relation of mutual influence between mainstream and populist political parties. It will examine in detail the role that mainstream political parties have played in the rise of populist parties and discourses and, in turn, the impact of populist parties and discourses on mainstream domestic and foreign policy decision-making. Key case studies will include the impact of far right parties on immigration policy in the EU, the deconstruction of democratic institutions by populists in power in Central Eastern Europe, the foreign policy of Donald Trump, the causes of Brexit, or alliances between mainstream and populist parties in continental Europe. If you take this module and fully participate you will leave with a grasp of key debates in populism studies, and knowledge of historical and contemporary trends in the relationship between populism and contemporary politics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the role of mainstream parties in the success of populist appeals, and the impact of populist parties on mainstream politics.
2. Gain expertise on populist politics in a specific country, and systematically put this knowledge in comparative perspective.
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive understanding of contemporary debates in the field of populism studies.
4. Critically apply the comparative method to the analysis of populist developments in contemporary democracies.
Personal and Key Skills5. Conduct independent research and exercise critical reasoning in weighing academic arguments.
6. Demonstrate substantive analytical capacity and structure in written and oral expression.