NEW MEDIA
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code	Course Name	Semester	Theoretical	Practical	Credit	ECTS
POL2731	Electoral Systems and Party Systems	Fall	3	0	3	6

This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction:	English
Type of course:	Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level:	Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery:	Face to face
Course Coordinator :	Assoc. Prof. ESRA ALBAYRAKOĞLU
Course Lecturer(s):	Dr. Öğr. Üyesi ARDA CAN KUMBARACIBAŞI
Recommended Optional Program Components:	None.
Course Objectives:	This course provides the analytical knowledge and practical skills to understand party and electoral politics around the world. It addresses a wide range of important topics such as: parties and their definition, origins and evolution of parties, classification of parties and party types, parties in democratic and non-democratic regimes, importance and features of parties, party organizations, party members and membership, parties in parliaments, party leaders and leadership theories, major theories of parties, voters, voting behavior, types of vtoting, representation and theories of representation, elections, types of elections, electoral rules, electoral systems, and problems relating to different systems, and finally the major distinctions between parliamentary and presidential types of systems. The course also provides case examples for comparative purposes.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
The students who have succeeded in this course;

1. Grasp the basic concepts of democracy and party politics.
2. Examine how political regimes vary from liberal to illiberal – electoral democracies to authoritarian and totalitarian systems.
3. Compare the governmental systems of major industrial and post – industrial societies and of the major countries of the less developed world by looking at party politics and systems.
4. Identify strengths and weaknesses of parliamentary and presidential systems of government on the basis of concrete cases.
5. Identify strengths and weaknesses of centralized, devolved and federal state systems on the basis of concrete cases.
6. Identify strengths and weaknesses of majority, proportional representation and mixed election systems on the basis of concrete cases.
7. Recognize the importance of political parties, party systems and different types of elections in a variety of systems.
8. Evaluate recent trends in world politics.

Course Content

• Theories of Democracy
• Political Institutions
• Theories on Political Parties
• Party Systems and Organisations
• Representation and Voting Behaviour
• Electoral Systems
• Veto Actors
• Case Studies

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	1st Week: Introduction to the Course
2)	2nd Week: Theories of Democracy	Ostrogorski, M. - Democracy & the Organization of Political Parties. Kirchheimer, O. - The Transformation of Western European Party Systems.
3)	3rd Week: Representation, Delegation, and Accountability	Strøm, K. & Müller, W.C. - Policy, Office, or Votes? How Political Parties in Western Europe Make Hard Decisions.
4)	4th Week: Governance, Political Culture, and New Citizen Politics	Gallagher, M., Laver, M. & Mair, P. - Representative Government in Modern Europe.
5)	5th Week: Presidential vs Parliamentary Systems	Michels, R. - Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Organizational Tendencies in Modern Democracies.
6)	6th Week: Political Parties, Organizations and Membership	Panebianco, A. - Political Parties: Organization & Power.
7)	Midterm
8)	8th Week: Theories on Parties	Hirschman, A.O. - Exit, Voice, & Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, & States.
9)	9th Week: Party Systems	Sartori, G. - Parties & Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis.
10)	10th Week: Participation, Voting Behavior and Elections	Diamond, L. & Gunther, R. - Political Parties & Democracy.
11)	11th Week: Electoral Systems	Lipset, S.M. & Rokkan, S. - Party Systems & Voter Alignments.
12)	12th Week: Party Politics and Elections in Europe	Kitschelt, H. - The Logics of Party Formation: Ecological Politics in Belgium & West Germany.
13)	13th Week: Party Politics and Elections in the US	Ware, A. - Political Parties & Party Systems. Mair, P. - Party System Change.
14)	14th Week: Party Politics and Elections in Turkey	Sayarı, S. & Esmer, Y. – Politics, Parties and Elections in Turkey.

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:

Diamond, L. & Gunther, R. - Political Parties & Democracy.
Gallagher, M., Laver, M. & Mair, P. - Representative Government in Modern Europe.
Gunther, R., Montero, J.R. & Linz, J.J. - Political Parties: Old Concepts & New Challenges.
Hirschman, A.O. - Exit, Voice, & Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, & States.
Katz, R.S. & Mair, P. - How Parties Organize: Change & Adaptation in Party Organization in Western Democracies.
Kirchheimer, O. - The Transformation of Western European Party Systems.
Kitschelt, H. - The Logics of Party Formation: Ecological Politics in Belgium & West Germany.
Laver, M. & Benoit, K. - Party Policy in Modern Democracies.
Lipset, S.M. & Rokkan, S. - Party Systems & Voter Alignments.
Michels, R. - Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Organizational Tendencies in Modern Democracies.
Ostrogorski, M. - Democracy & the Organization of Political Parties.
Panebianco, A. - Political Parties: Organization & Power.
Sartori, G. - Parties & Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis.
Strøm, K. & Müller, W.C. - Policy, Office, or Votes? How Political Parties in Western Europe Make Hard Decisions.
Ware, A. - Political Parties & Party Systems.
Mair, P. - Party System Change.
Sayarı, S. & Esmer, Y. – Politics, Parties and Elections in Turkey.

References:

Articles in Course Package
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Ders Paketindeki Makaleler

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Midterms	1	% 40
Final	1	% 60
Total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 40
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 60
Total		% 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities	Number of Activities	Workload
Course Hours	14	42
Study Hours Out of Class	14	102
Midterms	1	2
Final	1	2
Total Workload		148

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Low	3 Average	4 High	5 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	To be able to critically interpret and discuss the theories, the concepts, the traditions, and the developments in the history of thought which are fundamental for the field of new media, journalism and communication.
2)	To be able to attain written, oral and visual knowledge about technical equipment and software used in the process of news and the content production in new media, and to be able to acquire effective abilities to use them on a professional level.
3)	To be able to get information about the institutional agents and generally about the sector operating in the field of new media, journalism and communication, and to be able to critically evaluate them.
4)	To be able to comprehend the reactions of the readers, the listeners, the audiences and the users to the changing roles of media environments, and to be able to provide and circulate an original contents for them and to predict future trends.
5)	To be able to apprehend the basic theories, the concepts and the thoughts related to neighbouring fields of new media and journalism in a critical manner.
6)	To be able to grasp global and technological changes in the field of communication, and the relations due to with their effects on the local agents.
7)	To be able to develop skills on gathering necessary data by using scientific methods, analyzing and circulating them in order to produce content.
8)	To be able to develop acquired knowledge, skills and competence upon social aims by being legally and ethically responsible for a lifetime, and to be able to use them in order to provide social benefit.
9)	To be able to operate collaborative projects with national/international colleagues in the field of new media, journalism and communication.
10)	To be able to improve skills on creating works in various formats and which are qualified to be published on the prestigious national and international channels.