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This course provides an introduction to the main sociological and political theories of populism. The populist political phenomenon is analyzed from the point of view of the social dynamics of democracy and not only, as is the case with political science, from the point of view of institutional structures. The objective of this course, which is divided into lectures and seminars, is to provide the student with a sociological perspective on the transformations of democracy due to the pressure of populism. It will be analyzed main general theories (Germani, Laclau, Canovan), the contemporary theories of populism (Weyland, Mudde etc.) and also the most paradigmatic cases of populism, such as Latin American, Italian, European, will be discussed. Last update: Dvořák Tomáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (07.09.2022)
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Courses credits: 8 ECTS Type of completion: Exam (Zk) (final essay evaluation & test) Assessment methods Final essay (around 3000 words long) – 70 points max Final test (last december lecture) - 30 points max The evaluation criteria will be explained in the first lecture. Grading system 91 % and more => A 81-90 % => B 71-80 % => C 61-70 % => D 51-60 % => E 0-50 % => F (failed) Essay: The aim of the essay is to argue why a particular political party or politician is populist. The work must present the theory of populism and apply it to a given empirical case. The work must be written as an academic text with the following requirements: abstract, references and citations, structure containing introduction-theory-methodology-analysis and conclusion. Test: The test consists of 10 closed single-choice questions on basic literature and concepts. To successfully complete the test, it is necessary to study the literature (available on Moodle). Essay deadline: 14.1.2026 Test dates: 7.1.2026 14.1.2026 21.1.2026 Last update: Dvořák Tomáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (14.01.2026)
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Teaching methods: Lectures and seminars. Participation in seminars is compulsory. Only one absence is tolerated, but it is advisable to contact me beforehand.
Timetable Lectures: Wednesday 11.00 -12.20 (PEK 210)
Week 1 (30 September): Lecture 1: Course introduction This introductory lecture will provide a brief overview of the course. Explanation of the populism phenomenon. The utility of sociological perspective for the understanding of contemporary populism will be demonstrated on several timely examples. Week 2 (7 October): Lecture 2: Populism in Latin America. Perónism. This lecture will deal with populism and populist movements in Latin American countries. In particular in Argentina and Venezuela. Literature: Manuel Anselmi, Populism. An Introduction. Routledge, 2017, (Chapter 1, 2) Week 3 (14 October): Lecture 3: Classical theories of populism: Gino Germani and National populism in Latin America. This lecture will deal with Gino Germani's theory of national populism. In particular, it will show the relationship between populism and modernization, between populism and social mobilization. Literature: Manuel Anselmi, Populism. An Introduction. Routledge, 2017, (Chapter 1,2) Week 4 (21 October): Lecture 4: Contempoprary populism in Venezuela and Ecuador. The lecture will focus on the current or recent incarnations of populism and populist leaders. The lecture will deal with cases of Hugo Chavés in Venezuela and Raffael Correa in Ecuador. Week 5 (4 November): Lecture 7: The theories of Margaret Canovan. In this lecture, we will discuss the theory of Margaret Canovan, which is among the most important general theories on populism. We will focus on her typology of populist movements. Literature: Manuel Anselmi, Populism. An Introduction. Routledge, 2017, (Chapter 5) Week 6 (11 November) Seminar 1: Reading of paper by Canovan. "Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy" Discussion of the paper on the seminar. Week 7 (18 November): Lecture 8: Populism as thin ideology I Presentation of the ideational approach to populism. The lecture will present the notions of ideology and thin ideology by P. Freeden. It will also explain the core ideas in the theory of Cas Mudde, which is contemporary leading theory of populism. Week 8 (25 November): Lecture 9: Populism as thin ideology II Focus on the theory of Paul Taggart (Populism as „heartland“). Week 9 (2 December): Lecture 10: Populism as strategy and performativity The lecture will present two theories. The theory of Kurt Weyland; a new také on Latin American populism. Second, we will focus of the notion of performativity in populism. The theory of Benjamin Moffitt will be presented. Week 10 (9 December): Seminar: Reading of text by Ernesto Laclau. "Whats in a name". Week 11 (16 December): Lecture 11: Populism as discourse. Presentation the view of populism in the theory of Ernesto Laclau. Essex school of discourse analysis. Conclusions, overview of all theories. Essay requirements.
Last update: Dvořák Tomáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (10.09.2020)
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