POLb1009 Heads of State, Governments and Parliaments

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 7 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jakub Šedo, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Lubomír Kopeček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavlína Šedová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jakub Šedo, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! POL109 Political Systems && !NOW( POL109 Political Systems )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is focused on the political systems of European democracies and USA, information about non-democratic regimes in Europe is also included. Comparative analysis of the political systems is also part of the course.
Learning outcomes
Students should be able to understand and analyse political systems of democratic and non-democratic countries.
Syllabus
  • 1. Models of political system 2. Swiss democracy 3. Parliamentary democracy 4. Presidential model 5. Semi-presidentialism 6. Chancellors model - Germany; West-European parliamentary systems 7. Democracy in the World 8. Scandinavian Democracies 8. Post-Communist democracies in the Central Europe 9. Model of the Eastern Europe - Russian Federation 10. Balkan states
Literature
    required literature
  • HLOUŠEK, Vít, Lubomír KOPEČEK and Jakub ŠEDO. Politické systémy (Political Systems). Brno: Barrister & Principal, 2011, 292 pp. Politika, Evropská unie. ISBN 978-80-87474-23-5. URL info
  • BRUNCLÍK, Miloš, Vlastimil HAVLÍK and Aneta PINKOVÁ. Skandinávie. Proměny politiky v severských zemích (Scandinavia. Transformations of Nordic Politics). Praha: Wolters Kluwer Česká republika, 2011, 320 pp. ISBN 978-80-7357-703-2. info
  • ŘÍCHOVÁ, Blanka. Komparace politických systémů : západoevropské politické systémy. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Vysoká škola ekonomická, 2009, 290 s. ISBN 9788024515168. info
  • Formal institutions and informal politics in Central and Eastern Europe : Hungary, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Edited by Gerd Meyer. 2., rev. and updated ed. Opladen: Budrich, 2008, 324 s. ISBN 9783866491472. info
  • DVOŘÁKOVÁ, Vladimíra. Základní modely demokratických systémů : komparace politických systémů. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Oeconomica, 2008, 255 s. ISBN 9788024513577. info
    recommended literature
  • Comparative politics today : a world view. Edited by G. Bingham Powell - Russell J. Dalton - Kaare Strøm. Global edition, Eleventh edi. Boston: Pearson, 2015, 768 stran. ISBN 9781292076959. info
  • CABADA, Ladislav. Komparace politických systémů : nové demokracie střední a východní Evropy. Vyd. 1. Praha: Oeconomica, 2008, 434 s. ISBN 9788024513881. info
  • Etnické konflikty v postkomunistickém prostoru. Edited by Tomáš Šmíd - Vladimír Vaďura. 1. vyd. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury (CDK), 2007, 278 s. ISBN 9788073251260. info
  • KOPEČEK, Lubomír. Demokracie, diktatury a politické stranictví na Slovensku (Democracy, dictatorship and political parties in Slovakia). 1st ed. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury, 2006, 347 pp. Politologická řada. ISBN 80-7325-076-4. info
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures, reading of the political systems analysis and writing of the seminar paper.
Assessment methods
Seminar paper (maximum 7 point), two short test (maximum 7 points each) and written final test (maximum 25 points). Students need at least 27 points (out of maximum 46 points) and at least 13 points for the final test.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/POLb1009