EVSb2011 EU Elections and Public Opinion

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Zuzana Ringlerová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Zuzana Ringlerová, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 14:00–15:40 U44
Prerequisites
None
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 8/25, only registered: 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce students into the area of public opinion and electoral behavior research in the context of the European Union. The goal is to make students familiar with theories and key facts regarding this field. The course also aims to give students an experience with working with raw quantitative data and to write a short research paper utilizing their own quantitative analysis. Improving discussion and presentation skills is the final goal of the course.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to do the following:
Explain why citizens participate in elections and why they vote they way they do.
Discuss the main facts about European Parliament elections and European referendums.
Describe how citizens participate in a political system.
Empirically analyze voters' behavior in European Parliament elections.
Deliver a short presentation of their seminar paper.
Syllabus
  • Course description:
  • Political participation by citizens and representation of citizens' views by policy makers is at the heart of the notion of a democratic society. Are European Parliament elections about "Europe" at all or are they just about domestic politics? Why do so few citizens turn out in European Parliament elections? How do we explain why citizens vote in European Parliament elections the way they do? To what extent are citizens' views represented at European level of government? In this course we will seek answers to these and other questions about citizen participation and representation in the European Union. Throughout the course, students will have an opportunity to learn how to critically read academic literature. In addition, as a part of this course, students will write a short seminar paper and learn how to deliver a good presentation of their work.
  • Course outline:
  • 1) Citizens and democracy
  • 2) How do citizens participate? How are they represented in a political system?
  • 3) Elections and referendums in the EU
  • 4) Explaining voting behavior in European Parliament elections I. Sociological and psychological explanations.
  • 5) Explaining voting behavior in European Parliament elections II. Second-order national elections or elections about Europe?
  • 6) Taking one step further: If citizens' voting behavior is explained by their views of the EU, how do we explain citizens' views of the EU?
  • 7) No class. Easter Monday (national holiday).
  • 8) Midterm exam.
  • 9) Workshop: How to write the seminar paper.
  • 10) Media and elections.
  • 11) Quality of representation I. Do policy makers represent citizens' opinions?
  • 12) Quality of representation II. Democratic accountability and democratic deficit in the EU.
  • 13) Paper presentations.
Literature
    required literature
  • Hoskins, B., et al. (2012). Analytic Report: Participatory Citizenship in the European Union. European Commission, Europe for Citizens Programme. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/report2_analytic_report.pdf
  • KANTAR (2020). Civic Engagement: Flash Eurobarometer - A Public Opinion Monitoring Study, European Parliament. Available at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/eurobarometer/2020/civic_engagement/report/en-report.pdf
  • Hix, Simon and Bjørn Høyland. 2022. Chapter 6 from The Political System of the European Union, 4th edition. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Hobolt, S. B. and C. E. de Vries (2016). "Public Support for European Integration." Annual Review of Political Science 19: 413-432.
  • Clawson, R. and Z. Oxley. Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals and Democratic Practice 2nd edition, CQ Press, 2013, chapter 1
  • Hobolt, Sara B. 2016. "The Brexit vote: a divided nation, a divided continent." Journal of European Public Policy. 23(9): 1259-77.
  • Hix, Simon and Michael Marsh. 2011. Second-Order Effects Plus Pan-European Electoral Swings: An Analysis of European Parliament Elections Across Time. Electoral Studies, Vol 30, pp. 4-15.
Teaching methods
In this course, you will be learning new knowledge and skills in multiple ways:
• you will practice critical reading skills and acquire factual knowledge during your preparation for class (through critical reading of the assigned material and preparing discussion questions)
• you will practice discussion skills and critical analysis skills in class discussions
• you will learn additional empirical knowledge and analytical skills in your seminar papers
• you will practice presentation skills in your class presentation
Assessment methods
The final grade has the following components
Participation 15%
Quizzes 10%
Seminar paper 35%
Midterm exam 20%
Final exam 20%
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
If you have any questions about this course, don't hesitate to contact the instructor at ringler@fss.muni.cz
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2024/EVSb2011