FSS:IREb2025 Populism in EU: Challenges - Course Information

IREb2025 Populism in EU: Challenges to European Integration Perspective

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Vladimir Vučković, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Mgr. Vladimir Vučković, 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

Prerequisites

This course is primarily designed to provide a piece of knowledge to students about the main reasons for the emergence and popularity of the populist movements in Europe. By doing so, this course intended to provide students comprehensive insights about the rise to power of populist leaders in Hungary, Poland, and Italy, respectively within the EU Member States, that have used a wide range of propaganda tools and populist narratives aiming to consolidate a power structure. The course intention is primarily oriented towards detecting populist challenges that mitigate the EU integration process and cooperation among Member States by examining certain EU policies undermined by the rise of populism in aforementioned countries. Also, the course is intended to provide students with credible explanations of the existence and electoral success of ultra-right-wing populist political parties and movements in Austria (Freedom Party of Austria - Nobert Hoffer), France (National Front of France - Marine Le Pen), the Netherlands (Party of Freedom of Nederland’s - Geert Wilders) etc., through the articulation of populist discourses predominately illiberal and anti-Islam. Finally, the course is designed to provide students’ knowledge in reference to the existence of unique socio-political phenomena such as ‘state-sponsored populism’ in, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina that use decision-making process for private purposes and ensuring that adopted political decisions are largely in favor of clientelistic interests.

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 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand reasons for development of various types of populism in whole Europe, namely movements, political parties, ruling elites, and governments, through obtained knowledge of various populist mechanisms being used.

Learning outcomes

After passing the exam students will be able:
• to gain knowledge of the theoretical aspect of populism in Europe
• to explain reasons of rising on power populist regimes in Hungary, Poland and Italy and use of various populist mechanisms needed for consolidation of power and their impact on EU policies
• to critically assess reasons for the growing impact of euro-nationalist right-wing popu-list movements and parties in Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands by spread-ing a ‘fear’ as a valuable tool for enhancing its influence in internal political processes and changes as well cooperation among Member States
• to master their skills in sharing an opinion(s) of the emergence of unique political phe-nomena such as ‘state-sponsored populism’ i.e. not populist actor per se, and develop-ment of populist governance in Western Balkans, particularly so in Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Syllabus

• Class Schedule:
• Session 1: Introduction (general introduction of course)
• Session 2: Theory of populism – key features of populism
• Session 3: Populism and populist discourses in modern Europe
• Session 4: The Enemy in Brussels: what do the Populists want?
• Session 5: Victor Orbán and populism in Hungary
• Session 6: Polish populism in time of Kaczynski rulership
• Session 7: Reading Week
• Session 8: Fear and loathing of populist Italy under Matteo Salvini
• Session 9: FPÖ and the Surge of Right-Wing Populism in Austria
• Session 10: Navigating Anti-Islam Populism in France during the Leadership of Marine Le Pen
• Session 11: Populism in Montenegro under Milo Đukanović
• Session 12: Populist governance in Serbia and Aleksandar Vučić
• Session 13:Ethic-based populism in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Milorad Dodik

Literature

required literature
• Paul Taggart, Populism, Open University Press, Buckingham and Philadelphia, 2000.
• Jelena Džankić and Soeren Keil, State-sponsored Populism and the Rise of Populist Governance: The Case of Montenegro, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern, vol. 19, no. 4, 403-418.
• Roberto D’ Alimonte. “How the populist won in Italy”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 30, 2019, pp. 114-127.
• Cas Mudde, “The Populist Zeitgeist,” Government and Opposition, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 541-563.
• Branislav Radeljić & Vladimir Djordjević, Clientelism and the abuse of power in the Western Balkans, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2020, pp. 597-612.
• Takis S. Pappas, “Populist Democracies: Post-Authoritarian Greece and Post-Communist Hungary,” Government and Opposition, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2014, pp. 1-23.

Teaching methods

1) Sessions are composed of lectures and group presentations. Students are requested to attend the lectures and those who have attended 60% of lectures are qualified to take a final exam. Those actively participating in discussions, raising questions, and critically commenting on issues during the lectures and/or group presentations will increase the possibility of getting better grades by getting extra points as a reward.
2) Students are expected to read all assigned readings and be prepared for lectures.
3) Students are expected to provide a one-group presentation. Students are obliged to work in teams between 3-5 people and present a topic during the lecture. The length of the presentation should not exceed between 20-25 minutes. Work presentation will be executed during sessions 5-6, 8-13.
4) Students are expected to take one written test – the final exam during the period of the course. The last exam will have two questions deeply related to issues being introduced in required readings or discussions/group presentations provided during semester lectures.
5) Students who have missed class for any reason are responsible for finding out what information has been missed and are encouraged to talk to the lecturer and/or classmates.
6) All students must adhere to the MU Code of Ethics.

Assessment methods

Grading
The final grade will be calculated as a result of a compulsory assessment of three parts:
1) Class participation>> total 10 points (10% active participation)
2) One group presentation >> total 50 points (50% group presentation)
3) The final exam>> 2 questions x max 20 points = total 40 points (40% final test) The student has to reach at least 61% of the highest defined evaluation is he/she wants to complete the course successfully.
Maximum: 100 points. Pass: 61 points (61%)
*Grades:
A> 94 – 100 points B> 88 – 93 points C> 79 – 87 points D> 70 – 78 points E> 61 – 69 points F> 60 points and less

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/IREb2025