Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Political Sciences

Code

IRB100

Title

Introduction to political science

Usual semester

Autumn

Published semester

2026/27/1

ECTS

3

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The course gives an introduction into the basic elements of political system (legislative and executive branches, political culture) and into those elementary theories, research trends and disciplines (transitology, theories of democracy, globalization) which provide the basic terminology and literature background for the students’ further studies.

Course content

Introductory class Politics and political science. Concepts and percepts. Political science, IR, social science Key terms of political science. Power. Interest. State. Government. Individual. Society. Political ideologies I. Political ideologies II. Political socialization and political culture. Social interaction in politics: interest groups, social movements and parties Political institutions: the branches of government Representation and elections Directions in political thought: nationalism and populism Politics, media and political communication Democracy and dictatorship In-class test

Assessment method

Last class students are to write an in-class test for offered grades. Offered grades are going to be recorded in neptun. Students can accept or reject the offered grades until the end of the second week of the exam period. If the offered grade is rejected, student’s final achievement is assessed by an exam in examination period, which is based on instructor’s explanations in class; corresponding chapters of the mandatory reading.

Bibliography

Mandatory reading: Roskin, Michael, Robert L. Cord, James A. Medeiros, and Walter S. Jones: Political science: an introduction. Boston: Longman, 2016. Suggested readings: texts mentioned in class DAHL, Robert Alan: On Democracy. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1998. Dunn, John. Democracy: the unfinished journey, 508 BC to AD 1993. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. GOODIN, R. E. – KLINGEMANN, H-D.: The New Handbook of Political Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. HAMILTON, Alexander – JAY, John – MADISON, James: The Federalist. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009. (or any other edition) HOBSBAWM, Eric J.: The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991. New York: Pantheon, Vintage Books, 1994. MACHIAVELLI, Niccolò, and David Wootton: The prince. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 1995. Nolte, Ernst: Three faces of fascism. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1965. Sartori, Giovanni: Democratic theory. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1976. Ethridge, Marcus E, and Howard Handelman. Politics in a Changing World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013.

Programmes of the course