Research Seminar “Civil and Political Processes”

2021/2022

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Elective course

When:

4 year, 1-3 module

Instructors

Bryanov, Kirill

Мацкевич Мария Георгиевна

Tkacheva, Tatiana

Shirokanova, Anna

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This seminar offers a cross-disciplinary perspective on political power, institutions, civic movements, and their socio-cultural context. It draws mainly from sociology, political science, and cultural studies and will be most useful to students interested in how modern societies are organized and negotiated through politics, and how this can be studied. Key to this seminar is reading and discussing original research papers. As a result, the students will expand their knowledge of the subject and their skills of critical reading, participating in discussions, and writing abstracts of academic papers. The seminar starts with a discussion of elections and turnout, proceeding to the analysis of collective action problems, and then an introductory discussion of survey experiments. The final part focuses on the politics of memory and academic writing. The seminar is intended for students who attended research seminars of the BA in Sociology and Social Informatics in the previous years.

Learning Objectives

• The objectives of this seminar are to get the students acquainted with current research perspectives and techniques in political and civic processes and to train students' skills or academic speaking, reading, and writing.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• to describe collective action dilemmas and propose solutions based on cross-cultural differences
• to discuss current research perspectives and techniques in political and civic processes, including web and survey experiments
• to know the basics of academic reading and writing, academic culture, and the variety of non-academic research output formats
• to propose arguments for and against youth electoral participation making logical conclusions
• to understand and compare the functions and value of elections across political regimes
• be able to participate in academic discussions on topics related to politics and civil society, such as social media, voting, social capital, national identity, etc.

Course Contents

• Perspectives on Political Processes. Public Opinion and Electoral Polls
• Applied Political Analysis
• The Meaning of Elections
• Reading an Academic Article and Writing Abstracts
• Applied Political Analysis
• Social Mobilities. Diasporas
• Collective Action Dilemmas
• Politics of Memory and Post-Communist Nationalisms
• Experiments in Political Media
• Experiments in Political Media
• Media in Politics
• Critical reading. Writing an abstract to a paper

Assessment Elements

• Home work in module 1 (abstract)
• Participation in module 2
  Part of the mark is a home task to write a position paper (a take-home task) of 500-700 words.
• Policy Paper module 3
• Exam
  2 questions on seminar reading with your analysis
• Written assignment
• In-class Participation
• Exam
  The examination is conducted in writing (writing an abstract) using asynchronous proctoring. The exam is conducted on the Moodle platform (et.hse.ru), proctoring on the Examus platform (https://hse.student.examus.net). You need to connect to the exam in 15 minutes. On the Examus platform, system testing is available. The student's computer must meet the following requirements: https://elearning.hse.ru/data/2020/05/07/1544135594/Технические%20требования%20к%20ПК%20студента.pdf) To participate in the exam, the student must access the proctoring platform in advance, run a system test, turn on the camera and microphone, and verify identity. During the exam, students are prohibited from communicating (on social networks, with people in the room), or copying the materials from the web. During the exam, students are allowed to use an online translator on desktop. A short-term disconnection during the exam is considered interruption of communication up to 10 minutes. A long-term disconnection during an exam is considered to be a communication interruption of 10 minutes or more. In case of a long-term disconnection, the student cannot continue the exam. The exam retake procedure is similar to the described procedure.Экзамен проводится в письменной форме (написание аннотации) с использованием асинхронного прокторинга. Экзамен проводится на платформе Moodle (et.hse.ru), прокторинг на платформе Экзамус (https://hse.student.examus.net). К экзамену необходимо подключиться за 15 минут. На платформе Экзамус доступно тестирование системы. Компьютер студента должен удовлетворять следующим требованиям: https://elearning.hse.ru/data/2020/05/07/1544135594/Технические%20требования%20к%20ПК%20студента.pdf) Для участия в экзамене студент обязан: заранее зайти на платформу прокторинга, провести тест системы, включить камеру и микрофон, подтвердить личность. Во время экзамена студентам запрещено: общаться (в социальных сетях, с людьми в комнате), списывать. Во время экзамена студентам разрешено: пользоваться онлайн-переводчиком. Кратковременным нарушением связи во время экзамена считается прерывание связи до 10 минут. Долговременным нарушением связи во время экзамена считается прерывание связи 10 минут и более. При долговременном нарушении связи студент не может продолжить участие в экзамене. Процедура пересдачи аналогична процедуре сдачи.
• Written assignment
• In-class Participation
• Exam
  The examination is conducted in writing (writing an abstract) using asynchronous proctoring. The exam is conducted on the Moodle platform (et.hse.ru), proctoring on the Examus platform (https://hse.student.examus.net). You need to connect to the exam in 15 minutes. On the Examus platform, system testing is available. The student's computer must meet the following requirements: https://elearning.hse.ru/data/2020/05/07/1544135594/Технические%20требования%20к%20ПК%20студента.pdf) To participate in the exam, the student must access the proctoring platform in advance, run a system test, turn on the camera and microphone, and verify identity. During the exam, students are prohibited from communicating (on social networks, with people in the room), or copying the materials from the web. During the exam, students are allowed to use an online translator on desktop. A short-term disconnection during the exam is considered interruption of communication up to 10 minutes. A long-term disconnection during an exam is considered to be a communication interruption of 10 minutes or more. In case of a long-term disconnection, the student cannot continue the exam. The exam retake procedure is similar to the described procedure.Экзамен проводится в письменной форме (написание аннотации) с использованием асинхронного прокторинга. Экзамен проводится на платформе Moodle (et.hse.ru), прокторинг на платформе Экзамус (https://hse.student.examus.net). К экзамену необходимо подключиться за 15 минут. На платформе Экзамус доступно тестирование системы. Компьютер студента должен удовлетворять следующим требованиям: https://elearning.hse.ru/data/2020/05/07/1544135594/Технические%20требования%20к%20ПК%20студента.pdf) Для участия в экзамене студент обязан: заранее зайти на платформу прокторинга, провести тест системы, включить камеру и микрофон, подтвердить личность. Во время экзамена студентам запрещено: общаться (в социальных сетях, с людьми в комнате), списывать. Во время экзамена студентам разрешено: пользоваться онлайн-переводчиком. Кратковременным нарушением связи во время экзамена считается прерывание связи до 10 минут. Долговременным нарушением связи во время экзамена считается прерывание связи 10 минут и более. При долговременном нарушении связи студент не может продолжить участие в экзамене. Процедура пересдачи аналогична процедуре сдачи.
• Game design module 4
• In-Class Participation (Module 1)
• Written Assignment (Policy Paper)
• In-Class Participation (Module 3)
• In-Class Participation (Public Talk)
• Exam
  If there are two questions to answer, one question can earn up to five points.

Interim Assessment

• 2019/2020 4th module
  0.2 * Written assignment + 0.2 * Exam + 0.6 * In-class Participation
• 2020/2021 4th module
  0.2 * Home work in module 1 (abstract) + 0.2 * Policy Paper module 3 + 0.2 * Participation in module 2 + 0.2 * Game design module 4 + 0.2 * Exam
• 2021/2022 3rd module
  0.2 * In-Class Participation (Module 3) + 0.2 * Written Assignment (Policy Paper) + 0.2 * In-Class Participation (Public Talk) + 0.2 * Exam + 0.2 * In-Class Participation (Module 1)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Barisione, M., & Michailidou, A. (2017). Social Media and European Politics : Rethinking Power and Legitimacy in the Digital Era. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1362963
• Elinor Ostrom. (2000). Collective Action and the Evolution of Social Norms. Journal of Economic Perspectives, (3), 137. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.14.3.137
• Iyengar, S., Peters, M. D., & Kinder, D. R. (1982). Experimental Demonstrations of the “Not-So-Minimal” Consequences of Television News Programs. American Political Science Review, 04, 848.
• Jane Mansbridge. (2015). On the Importance of Getting Things Done. Las Torres de Lucca, (1), 57. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.6d3215633fa44ba7a5232a9126bba850

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Abelson, D. E. (2018). Do Think Tanks Matter? Third Edition : Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes (Vol. Third edition, revvised and expanded). Montreal: MQUP. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1944843
• Callander, S., & Wilson, C. H. (2007). Turnout, Polarization, and Duverger’s Law. Journal of Politics, 69(4), 1047–1056. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00606.x
• Manarin, K., Carey, M., Rathburn, M., Ryland, G., Hutchings, P. Critical Reading in Higher Education : Academic Goals and Social Engagement. - Indiana University Press, 2015. - ISBN 9780253018830, 9780253018984 - Electronic text // ProQuest Ebook Central. - URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4088470&query=Critical+Reading+in+Higher+Education+%3A+Academic+Goals+and+Social+Engagement (accessed 6.11.19)
• Rice, R. (2012). The new politics of protest : indigenous mobilization in Latin America’s neoliberal era / Roberta Rice. Tucson: Univ. of Arizona Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.37024849X
• Small, M. L. (2009). Unanticipated Gains : Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=283144

Authors

• TKACHEVA TATYANA YUREVNA
• SHIROKANOVA ANNA ALEKSANDROVNA
• NEMIROVSKAYA ANNA VALENTINOVNA
• MATSKEVICH MARIYA GEORGIEVNA