Undergraduate Course: Public participation in democracy and governance (PLIT10098)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | "Power to the people" is a recurrent mantra in political rhetoric and a foundational tenet of democracy. Today, understanding the role of citizens and other non-state actors in democratic government is crucial to analyse contemporary politics and policymaking. This course will focus on two key developments, namely: the transition from government hierarchies to governance networks, and the proliferation of public participation processes that involve citizens in policy and decision making.
The course will pay special attention to studying democratic innovations from around the world, for instance: digital crowdsourcing, participatory budgeting, stakeholder partnerships and deliberative mini-publics. Featuring cutting-edge research on participatory and deliberative democracy, as well as capacity-building workshops, the course will enable students to critically understand public participation in theory and practice, and develop basic public engagement skills. In doing so, students will be able to grasp the evolving politics of participatory policymaking and the demands of contemporary political work.
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| Course description |
The worlds of politics and policymaking are evolving to accommodate diverse ideas and practices around citizen and stakeholder participation. Traditional forms of public engagement (e.g. public meetings, consultations) now coexist alongside a new range of democratic innovations (e.g. mini-publics, participatory budgeting, crowdsourcing). These developments have profound consequences for how politics and policymaking work, and the evolving relationship between state and civil society. This course aims to help students to develop analytical and practical skills to understand and operate in the myriad political contexts shaped by conflicting ideas and practices about public participation.
The course will start from core themes and debates about public participation in democracy and governance (Block 1, Weeks 1-3). Then, it will proceed to specific case studies and practices of various democratic innovations and participatory processes from around the world (Block 2, Weeks 4 - 9) with a final overview session to consolidate learning and critical reflection (Week 10).
The course is open to 3rd and 4th year students and will entail a total of 30 contact hours, delivered in 10x3 hour sessions (+ break). Each session will include theoretically and empirically based presentations and debates, as well as practical exercises and workshops centred on core skills. This course is highly interactive and therefore student participation in every session is crucial. Students are expected to prepare in advance by listening to podcasts, watching videos, consulting databases and reading a range of materials (blogs, websites, papers, book chapters) provided by the course organiser.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understanding how different ideas and practices of public participation are reshaping politics and policy making across the world
- Developing analytical and practical skills that can be applied to a range policy contexts and areas of work (e.g. public, private and third sector)
- Gaining a critical understanding of the complexity of public participation processes, and the dilemmas that participation practitioners face
- Being able to reflect critically on the expanding fields of democratic innovation and networked governance by drawing on a range of theoretical and empirical resources
- Gaining confidence and competence to participate in a range of group-based activities and formats
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement;
Be able to sustain intellectual interest by remaining receptive to both new and old ideas, methods, and ways of thinking;
Be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues;
Be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views.
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| Keywords | Public participation,democracy,governance,engagement work,democratic innovation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Oliver Escobar
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Ieva Rascikaite
Tel:
Email: |
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