Citizenship and Participation

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4022129ENR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool

Department

Political Science

Educational team

Dimokritos Kavadias (course titular)
Gide Van Cappel

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
12 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
141 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This module focuses on the idea of active citizenship. Active citizenship includes both a notion of democratic society and of participation to bring about social change. In the first instance, we are looking for the origins of the idea of citizenship. Although there is a consensus on the desirability of citizenship, the concept itself remains complex and subject to change. This is due, among other things, to the fact that ideas of democratic citizenship are often based on different theoretical and empirical perspectives. What is democratic citizenship and what characterises 'the good democratic citizen'? What is the relationship between active democratic citizenship and social change? How can active citizenship be reconciled with the consequences of major divides in our societies? These are questions that are central to the course. We will discuss the social, political, philosophical-legal, and international dimensions of citizenship. In addition, we will discuss the empirical findings on participation.

The first part of the module explores the concepts of citizenship and participation in relation to social change.

In the second part, the issue of citizenship, participation and social change is explored on the basis of case studies.

Additional info

All documents (texts and slides) will be made available via Canvas.

 

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

After following this course, students must have achieved the following objectives:

1. Students can independently follow the developments within the sub-domains of citizenship studies;
2. Students can independently understand social developments and problems in political and biological terms and translate them into a concrete policy question;
3. Students can independently set up a research design and set out the steps in a research plan;
4. Students can independently carry out a research design to answer a policy question on a scientifically substantiated basis;
5. Students can position themselves critically with regard to the international political literature on citizenship;
6. Students can independently reflect analytically, nuanced and critically on current problems and policy developments that affect citizenship;
7. Students can independently report on their research in writing and explain it orally to their peers in a scientifically sound manner and answer questions about it;
8. Students can develop a nuanced argumentation independently and on the basis of their own research, and formulate and defend a reasoned point of view;
9. Students can reflect critically on their research and deal constructively with critical comments from their peers;
10. Students shall not be guided in their research by political or ideological dogmas;
11. Students deal conscientiously with the intellectual property of others;
12. Students can use their political insights to critically question stereotypes, platitudes and hasty generalisations.

 

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 40% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 60% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

• Written Exam with a relative weight of 40 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

• Case Paper with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.
• Oral Presentation with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.
• Oral Discussion with a relative weight of 10 which comprises 10% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Students will be evaluated in four ways:

1. Case paper (30%): the case paper is a collective paper. In some cases, students can describe a case in which a citizenship issue is at stake, with the elaboration of dilemmas and tensions.  In other cases, students develop an integral policy-relevant paper for an administration or organization on a theme that touches upon citizenship and participation.
2. Presentation (20%): The student must give a presentation of a text on the topic of citizenship/participation..
3. Discussion (10%): Each student should take on the role of discussant at least once, in which the presentation of a fellow student is critically examined.
4. Examination (40%): Students take a written exam in which the substance is tested by means of open questions.

A peer assessment (mandatory) will be used to establish the individual grading on the group work. Students must assess themselves and fellow group members on a number of criteria. The result of this is an individual adjustment factor. The adjustment factor will be used to individualise the group point (= the inherent value of the group work). This is done by multiplying the group point by the adjustment factor. The group work is quoted at xx/20, and has a weight of 30 % in the quotation of the entire course unit.

If a student does not complete a peer assessment within the set deadline, the tutor may decide to use the maximum deduction of points. The lecturer always has the last word and can decide to increase or decrease the adjustment factor, or even not to take it into account at all, if the obtained scores turn out to be unreliable.

This decision will in principle only be taken in exceptional cases, but will always be based on clear arguments, analyses, and/or additional observations/discussions.

Note: students cannot succeed if they have not submitted their case paper, have not given the presentation and have not acted as a discussion partner.
Only the written exam and the case paper can be made in the 2nd session.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Political Science: Democracy and Leadership (only offered in Dutch)