Course Instructor: Ovidiu Caraiani.

The major objective of this course is to get knowledge of the fundamental concepts of political sciences and their philosophical foundation. Secondly, the attention will be draw upon developing abilities for critical appraisal of political texts and programs. Thus, as potential protagonists of political life, students will be able to precisely identify what is common and what is different in various political strategies and programs and to find solutions and alternatives for the increasing benefit of political milieu. Therefore, the students will improve their capacities for political communication and for exercising their practical reason in the public space.

Syllabus:

• Politics and polity.
• Political philosophy and the science of power.
• From Athenian democracy to the state of right.
• Concepts and theories, features and characteristics of political power.
• Authority, identity and political legitimacy.
• Politics of identity vs. politics of right.
• The area and typology of political relations.
• Political institutions.
• The main political institutions of modern Romania.
• The concept and meaning of political regime.
• Types of political regimes.
• Contemporary political regimes and the challenges of globalization.
• The key issues of comparisons.
• The particularity of European political regimes.
• The particularity of American political regime.
• Civil society- Political society.
• The particularity of civil society in post-communist countries.
• The role played by intellectuals and civil society within post-communist Romanian public space. The rule of law.
• The separation of the power.
• Doctrines of the state.
• Features and functions.
• Types of parties.
• Groups of lobby.
• The multi-party system.
• The evolution of political life in Romania.
• Recent trends in the evolution of multi-party system.
• Political system- Electoral system.
• Types of electoral system.
• Romanian electoral system.
• The system of rights and liberties in the state of right.
• Institutional mechanisms of the human rights.
• Individual rights vs, collective rights.
• The particularity of totalitarian communist regime.
• The specificity of the transition from communism to capitalism.
• The main stages of the evolution of political life in Romania after 1989.
• The stages, the normative and judicial framework of European integration.
• European institutions and policies.
• Which are the political and economical requirements for Romania to become a real European country? What is still valid within contemporary democracies and which are the challenges to be faced.