The Subject ‘Fundamentals of Political Analysis’ enables the students to begin to interiorize and work on a series of Degree subjects, along with several of the skills of the First year of the qualification, in addition to ensuring that they gain the skills proper to the subject.



This subject, along with the closely-connected subject of Basic Concepts of Political Science, aims to train students to make a first exploratory approach to political phenomena, which they will do in greater depth in the remaining subjects of the Degree.



Below we identify the skills of the Qualification, First Year and Subject, extracted from the Official Document of the Degree in Political Science and Sociology.

General skills of the subject:

1. Interpret politics as they currently stand and construct a framework for interpreting and analysing current political phenomena

2. Learn about the political system’s various structures and interpret how they work in politological terms

3. Identify the features of political system-types and forms of government

4. Identify the main actors, dynamics, interactions and forms of government

5.Describe the features of public policies and sort them into basic classes





Specific skills of the subject (Aims)



A1. Be capable of analyzing the interaction between actors, structures and ambient awareness in the understanding of political phenomena

A2. Be capable of understanding the differences between traditional, modern and present-day society

A3. Understand the autonomous logic of political structures, along with changes to structures due to external pressures or those exerted by actors

A4. Distinguish between political parties, interest groups and social movements

A5. Understand the importance and influence of social movements as subjects of change

A6. Characterize public policies and sort them into basic classes

Topic 1: Framework of analysis: Political phenomena analysis model



Topic 2: Ambient awareness: Values of modern society and post-modern society; Identities. Definitions and types of identities; Ideologies. Definitions and types



Topic 3: Structures: Tradition, modernity and post-modernity. The evolution of the State as a political process.



Topic 4: Actors: Civil Society and its part in political processes; The system’s actors: parties and interest groups; Social movements as agents of social change



Topic 5: Results: Collective action and public policies

The students must be capable of constructing a framework for interpreting political phenomena that will explain the evolution of interactions between actors and political structures and ambient awareness



The teaching method will combine lecturing with applying the content worked on in class through partial projects/assignments, done individually and in groups. In addition, the students will have to do a final project analysing in depth one of the subject’s topics applied to a conflictive political process. Likewise, they will have to do a series of exercises involving critical analysis, and active applied information-seeking dynamics and theoretical documentation

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 60
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 40

Ongoing evaluation

- Carrying out of practical work (exercises, cases or problems)

- Individual projects/exams

- Projects done in groups

- Exhibition of projects, readings...



Explanatory notes:



The method of assessing the subject is continuous assessment. The only exceptions that will be accepted are those expressly mentioned in the rules. If a student opts out of continuous assessment, it will be possible to arrange a final individual exam/proyect in which the student will have to do one of the exercises done by his fellow students, plus one of the essays her or his fellow students have done in groups. On the day of the exam he or she must hand in the essay/exam and the proyect by email to the professor.

Se plantea la misma prueba que en la oridinaria

Marx, K. Das Kapital (primer y tercer volumen).
Mies, M. Patriachy and the accumulation of capital, 2019
Arrieghi. G. The long XX century

Basic bibliography

Weber, M. Economy and society. Routledge. London.

Federici. The Patriarchy of salary (online).

Harvey, D. A short story of neoliberalism

Wittig, M. Straight mind (online). Pensamiento Heterosexual.

Hobbes, T. Leviathan. Blackwell. 2002

In-depth bibliography

Marx, K. Ideología Alemana. Pueblos Unidos, 1974
Bourdieu, P. La distinción. Taurus, 2012
Foucault, M. Vigilar y Castigar
Beauvoir, S. The second sex (online).