Elections are a fundamental political process in liberal democracies and a major element of modern politics. This course will provide students with introduction to electoral systems as institutional rules through which voters express their political preferences and their votes are being translated into seats. The course will explain main aspects of electoral persuasion as the most important form of political persuasion.

Herron, Erik. S; Pekkanen, Robert and Shugart, Matthew S. (eds) (2018) The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Suhay, Elizabeth; Grofman, Bernard and Trechsel, Alexander S. (eds) (2019). The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Persuasion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Fisher, Justin; Fieldhouse, Edward; Franklin, Mark N.; Gibson, Rachel; Cantijoch, Marta and Wlezien, Christopher (eds) (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Elections, Voting Behavior and Public Opinion. Abingdon and New York: Routledge

Gallagher, Michael and Mitchell, Paul (eds) (2005). The Politics of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Regular class attendance – attending at least 70% of lectures and seminar sessions;

Accumulating at least 35% of grade through class activities (two colloquiums, seminar presentation and seminar paper).

2 colloquiums (written), seminar presentation (oral), seminar paper (written)

Final exam (oral)

Final course grade is based on 100 points earned through student’s continuous involvement in class activities:

Sufficient (2) – 50 to 64 points

Good (3) – 65 to 79 points

Very good (4) – 80 to 89 points

Excellent (5) – 90 to 100 points

Earning credits:

Class activities contribute to 70% of the grade:

Seminar presentation – maximum 10 points

Seminar paper – maximum 20 points

First colloquium – maximum 20 points

Second colloquium – maximum 20 points

Final exam contributes to 30% of the grade:

Final exam – maximum of 30 points (50% of correct answers necessary for passing)