ISSMF4210 ¨C Understanding Key Concepts in Social and Political Life

Course content

The course will familiarize students with existing literature and practices of conceptual analysis.??It begins by introducing different models of democracy (representative, participatory, direct, deliberative and agonistic) and different democratic practices (institutional participation, social movements, etc.). Students will explore the historical and cultural context in which the concept of sustainability emerged and came to be a key principle of democratic development goals.?The course also addresses how contemporary environmental challenges impact our understanding of different models of democracy.

Furthermore, this course will investigate related concepts such as (social) trust, translation, and populism. These concepts are closely connected to modern debates about democracy and sustainability.?The aim is to acquire an in-depth foundation in conceptual analysis, as well as an appreciation of the contingency and complexity of the many concepts that underpin different discourses and practices of democracy and sustainability.

Students will learn to combine different disciplinary perspectives to examine each concept from various angles and explore how they accommodate various and sometimes conflicting ideological messages, as well as how they interact with other concepts such as freedom, equality, sovereignty, processes of social change and emancipation. The theoretical background students will acquire during this course will enable them to make the most of the skills developed in the second module of the honours certificate, enabling the production of high-quality student work.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

A student who has completed this module will:

• account for how the discourse around shared values is based on implicit understanding of certain concepts;
• have a thorough understanding of the importance of conceptual analysis for the debate on democracy and sustainability;
• identify a constellation of concepts associated with democracy and sustainability;
• elaborate on informed arguments in debates relating to a range of key concepts, including sustainability and democracy.

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Skills

A student who has completed this module will be able to:

• appreciate and be able to think through the historical, disciplinary and cultural contingency of various definitions of key concepts that underpin social and political practices
• develop a heightened sense of civic engagement and participate meaningfully in the various debates taking place in our democratic societies
• prepare and deliver a coherent and clear presentation of textual data to a group of peers and experts, to a high standard and in good timing.
• use corpus analysis tools effectively to analyse textual data and key concepts that underpin the sustainability agenda;

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General competence

A student who has completed this module will:

• be able to promote and take part in an informed discussion of common values and how they shape our future. ?
• learn how to work in interdisciplinary teams and constructively collaborate across disciplines on topics pertaining to democracy and sustainability

Admission to the course

The course is restricted to students at admitted to the Honours Certificate Concepts that matter - Debating democracy.?

Teaching

This course will be taught in a series of eight blended-learning seminars held simultaneously at the five different participating institutions.

The course will consist of a series of hybrid (online & face-to-face) research seminars. The seminars will be delivered face to face for students and staff in the partner institution delivering the seminar on any given week and online for the remaining cohort of students in other partners institutions. Students in each institution will meet in person to join an online seminar, accompanied by the key contact at the institution, who will be in charge of facilitating discussion and supervising student progress. Students will work towards a presentation to be delivered online to the entire cohort in the last week of the course.??

The first session will be held on October 3, 2024.?

Examination

Summative assessment will be in the form of group presentations.?The purpose of the assessment is to record learners¡¯ progress and achievement toward the intended learning outcomes listed above.?The presentation will focus on one to three concepts that the students will have chosen for further exploration. Students will be expected to justify their choices, outline their rationale for selecting the relevant concepts and the questions they want to explore further. They will provide a short bibliography of works consulted and to be consulted.??

Language of examination

Group presentations should be in English.

Grading scale

Grading: Pass/fail

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.