Understanding Political Concepts

Università di Napoli Federico II via Coursera

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/understanding-political-concepts

Syllabus

Bringing Concepts Back In

This module presents an initial first exploration in the field of “Hyperpolitics”. You will be introduced to conceptual thinking and elementary theory-building through Hyperpolitics, an interactive dictionary for understanding and working with the most central concepts in political science.

The Hyperpolitics Methodology

This module presents an in-depth discussion of the Hyperpolitics methodology. You will learn about tools for conceptual thinking, such as property spaces and typologies, and will be introduced to the matrix building process.

The Concepts of Party and Legislature

This module presents the first matrix and definition of a concept through the Hyperpolitics methodology, taking “party” as an example. You will learn about the origin and evolution of a key actor of contemporary political regimes, as well as how to navigate through linked matrixes on the online platform. Therefore, the module explores the concept of legislature, considered a basic ingredient of modern democracies.

The Concepts of Bureaucracy, Constitution and Corporation

This module presents the matrices of the concepts of Bureaucracy, Constitution and Corporation. Adopting the Hyperpolitics methodology, you will learn about the growth of bureaucracy and the selection of bureaucrats, as well as the origin and evolution of the concept of constitution from a political science perspective. This module then navigates through the matrix of “corporation”, by reconstructing the historical and conceptual ties between ancient and modern corporations.