POLS315-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026

Global Politics: Political Economy of Contemporary Democracies

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 16 February 2026
End Date: Sunday, 21 June 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 1 March 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 10 May 2026

Description

This seminar course is an in-depth comparative analysis of the political processes, behaviour, and institutions in industrial democracies. The course considers the numerous avenues through which citizens influence politics and policy-making and considers the implications of formal institutional structures and informal forms of participation. In this seminar, we will survey (i) the historical, geographic, and economic context, (ii) institutions and electoral processes, and (iii) recent transformations and future challenges of modern industrial democracies.

Prerequisites

Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or
any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or
LAWS, GEOG, or
the Schedule V of the BCom.

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 11:00 - 13:00 Karl Popper 105
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 14:00 - 15:00 Ernest Rutherford 140
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May

Course Coordinator

Alex Tan

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Class participation 10%
Reading summary/summary slides/presentation 15% Summary (600-750 words), powerpoint slides (max. 5 slides), class presentation (8-10 minute in-class presentation) - Summary/slides/presentation are worth 5% each for a total of 15% of the final course grade.
Midterm 'in-class' test 23 Mar 2026 35%
End-of-term 'in-class' test 25 May 2026 40%

Textbooks / Resources

Readings will be provided by the instructor through the class LEARN site or are available through the UC library.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,896.00

International fee $8,525.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All POLS315 Occurrences

  • POLS315-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026