GV383-6-AU-CO:
German Politics I
2023/24
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
14 June 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
The aim of this module is to provide a profound understanding of contemporary German politics. For this purpose, the course will give a brief overview over Germany’s post-war political development. We will examine, in particular, the role of political culture and political institutions as determinants of successful democratisation. The challenge of bridging the East-West divide after reunification will receive special focus.
The course sheds light on general trends and developments that Germany shares with other countries, such as the increasing fluidity of electoral preferences or the fragmentation of the party system. At the same time, the course outlines and discusses some of the more distinct features of the German case, such as its ‘militant democracy’, mixed-member proportional electoral system, and the role of the second chamber and the Constitutional Court as veto-players. Contextualising and discussing current events in German politics will also be an integral part of this module.
The aim of this module is:
- To provide students with a thorough knowledge and understanding of German politics.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of Germany’s polity;
- Understand Germany’s political culture and institutions;
- Assess the German case in comparison with other country cases;
- Analyse challenges the country is facing.
No additional information available.
The module will be delivered via:
- 1x2 hour seminar each week
-
Simon Green, Dan Hough and Alister Miskimmon (2012)
The politics of the new Germany. 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=957265.
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Stephen Padgett, William E. Paterson and Reimut Zohlnhöfer (eds) (2014)
Developments in German politics 4. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/44294.
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Larres, K., Moroff, H. and Wittlinger, R. (eds) (2022)
The Oxford Handbook of German Politics. Oxford University Press. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817307.001.0001.
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‘German Politics’ (no date). Available at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/fgrp20.
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N. Koenig (no date) ‘The Zeitenwende: Germany’s Reluctant Revolution.’ Available at:
https://www.aicgs.org/publication/the-zeitenwende-germanys-reluctant-revolution/.
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Lemke, C. and Welsh, H.A. (2018b)
Germany today: politics and policies in a changing world. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=5122196.
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Green, S.
et al. (2012a)
The politics of the new Germany. 2nd ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=957265.
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Russell J. Dalton (no date) ‘Changing Political Cultures’, in
Politics in Germany. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, pp. 107–144. Available at:
http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~rdalton/germany/ch4/chap4.htm.
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Dalton, R.J. (2019a)
Citizen politics: public opinion and political parties in advanced industrial democracies. Seventh Edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, CQ Press. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/650748.
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Dalton, R.J. (2019b)
Citizen politics: public opinion and political parties in advanced industrial democracies. Seventh Edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, CQ Press. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/650748.
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Zittel, T. (2018) ‘Electoral Systems in Context: Germany’, in E.S. Herron, R.J. Pekkanen, and M.S. Shugart (eds)
The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems. Oxford University Press, pp. 780–802. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.013.37.
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Padgett, S., Paterson, W.E. and Zohlnhöfer, R. (eds) (2014)
Developments in German politics 4. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/44294.
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Christian Stecker and Klaus H. Goetz (2014) ‘Government at the Centre’, in Stephen Padgett, William E. Paterson, and Reimut Zohlnhöfer (eds)
Developments in German politics 4. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 16–34. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/44294.
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Hebestreit, R. and Korte, K.-R. (2022) ‘The Executive’, in K. Larres, H. Moroff, and R. Wittlinger (eds)
The Oxford Handbook of German Politics. Oxford University Press, pp. 139–160. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817307.013.10.
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Schüttemeyer, S.S. and Siefken, S.T. (2022) ‘The German Bundestag’, in K. Larres, H. Moroff, and R. Wittlinger (eds)
The Oxford Handbook of German Politics. Oxford University Press, pp. 161–178. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817307.013.11.
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Benz, A. (2022) ‘The Federal System and the Länder’, in K. Larres, H. Moroff, and R. Wittlinger (eds)
The Oxford Handbook of German Politics. Oxford University Press, pp. 179–195. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817307.001.0001.
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Georg Vanberg (2005) ‘The Federal Constitutional Court in Comparative Perspective’, in
The politics of constitutional review in Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 61–94. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511510427.004.
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Miller, R.A. (2022) ‘The German Legal System and Courts’, in K. Larres, H. Moroff, and R. Wittlinger (eds)
The Oxford Handbook of German Politics. Oxford University Press, pp. 196–C12.P96. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198817307.013.13.
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Wilke, J. (2008) ‘Germany: Media System’, in W. Donsbach and International Communication Association (eds) The international encyclopedia of communication. United States: Wiley/Blackwell, pp. 1961–1964.
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Max Kaase (2000) ‘Germany: A Society and a Media System in Transition’, in
Democracy and the media: a comparative perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 375–401. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139175289.011.
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Green, S.
et al. (2012d)
The politics of the new Germany. 2nd ed. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=957265.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Online Test |
|
40% |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
60% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Edward Morgan-Jones
University of Kent
Reader in Comparative Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Government
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