This module will compare political systems across Europe, with a focus on political parties, party systems and cleavage structures, electoral systems and voting behaviour, governmental institutions, political culture, pressure groups, public policy, and emerging issues, such as populism and anti-party sentiment. 

By the end of the module students should be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of politics across Europe.
• Analyse the differences between political institutions, parties and party systems across Europe.
• Display a familiarity with and some of the most widely used theoretical perspectives in the field of comparative politics and an ability to relate them to the practice of political phenomena in contemporary Europe.