Political Science 3531
Political Parties
 FALL 2007



Research Project

Part of the requirements for this course are to conduct research on one or more political parties, examining their origins, ideology (if any) and positions, organization, bases of support, the ways in which they contest elections and their role in the political system in which they operate. Your research can be presented either in the standard format of a term paper, or alternatively, as a poster or website, highlighting key facets of the party or parties which you are studying. The aim is not only to describe and characterize the party, but also to examine the party and its behaviour in light of propositions and theories about parties and party systems which we are examining in class.

Projects should be based on both library and internet sources. The balance will depend on topic. Books and journals provide a background and history of the party or parties you are studying, as well as analyses of its positions, problems, and prospects. In contrast, internet sources often provide you with information about current positions and the percentage of the vote won by the party in recent elections. Although there is no fixed or required number of sources, a well done research project should draw on at least five book sources, five periodical sources, and internet sources as appropriate.

As indicated above, you have the choice of presenting your research either in the format of a standard research paper, 3000-4500 words, or as a poster, presenting your principal findings in tables, graphs, and text. Successful completion of either requires a combination of research, thought, and analysis. Although in some circumstances it is possible to do this well in an adrenalin rush at the last minute, effective research requires time to define and refine a topic, absorb materials, search for additional sources, and build a credible arguments. In order to ensure that you give yourself sufficient time, the following deadlines will be in force.

  • Preliminary selection of topics.......................................Tuesday, September 25th 10%


  • Preliminary bibliography and statement of topic.............Thursday, October 11th 10%


  • Outline of paper or preliminary overview of poster........Thursday, November 15th 10%


  • Projects due in class.....................................................Thursday, November 29th 70%


    • Below is list from which you can select your topic. You will be asked to indicate first, second, and third choices. Should you wish, you may propose your own topic, combining themes from the topics listed, or proposing you're a completely new field of investigation. However, all topics, including those listed below are subject to my approval. The purpose of this is a) to ensure that you are working on a researchable topic and b) to avoid having too many students drawing on a limited range of library resources. All of these require further specification and direction.

    Specifications for research project outlines due Thursday, November 15th
    Your research project outlines should include the following information:

    1. Whether you are planning to submit a poster, a paper, or a website.This is tentative and can be changed.

    2. A statement of the topic as it has developed. This should include a tentative title and subtitle, and one or two sentences indicating what the subject matter is - how you have focussed your research

    3. An outline indicating in point form (or sentences and paragraphs, if you prefer)
    a. What the argument will be
    b. The kinds of evidence or material you will use to make your point
    c. Interim conclusions, if any.

    The outline, at this stage, is unlikely to be a finished product. Instead, this is an exercise in stock-taking, asking to think about the kinds of information you have assembled, and what it adds up to, and what you would need to complete a good paper. In addition to forcing you to form your own judgements, it also provides a basis for me to comment on what you are doing and make suggestions.


    Posters v. papers:

    Some of you, at this stage, may be undecided about whether to submit a poster or a paper. Artistic abilities aside, what you do depends to some extent on the information and arguments which you have assembled. Posters are a new form of presentation of academic material, used more frequently in natural or physical sciences rather than social science. It is particularly useful if you have data which can be presented in visual form - graphs or charts - with a minimum of text. If you need several pages of text to explain your argument or what you are doing, you may be better off writing a paper.

    REMEMBER THAT THE OUTLINE OR OVERVIEW IS WORTH 10% OF YOUR PROJECT GRADE.
    Topics

    1. The Democratic Party in the United States from the 1930s to the present. [Nb. Several variants of this paper are possible:
    a. Factional conflict
    b. Policy shifts
    c. The impact of rules changes on party politics
    d. The changing role of the Democratic National Committee

    2. The Republican Party in the United States from the 1950s to the present [Nb. Several variants are possible:
    a. Factional conflict
    b. The shift to the right
    c. The impact of the religious right, social conservatives...
    d. The changing role of the Republican National Committee

    3. Links between national and state parties in the United States

    4. The Democratic Party from the 1920s to the 1960s

    5. The Republican Party from the 1890s to the 1960s

    6. Third party challenges in the United States: the experience of the Populists and Progressives in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

    7. Third party challenges in the United States in the 1990s and beyond: Ross Perot's challenge.

    8. Campaign finance regulation in the United States: ways in which it has changed over time. Impact on parties

    9. The role of political action committees (PACs) in the United States

    10. Comparisons between American and Canadian parties. Compare either the Democrats and Liberals or the Republicans and the Conservative Party of Canada (and PCs and Reform before them). To what extent to do they have similar orientations, bases of support or ideological breadth?

    11. Social Democracy in Scandinavia: Compare Social Democratic Parties in two of Sweden, Denmark and Norway

    12. The British Conservative Party from Harold MacMillan to Margaret Thatcher

    13. The British Conservative Party in the 1990s and beyond

    14. The British Labour Party from Harold Wilson to James Callaghan

    15. How new was New Labour: Ways in which the British Labour Party changed in the 1990s and beyond.

    16. The British Liberal Party (Liberal Democrats) from the 1970s though the present.

    17. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Britain: reasons why it broke away from Labour; reasons for its eventual merger with the Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats

    18. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): ways in which the SPD has changed.

    19. How different are so-called 'Third Way' parties: Comparison of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and New Labour.

    20. The Parti Socialiste in France: ideological direction and policies from 1981 to the present

    21. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany

    22. Christian Democracy (DC) in Italy from 1945 to 1993: what factors explain the dominant, indeed hegemonic position of this party? What factors explain its demise in 1992 and beyond.

    23. Christian Democracy in Europe

    24. Green Parties in Europe: Compare the German Greens with Greens in one or more of the following countries:
    a. Belgium
    b. France
    c. Netherlands
    d. Austria

    25. Parties of the new right in Europe: What does the new right stand for? Compare two or more of the following:
    a. The Front Nationale in France
    b. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) in Austria
    c. New Democracy in Sweden
    d. The Deutsche Volksparty and the Republikaner in Germany
    e. The National Alliance (AN) in Italy
    f. List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) in the Netherlands
    g. Lega Nord (Northern League) in Italy
    h. Allianza Nationale (National Alliance in Italy)

    26. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in Ireland: bases of support, policies, positions

    27. Former Communist Parties in East-Central Europe: Compare the fate of parties in two or more of the following: Federal Republic of Germany Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia. Under what circumstances do such parties succeed or fail?

    28. Communist Parties in Italy and France through the 1980s: differences in orientation and strategy and relative electoral success

    29. The Communist Party in Italy from the 1950s through the 1980s

    30. The Communist Party in Italy (PCI): From PCI to PDS (the Party of Democratic Left to Democratic Left: how has the party changed over time

    31. The Communist Party (PCF) in France from the 1970s to present: what factors account for its (relative) decline?

    32. The collapse and remaking of the Italian Party system from the 1990s to the present: what kinds of change have or have not occurred and why?

    33. Liberal Parties in Europe: Examine the success and failure of Liberal Parties in two or more of the following countries:
    a. Britain
    b. The Federal Republic of Germany
    c. Sweden, Denmark or Norway

    34. Socialist Parties in Southern Europe: Examine the successes and failures of one or more of the following from the 1970s to the present. How socialist or social democratic are (or were) they?
    a. PASOK (Greece)
    b. PSOE (Spain)
    c. PSI (Italy)

    35. The Liberal Democratic Party in Japan: internal structure, factional conflict, political hegemony

    36. European Union political parties: links between European level and member-state political parties

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