Political Systems and Issues: Italian Politics and Society (L2108)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

The module introduces you to Italian politics and society, by looking at the key transformations inherent to this country after the end of WW2. It concentrates, first of all, on the development and fall of the First Republic, looking at key socio-political developments from a historical perspective and at the various controversies relative to this political context.

Moving on from this, the focus is on the critical analysis of the process that led to the development of the Second Republic, on the key political players and the political structures that have characterised this.

The module also looks at the most recent developments and the context of the crisis of Italian democracy, at the rise in populism and at the emergence of the far right that has been characterising the country after the financial crisis of 2008.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2025/26. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.