Rationale 

This course places emphasis on concepts involving anti-political ideologies and signs of democratic crisis.  It introduces students to the causes and implications of anti-politics and highlights its different forms.  Some of the most important topics underscoring anti-political views will be thoroughly examined, including the signs of democratic crisis, the role of political leaders in protecting or challenging public trust and the concept of unconventional political participation. The course will look at the causes and consequences of public distrust and explores among others, the ways in which the management of a pandemic affects public distrust and contemporary democracies. Students will become acquainted with contemporary case studies and debates encompassing notions of political alienation and democratic crisis.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:

(i)    Explain what anti-politics is.
(ii)   Identify the different forms of “anti-politics” and their principles. 
(iii)  Identify the causes and consequences of anti-politics. 
(iv)  Describe the symptoms of democratic crisis in various polities.
(v)   Evaluate a range of reforms and innovations currently employed or proposed to revitalise democracy.
(vi)  Define the political ideas underpinning political distrust.
(vii) Examine causes of public distrust.
(viii) Identify forms of unconventional political participation.
(ix)  Participate in debates regarding the presence, origins, and implications of anti-politics and political disaffection in modern democracies.
(x)   Utilise a range of approaches and theories to the study of anti-politics.
(xi)  Analyse the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on contemporary democracies.