Populism is a topical issue but is also one with a long history of sociological investigation. This course will examine populism as a phenomenon that is not confined to politics and which now exists in cultural and mediated forms. Populism, like some forms of contemporary music, celebrates 'authenticity' and 'directness'. But this authenticity, it seems, can be simulated and the sense of directness today is often, in fact, mediated. A central theme of the course will be the relationship between intellectuals and populist movements, whether understood as 'progressive' social movements that intellectuals might support or movements that condemn intellectuals as the embodiment of 'inauthentic' elites. Topics covered thus include the perils of cultural populism, the role of demagogues in populist movements of left and right, the normalisation of populist insurgencies and the interaction between journalism and populist developments.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Recognise some key controversies and debates within the literature on populism.
- Identify the basic elements of dispute within a theoretical or methodological perspective.
- Display skills associated with scholarly inquiry about populism including those related to critical analysis, argument and written expression
- Express ideas in writing with conceptual coherence.
Indicative Assessment
Critical Review, 1500 words (40%) LO 1,2,3Tutorial Presentation of 10 minutes (10%) LO 1,2,3
Final Essay, 3000 words (50%) LO 1,2
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials.
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Links to Readings will be provided on the course Wattle site and Library ebrick.Preliminary Reading
Berezin M. (2009) Illiberal Politics in Neoliberal Times: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bartlett J, Birdwell J and Littler M. (2012) The new face of digital populism: Demos.
Eco,U. (2007) Turning Back the Clock: Hot Wars and Media Populism. Orlando: Harvest/Harcourt: 128-156.
Frith, S. (1991) ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent: Defending Popular Culture from the Populists’, Diacritics, 21:4 (Winter): 102 -115.
Worsley,P. (1969) ‘The Concept of Populism’. In G. Ionescu and E. Gellner (eds.), Populism: Its Meaning and National Characteristics. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson: 212-250
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $2856 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4080 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9617 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |