VALTA4 (5 ECTS) / VALTS2b (6 ECTS)

Teacher: Helen Drake (Loughborough University)

The course consists of lectures (6 h) and an essay. The lectures will begin with an introduction to the political system of today?s Fifth French Republic, with particular reference to French political culture, the nature of French semi-presidentialism, and the highly-Europeanised nature of French governance. The second pair of lectures will focus on the role of the French president in the political system with reference to the 1958 Constitution and to key moments in the life of the Fifth Republic that have definitively altered the nature of the presidential role. The third pair of lectures will study the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-) and the forthcoming 2012 presidential elections, with a view to understanding the current debates surrounding the role of the president in French politics, and to assessing the likelihood of a Sixth French Republic in the foreseeable future.

The lecture times are (held in Linna K113):

Mon 23.1., 9-11
Tue 24.1., 14-16
Wed 25.1., 9-11

The essay must focus on a particular aspect of French politics covered in the lectures. The essay (14-16 pages, font size 12, 1.5 spacing) must be handed in by the end of March to Tapio Raunio (tapio.raunio(at)uta.fi). Tapio Raunio is also the person to contact if you have any questions about the course (for example, essay topics).