Civil Society and Civic Engagement

Prerequisites

Basic studies. Primarily for students majoring in the Subprogramme of Politics. Also for minor and exchange students.

Compensations

The course is worth of 2 (ECTS) credits and compensates one book in the study unit P220.

Target group/Course level

Primarily for students majoring in the Subprogramme of Politics. Also for minor and exchange students.

Objectives

The course familiarises the students with the concept of civil society and its organisations. Students learn about theoretical explanations and organisational features of the civic sector which not only covers different forms of (political) involvement but is also a central element of welfare state arrangements. The course therefore pays attention to the relation between the civic sector, the state and the economy and provides insight into practical aspects of engagement, in particular in the organisational context of associations.

Content

The course focuses on forms of civic engagement that go beyond formal participation in elections and political parties. At the outset conceptual issues and empirical dimensions of the civic sector are presented. One central question is the relation between political participation and other forms of civic activism, in particular those connected to welfare production. A look at current trends in engagement and empirical dimensions of the civic sector helps to clarify the role the civic sector plays. The course then presents the main theories about why citizens take an active role and organise themselves in associations. Although civil society is commonly seen as a sphere independent from the state there are multiple forms of interaction between both. In particular attempts to organise and activate civil society/civic engagement are currently widespread. They are the focus of the final section.

Preliminary programme: Conceptual and empirical issues 1. Overview: Theoretical dimensions of civil society 2. The concepts of political participation, reflexive volunteering and civic engagement, 3. Historical and empirical dimensions of the civic sector Approaches to the civic/nonprofit/third sector 4. Theories of undersupply, trust and entrepreneurship 5. Neo institutional and principal-agent theories 6. Social capital, resource and rational choice theories 7. Four dominant discourses, advantages and disadvantages of civic sector organisations Applied questions connected to civic engagement and civil society 8. Aspects of organisation and management 9. Policy issues and the activation of civic engagement 10. Final discussion and feedback

A more detailed programme including a reading list will be published on the teacher's home page http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hilger/

Course work and forms of study

The course consists of 10 lectures with seminar discussions. Active participation in lectures and a final 4-5-page essay on a chosen topic.

Grading

The course work will be graded on a scale from 0-5:

• active course participation 30 %
• essay 70 %.

Course results and retake

The results of the course will be posted on the notice board of the Department by XX. If the course work is not accepted or if the student wishes to raise his/her grade, he/she should contact the teacher within one month after the publication of the results and discuss arrangements for rewriting course work.

Course evaluation anddevelopment

During the last session, students will have an opportunity to give feedback on the course to the lecturer and to fill in an anonymous evaluation form. During the course feedback can be given anonymously.

When giving feedback, please evaluate the contribution of the teacher, your own contribution, the contributions of other students and the possible contribution of the Department office to the success of the course.