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POL42650

Academic Year 2026/2027

Comparative Political Representation (POL42650)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Alona Dolinsky
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Political representation lies at the heart of every democratic system, structuring the relationship between citizens and the people who govern in their name. What do we understand political representation to be, and how do we judge its quality? What do we mean when we ask whether elected representatives actually represent those who elected them, and who gets represented? What does the political machinery that delivers, or fails to deliver, representation actually look like? To answer these questions, this module provides a detailed overview of the conceptual and empirical political science literature on political representation. We will examine: (1) the core theoretical concepts and normative debates; (2) the institutional mechanisms (parties, electoral systems) that shape representation outcomes; (3) the political representation of specific social groups; and (4) the challenges facing representative democracy today.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module students will be able to:
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the key political science conceptual and empirical approaches to political representation and compare them.
- Evaluate the quality of the fit between conceptual approaches and the common empirical measurements in the study of comparative political representation.
- Critically assess gaps in existing research what could be a worthwhile avenue for future work in this area.
- Enhance collaborative and presentation skills through group assignments and seminar leadership.
- Design and execute an independent piece of research on a topic in political representation.
- Provide and respond to peer feedback constructively, using it to strengthen the design and execution of academic research.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Not addressed

Integrated Problem Solving

The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Not addressed

Self-awareness

The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Not addressed

Normative

The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Not addressed

Digital Literacy and Judgement

The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Not addressed

AI Literacy & Agency

The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Not addressed

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22

Autonomous Student Learning

200

Total

222


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
- Seminar discussions
- Active/task-based learning
- Peer and group work

AI use is permitted for the module's assignments, subject to mandatory documentation and citation requirements set out in the syllabus.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Participation in Learning Activities: Students serve as discussion moderators at least once during the semester, leading discussion and giving a brief presentation orienting that week's guiding questions. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
15
No
Participation in Learning Activities: Ongoing seminar participation, assessed on attendance, preparation, and quality of engagement in discussion. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
10
No
Assignment(Including Essay): Peer review of draft research paper proposals, including written feedback to peers using provided guidelines. Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Graded No
25
No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final 5,000 word paper on topic relevant to political representation. Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
50
No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 16:00 - 17:50