Skip to main content

FedericaX: Understanding Political Concepts

This course offers an exciting journey through political science concepts. Understand key concepts like party, bureaucracy, andconstitution by using new methods developed for scholars and students; including the innovative "Hyperpolitics" tool.

6 weeks
4–6 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

10,903 already enrolled! After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Mar 19
Ends Dec 31

About this course

Skip About this course

This course is part of the IPSAMOOC project, a joint venture Federica Weblearning - IPSA, the International Political Science Association

Political science discourse brings us face to face with many important concepts like authority, democracy, and power. However, all of them are used differently in different contexts, and their specific meaning depends on the theory they relate to.

There is no way around such puzzling diversity. Students of political science simply have to accept this challenge. Yet, the diversity of political science concepts can be used as a powerful resource for learning, through intellectual techniques for stirring personal creativity.

This MOOC teaches conceptual thinking and elementary theory-building through Hyperpolitics, an interactive dictionary for understanding and working with the most central concepts in political science. Its aim is to provide students with fresh critical insights about key political concepts by offering a methodology that enables users to unpack and reconstruct them on their own.

Its companion open-access website serves as a powerful tool for students to practice forging their own vocabulary while learning how to make professional use of authoritative PS internet resources. Through ten lessons, this MOOC comprises lecture sections based on visualizations of the arguments presented, reading assignments, and practical exercises.

At a glance

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • How tounpack and reconstruct the key concepts of political science.
  • Critical thinking skills applied to political concepts
  • The interaction between different political concepts

This course is part of Introduction to Political Science IPSAMOOC XSeries Program

Learn more 
Expert instruction
5 high-quality courses
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
8 months
4 - 6 hours per week

Interested in this course for your business or team?

Train your employees in the most in-demand topics, with edX For Business.