GV482 Half Unit
Political Science and Political Economy: Current Issues
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Tak-Huen Chau
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: Priority will be given to students on the MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy) as this is a compulsory course for their programme (no written statement is required). Applicants from other programmes should write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit their academic/career goals. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
Other postgraduates wanting to take the course (space permitting) require the permission of the teacher/s responsible.
Requisites
Co-requisites:
Students must complete GV4C8 and GV481 either before taking this course or in the same year as this course.
Additional requisites:
Students should either have attended GV4C8 and GV481 or equivalent courses. Knowledge of game theory at the level of GV4C8 and empirical method to the level of GV481 is required.
Course content
The course complements the Political Science and Political Economy stream core courses of the WT (GV4C8 and GV481). During the course, students will see how game theory and empirical analyses can be combined to better understand today’s main political problems. Topics regularly change and, in the past, the topics covered have included populism, discrimination, and autocracy vs democracy.
During the lecture, students will be taught important papers on the topics covered. Seminars will be of two sorts. Some seminars will consist of replication exercises. Others will be problem set based. All seminars will be related to topics viewed during the lectures.
Teaching
20 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
2 hours of lectures and 3 hours of seminars in the Spring Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
There will be a three-hour in-person mock exam and a two-hour revision lecture in the Spring Term.
Formative assessment
Mock exam in Spring Term Week 1
Problem sets
Problem sets
Students will hand in one problem set and one replication exercise before the reading week. There will also be a mock exam in the Spring Term.
Indicative reading
Mostly journal articles. The reading list varies each year.
Assessment
Exam (60%), duration: 180 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Research project (40%) in Spring Term Week 1
The coursework will consist of a research project on a political science issue picked by the course convenor.
The in-person exam will consist of a combination of problem question(s) and essay question(s). Students will have an in-person mock exam to prepare for the examination.
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Winter and Spring Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 40
Average class size 2024/25: 13
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.