Study Programmes 2015-2016
SPOL2334-1  
Practicing the political argumentation
Duration :
45h Th
Number of credits :
Bachelor in political sciences : general3
Lecturer :
Geoffrey Grandjean
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
The objective of this course is the acquisition of elementary concepts and principles of political reasoning. Building on numerous examples, it will introduce students to the field of debate and that which distinguishes it from other persuasive registers. The large groups and kinds of arguments will be described and their implementation considered in light of case studies. As much as possible, public players and/or experts and practitioners in the field will be invited to share their experience of debate and how it is adapted to different contexts. The students will moreover be introduced to building an argument and to its written and oral development.
Learning outcomes of the course :
By the end of the course, the students are expected to be able to:


  • define and describe the terms and concepts deployed in the different parts of the course;
  • describe different practices in political reasoning and what distinguishes them, especially according to their context;
  • recognise arguments and counter-arguments in a discourse and describe them;
  • reproduce the dynamics of a debate and different arguments deployed by its players;
  • formulate a written argument;
  • formulate an oral argument.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
  • Theoretical and practical presentations;
  • Presentations by practitioners regularly working in the process of argument and negotiation;
  • Wrting of a argumentation protocol;
  • Oral presentations by the students.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Face-to-face
Recommended or required readings :
Assessment methods and criteria :
Writting of a argumentation protocol and presentation of a written and oral argumentation.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Pr. Dr Geoffrey Grandjean Lecturer
Département de Sciences Politiques Université de Liège Quartie Agora - Place des orateurs, 3 4000 Liège Boîte 33 Bureau r. 16 Tel./ +32 (0)4/366.96.60 Mail : Geoffrey.Grandjean@ulg.ac.be