Program Overview

Course Overview

Introduction to Political Science: Public Policy and Administration

The course POL1002, Introduction to Political Science: Public Policy and Administration, is a foundation course at level I, worth 15 credits. It is scheduled to start in the spring of 2026 and will run for one semester. The language of instruction is Norwegian, and the course will be held in Trondheim.

Course Details

Course Content

The emphasis of the course will be on institutions and content in public policy formation. Central research questions associated with the relationship between different governmental institutions, public administration, the relationship between central and local governance, the development of the welfare state, and current issues in political economy will be discussed. Regarding political economy, the emphasis will be on Norwegian economic policy.

Learning Outcome

• Knowledge: The student shall have knowledge of the Norwegian political governance system's behavior and central concepts and theories in this discipline, the branches of government, the relationship between the state and cities, administrative behavior, and the development of the welfare state, as well as central issues tied to the study of public policy and current issues in political economy.
• Skills: The student shall demonstrate the ability to situate political science works in the context of academic history and theory, account for the Norwegian political system of government and the central subject areas within public policy, apply core concepts and basic models in public policy in one's own analysis, and evaluate which approaches are best suited for a given research issue. The student shall also demonstrate independence in the preparation of a semester assignment that fulfills the basic criteria for scientific writing.

Learning Methods and Activities

The course includes 4 hours of lectures per week throughout the semester and 2 hours of group discussion and term paper supervision. A term paper of 4000 words (10 pages) must be approved. The term paper may be a joint project of up to 3 students. A list of possible topics will be presented.

Compulsory Assignments

• Term paper

Evaluation

The form of assessment is a 5-hour written exam.

Recommended and Required Previous Knowledge

There are no recommended or required previous knowledge prerequisites for this course.

Course Materials

The course materials will be decided at the start of the course.

Credit Reductions

This course has academic overlap with SVPOL106. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject Areas

• Social Studies
• Social Sciences
• Political Science

Examination

Examination Arrangement

The examination arrangement is a school exam, with a weighting of 100/100. The examination aids allowed are specified by code E. The exam date and time will be announced, with a duration of 5 hours. The exam system used is Inspera Assessment.

Ordinary Examination

Details for the ordinary examination, including the place and room, will be provided. It is noted that the specified room can be changed, and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. Students can find their room location on Studentweb.