POLS0113: Judicial Politics

This is a website for the module POLS0113: Judicial Politics convened at the Department of Political Science, University College London by Dr Michal Ovádek.

Description

This course provides a detailed exploration of judicial politics across a variety of political systems. As predominantly non-majoritarian institutions, both domestic and international courts have become increasingly contested in recent years. We will seek to understand the importance and behaviour of courts from different angles: judiciaries’ place in democratic theory, the design of judicial institutions, and judges’ interactions with other political actors and society more broadly. Among others, we will be delving into why and how politicians balance delegating decision-making to courts with constraining their room for manoeuvre through appointment procedures and threat of override. We will also compare the institutional features of judiciaries across different political contexts, from democracies to autocracies and from presidential to parliamentary systems. The aim is to equip students with a clear understanding of courts as both subjects and objects of their political environment.

Module Name	Judicial Politics
Module Code	POLS0113
Module Convenor	Dr Michal Ovádek
Faculty	Social and Historical Sciences
Department	Political Science
Credits	15
Assessment	3000-word research paper (100%)

Timetable

The first lecture takes place on 5 October 2026. The last lecture is on 14 December 2026. There are no classes during the reading week.

Weeks	What	When	Where
6–10, 12–16	Lecture	Monday, 15:00–16:00	IOE, 20 Bedford Way, Room W3.05
6–10, 12–16	Seminar 1	Monday, 16:00–17:00	40 Bernard Street, Room 408
6–10, 12–16	Seminar 2	Monday, 17:00–18:00	40 Bernard Street, Room 408

Student support and feedback hours take place in Room 202, 36 Gordon Square. Until 19 October (inclusive) they are held on Mondays between 1.30pm and 2.30pm; thereafter they move to Tuesdays between 3pm and 4pm.