Dr Athanassios (Nasos) Roussias
Department of Politics and International Relations
Lecturer
Deputy Director of Education, Postgraduate Taught
Full contact details
Department of Politics and International Relations
Modular Teaching Village
Northumberland Road
葫芦影业
S10 1AJ
- Profile
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Nasos Roussias received his Bachelors in Political Science & History from Panteion University, Athens, Greece, which was followed by an MA in Political Behaviour at the University of Essex. He then went to Yale University where he received an MA, MPhil and a PhD in Political Science.
After Yale he spent three years as a junior research at the Center for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences (CEACS), at the Juan March Foundation, Madrid, Spain. He joined the department of Politics at 葫芦影业, in 2011.
Nasos鈥檚 research touches on several topics related with elections, voters and parties. His PhD dissertation dealt with the consolidation process of party systems in new democracies around the world. The dissertation showed that for consolidation to occur, parties and voters need to go through a learning period which is strongly conditioned by the incentives imposed by the electoral system in place.
Apart from party system consolidation, his research touches on the causes and effects of electoral manipulation, the impact of parliamentary representation on party success, on turnout determinants in new democracies and on the causes of mass participation in protests.
- Qualifications
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HEA fellow
- Research interests
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I am interested in several different topics. Currently I have been working on the causes and consequences of electoral manipulation; on political processes in new democracies (voter behaviour, party choices, determinants of turnout and more), on voter and party learning, and on the determinants of mass participation in protests.
Key projects
鈥淒emocratic Dilemmas about Good Governing: Representation or Assigning Responsibilities?鈥
- Awarding Body: Ministry of Science & Innovation, Spain
- People Involved: Dr Rub茅n Ruiz Rufino, Professor Jos茅 Mar铆a Maravall, Dr Sandra Le贸n Alfonso, Dr Ignacio Urquizu.
- Years funded for: 2010-2011
- Amount:&苍产蝉辫;拢13000
- Publications
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Journal articles
- . Electoral Studies, 54, 116-127.
- . Political Science Research and Methods, 3(2), 187-204.
- . South European Society and Politics, 17(3), 411-425.
- . Comparative Political Studies, 45(5).
- . Comparative Political Studies, 41(11), 1466-1491.
- . Political Studies Review.
Chapters
- , Methods, Theories, and Empirical Applications in the Social Sciences (pp. 221-226). VS Verlag f眉r Sozialwissenschaften
- . Electoral Studies, 54, 116-127.
- Research group
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Governance and Public Policy
- Empirical Politics Research Group
- Teaching interests
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I have extensive teaching experience, in all levels, both at the UG and MA level. Currently I am teaching in 3 modules. POL229 "Political Analysis - Research Design and Data Analysis", a 2nd year module on learning tools of statistical analysis; POL3119 "Party Politics", a 3rd year module on parties, their development and interactions, with a distinctly comparative focus, drawing from examples across the world; and POL6004 "Analysis Politics", an MA module touching on foundations of Politics, key concepts and introducing the ways we ask questions in order to do research.
I value teaching immensely, consider it a privilege and draw great satisfaction from interacting students. My teaching approach is one that revolves around student learning, by a combination of active participation, diverse student activities, and questioning of things we may take for granted. Using key academic contributions, I aim at introducing students to important topics, while also exposing them to different approaches using cutting-edge methodological tools. Above and beyond consuming the results of current research, students are pushed to develop critical thinking and challenge 鈥渟tylized facts鈥 and 鈥渃onventional wisdoms鈥. The overall aim of my courses is to combine a comprehensive coverage of seminal contributions with the development of analytical skills that can be used both within and outside an academic environment.
- Teaching activities
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I am currently teaching three modules. I am the module leader on POL226 Comparative Politics, a second year course that touches on several key topics on Comparative Politics. I also lead a Level 3 module, POL3119 Party Politics, which provides an in-depth analysis of parties and party systems. At the Masters level I teach POL6150 Democratization, a module examining the various theoretical and empirical issues associated with transitions to democracy.
I value teaching immensely; I consider it a privilege to be able to interact with students both inside and outside the classroom and I try to provide them with a teaching experience that enriches them as potential academics, but mostly as intelligent individuals. My teaching approach is one that stresses interactive learning, with students encouraged to participate not only in seminars but also in lectures. Using key academic contributions I aim at introducing students to important topics, while also exposing them to different approaches using cutting-edge methodological tools.
Above and beyond consuming the results of current research, students are pushed to develop critical thinking and challenge 鈥渟tylized facts鈥 and 鈥渃onventional wisdoms鈥. The overall aim of my courses is to combine a comprehensive coverage of seminal contributions with the development of analytical skills that can be used both within and outside an academic environment.
Students are expected to do the readings assigned for each week, as well as to look for examples that will illuminate topics that may be hard to grasp abstractly. Specific theoretical as well as empirical questions are assigned for seminars, which force students to acquire an understanding of key concepts and debates, as well as reflect on how they can be applied to real world phenomena.
Students are expected to participate actively in seminars, which among other things may include engaging on group activities, and preparing presentations. Modules also entail essay assignments, that promote the development of analytical skills, and final exams, that operate as an incentive to review the topics covered in class and clarify key concepts.
- PhD Supervision
I would be happy to supervise projects related to elections, parties, party systems, new democracies, democratic transitions or backsliding, electoral behaviour, electoral fraud, the impact of institutions on a variety of other phenomena.