Against a background of what is often described as a worldwide democratic recession or regression, this advanced seminar surveys current theoretical debates, empirical analyses, and policy conversations on the emergence, survival, challenges, breakdowns, and prospects of global democratization. Themes to be explored include: conceptualizing and measuring varieties of democracy and authoritarianism; democracy and human rights; historic and ongoing waves and modes of transitions between democracy and autocracy; causes and consequences of democratic dysfunction and malaise in established democracies such as India and the United States; the unique complexities or particularities of post-conflict or post-civil war democratization; the case for democracy, the possibilities of democratization, and the future of international democracy assistance in an era of authoritarian reaction and resurgence; and case studies of successful, failed, fragile, ambivalent and precluded democratizations across countries and regions of the Global South and Global North.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this course, students will be familiar with:
1. Different approaches to researching and measuring democracy;
2. Major scholarly and policy debates about the origins, sustainability, challenges and future of democratization;
3. Commonalities and differences in democratizations across countries and regions of the global South and North;
4. Key principles and practices of international democracy promotion.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites: Preference will be given to students who email on a first come first serve basis. Previous coursework in SCT and/or CAPA
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
W 8:30AM - 12:10PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 16
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: 4000 , Advancement of Public Action , All courses , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Peace Studies , SCT
Tags: advanced , autocracy , Conflict resolution , democracy , human rights , policy , politics , theory , Writing