GV245GC Half Unit
Democracy and Democratisation (Spring Semester)
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Professor Francisco Panizza
Additional teaching:
Professor John Chalcraft, Dr Vesselin Dimitrov, Dr George Ofosu and Professor John Sidel.
Availability
This course is available to General Course ‘Spring Semester’ students.
Pre-requisites
Students must have completed Introduction to Political Science (GV101).
Course content
The course is concerned with theories of democratisation and case studies of democratic transformations during the so-called “third wave” of democratisation from the 1970s to the present. It analyses processes of transition and consolidation of democracy and of democratic reversal in the context of globalisation. This “Spring Semester” course uses conceptual tools to study the condition of democracy in different regions of the world, including Eastern Europe, Latin America, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Teaching
This course is delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totalling a minimum of 27 and a half hours across the Lent and Summer Terms. This year, some or all of this teaching will be delivered through a combination of online and on-campus lectures and classes. There will be a reading week in Week 6 of the Lent Term.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the LT.
Indicative reading
The most useful introductory readings are: J. Grugel and M. L. Bishop (2016) Democratization: A Critical Introduction; L. Whitehead (2002) Democratization and the articles in Journal of Democracy, January 2015.
Other useful texts are: S. Levitsky and D. Ziblatt (2018) How Democracies Die; Y. Mounk (2018) The People Vs Democracy; A Przeworski, Democracy and the Market (1991); D. A. Rostow (1970) Transitions to Democracy: Towards a Dynamic Model; T. Carothers (2002) The End of the Transition Paradigm?; Donatella Della Porta (2013) Can Democracy be Saved?
Assessment
Essay (90%) in the ST.
Class participation (10%) in the LT.
The Class Summary Grade for General Course students will be calculated as follows: 70% formative coursework, 20% class presentation, 10% class participation (including attendance and contribution).
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2019/20: Unavailable
Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable
Capped 2019/20: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Problem solving
- Communication
