DEMOCRACY IN RETREAT? FAILED TRANSITIONS AND THE NEW AUTHORITARIANISM
POL2DEM
2020
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
For many commentators, the end of the Cold War heralded the impending triumph of democratic governance on a global scale. A quarter century later, optimism has given way to pessimism. This course seeks to explain why democratisation has often failed to produce durable democratic institutions. How have authoritarian regimes responded to the challenges posed by pro-democracy uprisings and Western democracy promotion? Does democratisation resolve or exacerbate ethnic conflict? How is the success of democratisation influenced by the nature of institutions like the military, the judiciary, political parties and the media? Is culture or religion an obstacle to democracy? Drawing on case studies from regions such as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia, this course answers these and other questions as it introduces students to key concepts and debates in scholarship on democratisation and the new authoritarianism.
School: Humanities and Social Sciences (Pre 2022)
Credit points: 15
Subject Co-ordinator: Robert Horvath
Available to Study Abroad/Exchange Students: Yes
Subject year level: Year Level 2 - UG
Available as Elective: No
Learning Activities: N/A
Capstone subject: No
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites: 15 credit points of any first year Politics subject and 15 credit points of any Humanities and Social Sciences subject, or subject coordinator's approval
Co-requisites: N/A
Incompatible subjects: N/A
Equivalent subjects: N/A
Quota Management Strategy: N/A
Quota-conditions or rules: N/A
Special conditions: N/A
Minimum credit point requirement: N/A
Assumed knowledge: N/A
Career Ready
Career-focused: No
Work-based learning: No
Self sourced or Uni sourced: N/A
Entire subject or partial subject: N/A
Total hours/days required: N/A
Location of WBL activity (region): N/A
WBL addtional requirements: N/A
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
Graduate Capabilities
Intended Learning Outcomes
Melbourne (Bundoora), 2020, Semester 2, Day
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Robert Horvath
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.00 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.00 hour tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Category | Contribution | Hurdle | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written tutorial engagement exercises (500 words)Four short critical comments, two in response to the readings, two in response to the lecture. These are to be submitted in hard copy in 6 out of 12 tutorials and serve as the basis for the student's contribution to class discussion. | N/A | N/A | No | 15 | SILO1, SILO2 |
First Argumentative Research Essay (1700 words) | N/A | N/A | No | 40 | SILO1, SILO2, SILO3, SILO4 |
Second Argumentative Research Essay (1800 words)Students will be required to state how they applied the feedback from the Research Essay in this exam essay. | N/A | N/A | No | 45 | SILO1, SILO2, SILO3, SILO5 |