This course is offered every autumn semester.
Students in this course will acquire a broad and sophisticated knowledge of democratic and non-democratic political systems as well as the processes which result in changes in the type of political system. They will approach these topics theoretically (through a survey of concepts and theories of democracy), historically (they will read a large variety of articles and book chapters that study individual countries¿ experiences from around the world in a comparative analytic framework), and scientifically (they will be exposed to classic research questions and hypotheses and study past and contemporary research that presents findings to answer these questions). Students will also study institutional varieties of democratic systems and study scientifically whether different types perform better in terms of economic outcomes. There are also selected readings throughout the course which instruct the students in the methodology of studying democratic and non-democratic systems. Most of the readings are professional (yet accessible) journal articles and book chapters, organized by theme and pedagogical value, supplemented by selections drawn from intermediate-level texts. Students will acquire the ability to analyze and interpret world political events related to democratic and non-democratic political systems.
The course is divided into the following sections: I. Concepts and Theories; II. Economic Development and the Process of Democratization; III. The Transition to and Consolidation of Democracy; IV. The Breakdown of Democracy and Authoritarian Regimes; V. Democratic Institutions; VI. Political Regimes and Political Violence.
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
Fulfilment of general admission requirements.
Lectures
None
studieveileder@isp.uib.no / +47 55583316