Courses: SAMPOL115 Democracy and Democratization - Spring 2019




Language of Instruction

English

Teaching semester

This course is offered every autumn semester.

 

Objectives and Content

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.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

Skills

The student

General Competence

The student

Required Previous Knowledge

Fulfilment of general admission requirements.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

SAMPOL100 and SAMPOL110/ SAMPOL105, SAMPOL106 and SAMPOL107

Access to the Course

Open for all students at the University of Bergen

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures

 

 

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

None

Forms of Assessment

7-day take-home exam, maximum 5000 words.

Grading Scale

Grading A-F

Assessment Semester

Assessment in teaching semester

Course Evaluation

The course is evaluated according to guidelines found in Handbok for kvalitetssikring av universitetsstudia.

Contact Information

studieveileder@isp.uib.no / +47 55583316