Challenges to Democracy POLITIC4190

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Social and Political Sciences
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course focuses on why countries democratize, when democracy consolidates or backslides, and what drives these processes. It considers a variety of challenges to democracy at the national and international levels such as corruption, discontent, economic inequality, globalization, legitimacy, authoritarian contestation, technological change, polarisation or populism.

Timetable

Lecture: one hour per week, for 10 weeks

Tutorial: one hour per week, for 10 weeks 

Requirements of Entry

Entry to Honours Politics or International Relations requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over Politics 2A and Politics 2B as a first attempt.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Essay, 2,000 words (50%)

Policy brief paper, 1,500 words (30%)

Book review, 1,000 words (20%)

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

The aims of this course are to introduce key concepts and theories in the study of democracy, to foster an understanding of broader processes such as democratisation, democratic consolidation and backsliding around the world, to develop analytical skills necessary to identify and scrutinize the contemporary challenges to democracy.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• explain and demonstrate a critical awareness of democratic challenges;

• apply relevant concepts and theories to address current debates about democratic challenges;

• advance reasoned, critically aware, and factually supported arguments about democratic challenges;

• evaluate and formulate responses to domestic and international challenges to democracy.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.