POL 448 - Seminar: Rise and Fall of Democracy

What is democracy and why do we care about this form of government? What explains recent democratic erosion around the globe? How can we strengthen the resiliency of our democracies? This seminar explores the rise and fall of democracy by studying its origins and spread over time across the world. Using theories of democratic transition and consolidation, we will first trace the spread of democracy in the last one hundred years and explain its enduring appeal. We will then turn to theories of democratic erosion to explain the causes and consequences of democratic erosion. The focus is comparative, and we will investigate case studies from various regions of the world. We will explore various themes including populism and demagoguery, the role of truth in democratic societies, corruption, economic inequality, and polarization. At the end of the course, we will discuss remedies to democratic erosion and examine the role that civil society, protest groups, and democratic opposition can play in its reversal.