SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Bachelor	TR-NQF-HE: Level 6	QF-EHEA: First Cycle	EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code	Course Name	Semester	Theoretical	Practical	Credit	ECTS
POL4764	Democratic Theory	Fall	3	0	3	6

This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction:	English
Type of course:	Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level:	Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery:	Face to face
Course Coordinator :	Prof. Dr. HAKAN YILMAZ
Recommended Optional Program Components:	None
Course Objectives:	The objective of the Democratic Theory course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of democracy as both a philosophical ideal and a practical system of governance. Students will learn to differentiate between democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid regimes by analyzing their institutional structures, sources of legitimacy, and decision-making processes. The course will guide students through the historical evolution of democracy, from its origins in Ancient Greece and Rome to its expansion through key milestones such as the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, and the American and French Revolutions. By engaging with the social, economic, and cultural foundations of democracy, students will assess how structural conditions—such as class dynamics, economic inequality, and historical power struggles—influence democratization and authoritarian resilience, drawing on influential works like Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Through critical engagement with classical texts by John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Milton Friedman, students will gain insights into the philosophical foundations, normative principles, and institutional designs of democratic governance. The course also aims to equip students with the analytical tools to assess contemporary challenges to democracy, including democratic backsliding, populism, and the erosion of civil liberties, with reference to modern analyses such as Michael Sandel’s Democracy’s Discontent and Adam Przeworski’s Crises of Democracy. Students will apply democratic theory to real-world case studies, exploring issues like digital authoritarianism, media influence, and voter apathy. Ultimately, the course will prepare students to contribute to informed debates on democracy’s future, advocate for democratic principles, and develop critical thinking skills to evaluate democracy’s strengths, vulnerabilities, and potential pathways for revitalization.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
Upon completion of the course, you will possess the ability to:
1. Grasp the fundamental distinctions between democratic and non-democratic regimes, identifying the institutional, cultural, and ideological characteristics that define each. You will be able to analyze how different political systems allocate power, ensure accountability, and maintain legitimacy, providing a comparative perspective on governance models across history and regions.

2. Explain the historical evolution of democracy from its origins in Ancient Greece and Rome through its transformation in early modern England and its expansion into the contemporary world. You will understand how key historical events—such as the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the American and French Revolutions, and the spread of representative government—shaped modern democratic institutions and principles.

3. Analyze the economic, social, and cultural conditions that facilitate or hinder democratization. Engaging with seminal works like Acemoglu and Robinson’s Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, you will assess the impact of class structures, economic inequality, and elite decision-making on democratic transitions and authoritarian resilience.

4.Critically evaluate foundational democratic theories by reading and interpreting key texts from John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Milton Friedman. You will understand the normative justifications for democracy, the tension between individual liberty and majority rule, and the philosophical debates on the relationship between capitalism and democracy.

5.Assess contemporary threats to democracy, including democratic backsliding, the rise of populism, and the erosion of civil liberties. Through engagement with texts like Michael Sandel’s Democracy’s Discontent, Adam Przeworski’s Crises of Democracy, and Krastev & Holmes’ Why the West Is Losing the Fight for Democracy, you will examine how institutional decay, economic instability, and social fragmentation contribute to the weakening of democratic governance.

6.Apply democratic theory to real-world political challenges by evaluating current case studies on governance, elections, media influence, and public participation. You will explore how contemporary issues such as digital authoritarianism, disinformation, declining voter turnout, and constitutional crises impact the resilience of democratic institutions.

7.Engage in informed discussions on the future of democracy. Whether pursuing careers in public policy, law, journalism, international relations, or academia, you will be equipped to advocate for democratic principles, assess policy proposals, and contribute to ongoing debates about democracy’s adaptability in an era of rapid technological and geopolitical change.

Course Content

The Democratic Theory course will begin with an introduction to political regimes, offering a clear distinction between democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid systems by analyzing their institutional structures, sources of legitimacy, and decision-making processes. The course will define democracy as a governance system based on political participation, representation, and constitutional limits on power, contrasting it with autocracy, oligarchy, and competitive authoritarianism. Students will explore the historical origins of democracy, starting with the direct democracy of Ancient Athens and the republicanism of Ancient Rome, and follow its evolution through significant historical milestones such as the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and the American and French Revolutions. The course will also delve into the social, economic, and cultural foundations of democracy by engaging with Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. A critical component of the course will involve examining classical democratic theories through texts by John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Milton Friedman. In its final section, the course will focus on contemporary challenges to democracy, such as democratic backsliding, populism, and civil liberty erosion. Through modern analyses, students will apply democratic theory to real-world political challenges, exploring governance, elections, media influence, and public participation. The course will conclude by encouraging students to actively participate in debates on democracy’s future, preparing them to contribute to democratic governance in an era of rapid change.

The teaching methods of the course include "Case Study Analysis, Discussion, Individual Study, Lecture, Problem Solving and Reading."

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week	Subject	Related Preparation
1)	Introducing the content of and the requirements for the course.	Review the syllabus. Review the lecture notes.
2)	A broad introduction to political regimes and democratic regimes in particular. Distinguishing between democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid systems by analyzing their institutional structures, sources of legitimacy, and decision-making processes.	Read the handouts on Itslearning. Review the lecture notes.
3)	Historical evolution of democracy, from Ancient Greece and Rome to Early Modern Europe and the Modern world.	Read the handouts on Itslearning. Review the lecture notes.
4)	The Social and Economic, Foundations of Democracy: An investigation into the structural conditions that facilitate or hinder democratic development.	Read Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. Review the lecture notes.
5)	Klasik Demokratik Düşünce Temelleri: John Locke. Liberal demokrasi ve anayasal yönetişimin gelişimi, Amerikan ve Fransız Devrimlerine etkisi.	-John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government -Review the lecture notes.
6)	Classical Foundations of Democratic Thought: John Stuart Mill. Individual freedom, protection against tyranny of the majority, and free speech.	-John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty -Review the lecture notes.
7)	Classical Foundations of Democratic Thought: Alexis de Tocqueville. Strengths and vulnerabilities of American democracy, civil society, decentralization, and participation.	-Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America -Review the lecture notes.
8)	Midterm
9)	Crisis of Democracy: Michael Sandel. How economic and cultural alienation fuel populist resentment against democratic institutions.	-Read Michael J. Sandel’s Democracy’s Discontent -Review the lecture notes.
10)	Crisis of Democracy: Adam Przeworski. Institutional weaknesses, elite manipulation, and economic stagnation threatening democratic stability.	-Read Adam Przeworski’s Crises of Democracy. -Review the lecture notes.
11)	Crisis of Democracy: Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes. Liberal elites' failure to address inequality and identity politics leading to authoritarian sentiment.	-Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes’ Why the West Is Losing the Fight for Democracy -Review the lecture notes.
12)	Crisis of Democracy: Marc F. Plattner. Evaluating whether challenges to democracy are cyclical or part of a global shift toward authoritarianism.	-Marc F. Plattner’s 'Is Democracy in Decline?' -Ders Notları
13)	GENERAL EVALUATION	Review all readings and lecture notes.
14)	In-Class Essay: Examine and interpret a current political question using learned concepts and methodologies.	Review all readings and lecture notes.

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks:

References:

Bu dersin sınavlarda başarılı olabilmek için iki temel bilgi kaynağı gerekmektedir:
1. Dersler: Derslerde verilen bilgiler, sınavlarda başarılı olmanın önemli bir kaynağını oluşturmaktadır.
2. Zorunlu Okumalar: Dersin yapılmasından bir hafta önce, o derste ele alınacak tüm zorunlu okumalar Itslearning platformuna yüklenecektir.

Öğrencilerin sınavlarda ve makalelerde en iyi sonucu alabilmeleri için ders notlarını ilgili kitap bölümleri ve makalelerle birleştirmeleri gerekmektedir. Sadece kitaplara ve makalelere güvenmek ve derslere katılmamak, sınavlarda başarılı olmak için gerekli bilgileri sağlamayacaktır.

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Course Resources
This course necessitates two essential sources of information, notably for excelling in the examinations:
1. The professor's lectures.
2. Required readings: Please ensure that you review all of the required readings in the subsequent sections of the syllabus. A week prior to a lecture, all the required readings that will be covered in that lecture will be uploaded to Itslearning.
Students must integrate their lecture notes with the pertinent book chapters and articles to attain the optimal information necessary for excelling in tests and essays. Absence from lectures and reliance solely on the books and articles will not provide students with the necessary information to excel in the examinations

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements	Number of Activities	Level of Contribution
Midterms	1	% 50
Final	1	% 50
Total		% 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK		% 50
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK		% 50
Total		% 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities	Number of Activities	Workload
Course Hours	13	39
Study Hours Out of Class	12	102
Midterms	1	2
Final	1	2
Total Workload		145

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect	1 Lowest	2 Low	3 Average	4 High	5 Highest

	Program Outcomes	Level of Contribution
1)	Be able to specify functional and non-functional attributes of software projects, processes and products.
2)	Be able to design software architecture, components, interfaces and subcomponents of a system for complex engineering problems.
3)	Be able to develop a complex software system with in terms of code development, verification, testing and debugging.
4)	Be able to verify software by testing its program behavior through expected results for a complex engineering problem.
5)	Be able to maintain a complex software system due to working environment changes, new user demands and software errors that occur during operation.
6)	Be able to monitor and control changes in the complex software system, to integrate the software with other systems, and to plan and manage new releases systematically.
7)	Be able to identify, evaluate, measure, manage and apply complex software system life cycle processes in software development by working within and interdisciplinary teams.
8)	Be able to use various tools and methods to collect software requirements, design, develop, test and maintain software under realistic constraints and conditions in complex engineering problems.
9)	Be able to define basic quality metrics, apply software life cycle processes, measure software quality, identify quality model characteristics, apply standards and be able to use them to analyze, design, develop, verify and test complex software system.
10)	Be able to gain technical information about other disciplines such as sustainable development that have common boundaries with software engineering such as mathematics, science, computer engineering, industrial engineering, systems engineering, economics, management and be able to create innovative ideas in entrepreneurship activities.	4
11)	Be able to grasp software engineering culture and concept of ethics and have the basic information of applying them in the software engineering and learn and successfully apply necessary technical skills through professional life.	3
12)	Be able to write active reports using foreign languages and Turkish, understand written reports, prepare design and production reports, make effective presentations, give clear and understandable instructions.
13)	Be able to have knowledge about the effects of engineering applications on health, environment and security in universal and societal dimensions and the problems of engineering in the era and the legal consequences of engineering solutions.	3