POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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
POL4343 Comparative Democratization Fall 3 0 3 6
The course opens with the approval of the Department at the beginning of each semester

Basic information

Language of instruction: En
Type of course: Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Assoc. Prof. ESRA ALBAYRAKOĞLU
Course Lecturer(s): Dr. Öğr. Üyesi YÜKSEL ALPER ECEVİT
Course Objectives: This course deals with the democratization literature in the comparative political studies which emerged in the 1960s and which has reached the present time with a particular focus on the effects of the rising right-wing populism over democratic backsliding. The first few weeks will revisit what democracy is and entails, a theme that is familiar to the students from their previous courses. Then the course will go further and examine the different conceptions of democracy based on the identification of various layers by prominent theorists. Types of dictatorships will be analysed afterwards since the term ‘democratization’ implies the existence of a prior regime which is not democratic. Then the different theories of democratization, namely the Modernization Theory, Historical Sociology, and Transition Theories will be examined. A relatively new phenomenon labelled “competitive authoritarianism”, “authoritarian populism”, “right-wing populism” and so on by many scholars, which is thought to be the consequence of the crisis of representative democracy in the harsh times of globalization, will be dealt with too. The four weeks that will precede the last lecture will be assigned to students’ presentations.

Learning Outputs

The students who have succeeded in this course;
The students who have succeeded in this course;
I. Understand political regime definitions, and distinguish various procedures, and principles of democratic regime types forwarded by different political scientists.
II. Identify main causes of democracy and distinguish main approaches to democratization such as modernization, cultural, structural and political transitions approaches.
III. Acquire the ability to critically engage with these conceptual frameworks (named above) that aim to explain democracy and democratization
IV. Attain competence to understand and analyze the workings of principal democratic institutions such as forms of democratic government (presidential-parliamentary), party systems and electoral systems
V. Compare the impact of these different democratic political institutional clusters to democratic regime maintenance, stability, and consolidation.

Course Content

Democracy: definitional issues; Single and multidimensional conceptions of democracy; Types of dictatorships; Theories of democratization; Globalization, Competitive Authoritarianism, Authoritarian Populism

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction to the course
2) Democracy: Definitional Issues I
3) Democracy: Definitional Issues II
4) Single- and multi-dimensional conceptions of democracy
5) Types of dictatorships   
6) Theories of Democratization I
7) WRAP UP & Q/A
8) Theories of Democratization II
9) Globalization, Competitive Authoritarianism, Authoritarian Populism
10) Presentations
11) Presentations
12) Presentations
13) Presentations
14) WRAP UP & Q/A

Sources

Course Notes: Philip J. Adler and Randal Pouwels (2006) World Civilizations Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth Andrew Heywood (2013) Politics 4th Edition New York: Palgrave Macmillan Robert Dahl (1971) Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition Yale University Press Samuel Huntington (1991) ‘Democracy’s Third Wave’, Journal of Democracy 2(2), pp. 12-34. Philippe Schmitter and Terry Lynn Karl (1994) ‘What Democracy Is… And Is Not’, Journal of Democracy 2(3), pp. 75-88. Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan (1996) Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press S. Martin Lipset (1959) ‘Some Social Requisites of Democracy’, American Political Science Review 53(1), pp. 69-105. Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba (1980) The Civic Culture Revisited Boston: Little Brown Adam Przeworski and Fernando Limongi (1997) ‘Modernization: Theories and Facts’, World Politics 49(2), pp. 155-184 Barrington Moore (1993) Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy Beacon Press Dietrich Rueschemeyer, Evelyne Huber Stephens, John D. Stephens (1992) ‘Capitalist Development and Democracy’, Contemporary Sociology pp. 243-248. Guillermo O’Donnell and Philippe C. Schmitter (1986), ‘Opening (and Undermining) Authoritarian Regimes in Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions About Uncertain Democracies Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 15-36. Ozan O. Varol (2012) ‘The Democratic Coup d’Etat’, Harvard International Law Journal 53(2), pp. 292-356. Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way (2006) ‘Linkage versus Leverage: Rethinking the International Dimension of Regime Change’, Comparative Politics 38(4), pp. 379-400. Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way (2002) ‘Elections Without Democracy: The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism’, Journal of Democracy 13(2), pp. 51-65. Cas Mudde and C. R. Kaltwasser (2017) Populism: A Very Short Introduction New York: OUP Jan-Werner Müller (2016) What Is Populism? Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
References: Mevcut Değil

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 0 % 0
Laboratory % 0
Application % 0
Field Work % 0
Special Course Internship (Work Placement) % 0
Quizzes % 0
Homework Assignments % 0
Presentation 1 % 30
Project % 0
Seminar % 0
Midterms 1 % 30
Preliminary Jury % 0
Final 1 % 40
Paper Submission % 0
Jury % 0
Bütünleme % 0
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 10 30
Laboratory
Application
Special Course Internship (Work Placement)
Field Work
Study Hours Out of Class 10 116.5
Presentations / Seminar 1 0.5
Project
Homework Assignments
Quizzes
Preliminary Jury
Midterms 1 1.5
Paper Submission
Jury
Final 1 1.5
Total Workload 150

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) Grasp basic theoretical and conceptual knowledge about the field and relations between them at the level of practice.
2) Possess basic knowledge about the causes and effects of political transformations in societies.
3) Possess knowledge about quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods in social and behavioral sciences.
4) Recognize historical patterns while evaluating contemporary political and social developments.
5) Demonstrate interdisciplinary and critical approach while analyzing, synthesizing and forecasting domestic and foreign policy.
6) Conduct studies in the field professionally, both independently or as a team member.
7) Possess consciousness about lifelong learning based on Research & Development.
8) Communicate with peers both orally and in writing, by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio B1 General Level and the necessary informatics and communication technologies.
9) Apply field-related knowledge and competences into career advancement, projects for sustainable development goals, and social responsibility initiatives.
10) Possess the habit to monitor domestic and foreign policy agenda as well as international developments.
11) Possess competence to interpret the new political actors, theories and concepts in a global era.
12) Evaluate the legal and ethical implications of advanced technologies on politics.