PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 1
Global Studies/PLSC 120.5
Democracy and Democratization
Fall 2014
MW 2:00 pm-3:15 pm
421 Pray-Harrold
CRN: 13591
Professor Petra Hendrickson
602H Pray-Harrold
Office Hours: MW 11:00-12:15 (and by appointment)
phendri2@emich.edu
Course Description
This course examines global concerns that transcend boundaries of local and national
communities. It emphasizes global perspectives and approaches to analyzing and solving world
problems. This course will examine theories and histories of democracy and democratization.
Beginning with definitional concerns, we will examine broad theories of democracy and their
application to specific instances of democratizing processes throughout the world. We will also
discuss techniques of democracy promotion and how they have been applied in different settings.
Course Objectives
In this course, students will:
 Understand the definitional components of democracy
 Identify how democratic institutions can be, and are, used in nondemocratic regimes
 Apply the definitions of democracy to historical processes of democratization
 Explore the dynamics of democracy promotion
 Analyze the efficacy and degree of success of attempts at democracy promotion in
various settings
General Education Rationale
People of diverse cultural and national backgrounds and experiences are relating to each other
much more frequently and intensively, all around the world, than ever before. Global trade, the
internet, climate, migration, terrorism, and concepts of human rights are just a few of the many
types of interactions that are bringing distant people together in ways that may involve conflict
or collaboration. This course will help develop awareness of the changing global context in
which we live, of the importance of appreciating diverse perspectives, and of the need for
building bridges of communication and tolerance to address shared global challenges. Many
global issues are controversial and subject to varying perspectives. Each semester, the course
will focus on a particular contemporary global issue (such as terrorism, genocide, human rights,
global gender issues, ethnic identity and conflict, migration, and democratization), not to find a
single “correct” solution, but rather to develop skills in analyzing diverse interpretations and
considering our own roles and civic responsibilities on a global scale.
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 2
Required Readings
This course will utilize a variety of sources in order to provide a richer understanding of both
theories and practice of democracy and democratization. All readings will be posted on the EMU
Online PLSC 120 course site (http://www.emuonline.edu).
Course Requirements
Although the information bolded below is the most pertinent, it is vital that students read the
entirety of the requirement to ensure they complete the task according to the guidelines. In this
course students are expected to:
 Complete Indiana University plagiarism test and turn in accompanying certificate of
completion within the first three weeks of class (by September 17). Plagiarism is
dishonest, unethical and unacceptable. This test requires students to identify instances of
plagiarism, which will greatly reduce the possibility of unintentional plagiarism
committed because of lack of knowledge of what qualifies as plagiarism. The test can be
found at the following address: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/plagiarism_test.html. If
you cannot receive a certificate of completion, you must provide proof of five failed
attempts, in addition to proof that you have answered 9 practice-test questions correctly.
(5%)
 Complete required reading and guiding questions for each reading. The reading load
in this class will be moderate – around 25-30 pages of reading will be assigned per class
period. On rare occasions, reading assignments will be longer. Students are expected to
read the assignments carefully and come to class prepared to discuss, ask questions and
make analytical connections between the readings and the day’s topic.
 Take an exam (October 1) and a final exam (December 15). These exams will cover
material contained both in the readings and in class lectures and discussions. The final
exam will be non-cumulative. (Midterm worth 15%, Final worth 20%; 35% total)
 Engage course material, both lecture and assigned reading, in 5 brief analytical papers
(2 pages each) throughout the semester (due October 27, November 3, November 10,
November 17 and November 24). These papers should assess the degree and quality
of democratization that has occurred over time for each country. Part 2 of the course
focuses on democratization processes throughout the world. Papers will be due after class
coverage of the respective country. Although the papers for this unit are due every week,
time will be devoted in class to discussing in further detail my expectations and develop
strategies to think more critically about topics covered in class. (The two highest scoring
papers will be worth 15% each and the three lowest scoring papers will be worth 10%
each; 60% total)
Late Assignments and Make-Up Exams
Late assignments will be docked considerably. If I have not received your paper within the time
frame described below (before class begins on the due date; no more than 12 hours after email
indicating the paper has not been received), you will only receive half credit for it. Additionally,
late assignments must be received no later than one week after the initial due date to receive any
credit whatsoever.
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 3
The first exam must be made up within two weeks of the original test date (by October 15). The
final exam must be made up by the end of finals week (by December 17). The format of makeup exams may differ from the format of the exam provided during the assigned class period.
Emailing the Instructor
Should you find it necessary to contact me by email, please include the course number and
section number (PLSC120.5) in the subject line. This will help ensure a timely response. At the
outside, I will respond within 36 hours. Frequently I will be able to respond more quickly. If you
have not received a response within 36 hours, please email me again, as it likely means I did not
receive your initial email.
Attendance
I expect students to attend all classes, arrive on time, remain for the entire period, and bring the
day’s readings with you to class. Although attendance is not required per se, you are responsible
for any and all material covered in lecture. Completion of the provided guiding questions for
each reading will prove extremely valuable, and will be worth up to a 5% bonus on the exams
(that is, if your original score is a 90, but you complete all the guiding questions, you will receive
a 95%). Part of each class period will be spent discussing and assessing the required readings to
help you become more comfortable with reading the kind of research and other materials that
you will encounter throughout your college career.
Paper Format
All papers must conform to the following specifications: 1” margins on all sides, 12-point Times
New Roman font, double-spaced, last name and page number on each page and appropriate intext citations, as well as a complete works cited page at the end of the document. For the case
study papers, it is necessary to cite all course readings you utilize, as well as any outside sources
you may choose to use. If you choose to utilize lecture material, you should identify it as such,
but you do not have to provide a formal citation. However, it is necessary to include in-text
citations when referencing specific points and arguments raised in the course readings. Students
can use the citation format of their choice from the following list: APA, Chicago, MLA, and
citation style should be consistent throughout the paper. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) has guides to the various citation styles available on their
website. Papers must be submitted electronically via EMU-Online dropboxes by the beginning
of class. I will confirm receipt (or lack of receipt) of papers within 12 hours; if you have
submitted, but I have not received, your paper, you will have an additional 12 hours from the
time of my email to submit it with no penalty. Physical copies of papers will not be accepted.
Writing Support
The University Writing Center (115 Halle Library; 487-0694) offers one-to-one writing
consulting for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can make appointments or
drop in between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and from 11 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Students should bring a draft of what they’re working on and their
assignment sheet. The UWC opens for the Fall 2014 semester on Monday, September 8.
The UWC also offers small group workshops on various topics related to writing (e.g.,
Organizing Your Writing; Incorporating Evidence; Revising Your Writing; Conquering
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 4
Commas; Using APA or MLA). Workshops are offered at different times in the UWC. Visit the
UWC page (http://www.emich.edu/uwc) to see our workshop calendar. To register for a
workshop, click the link from the UWC page for the type of workshop you wish to attend.
The UWC also has several satellite sites across campus. These satellites provide writing support
to students within the various colleges. For more information about our satellite locations and
hours, visit the UWC web site: http://www.emich.edu/uwc.
The Academic Projects Center (116 Halle Library) also offers one-to-one writing consulting for
students, in addition to consulting on research and technology-related issues. The APC is open
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays for drop-in consultations. Additional
information about the APC can be found at http://www.emich.edu/apc. Students visiting the
Academic Projects Center or any of the satellites of the University Writing Center should also
bring with them a draft of what they’re working on and their assignment sheet.
Academic Dishonesty
In addition to being a wholesale bad idea, plagiarism is also forbidden by the EMU Code of
Student Conduct. Any assignment that is plagiarized to any extent will receive a score of zero.
Cheating on exams is also forbidden and will also result in a zero on the exam.
Classroom Etiquette
Laptops are permitted in class only for the purpose of taking notes. Other uses are not allowed,
and if students are repeat offenders, i.e., caught more than once using their laptop for
unauthorized purposes will have their in-class laptop privileges. Use of other forms of
technology, especially cell phones, is absolutely not permitted.
Disclaimer
It may become necessary to alter the schedule provided below. In such an occurrence, students
will be notified well in advance and provided with an updated electronic copy of the syllabus.
Grading System and Scale
The percentage values allocated to course components are listed after the description of the
course component. The grading scale breaks down as follows:
Grade Value
A
AB+
B
BC+
Percentage Range
93-100%
90-92.9%
87-89.9%
83-86.9%
80-82.9%
77-79.9%
Grade Value
C
CD+
D
DF
Percentage Range
73-76.9%
70-72.9%
67-69.9%
63-66.9%
60-62.9%
below 59.9%
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 5
Schedule of Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments
Reading assignments should be completed PRIOR to the class period for which they are listed.
Wednesday, September 3: Syllabus Day, Introduction to the Course and Writing
Discussion
Monday, September 8: Philosophical Arguments for Democracy
Topics:
 Defenses of democracy
Readings:
 Cohen, Carl. 1971a. “The Intrinsic Value of Democracy.” Democracy. Athens:
University of Georgia Press. 268-274.
 Cohen, Carl. 1971b. “Justification of Democracy.” Democracy. Athens: University of
Georgia Press. 241-267.
Wednesday, September 10: Practical Effects of Democracy
Topics:
 Quality of life
 Human rights protections
 International conflict
Readings:
 Gerring, John. 2011. “Democracy and Development: Legacy Effects.” In The Dynamics
of Democratization: Dictatorship, Development, and Diffusion. Nathan J. Brown, ed.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 212-238.
Monday, September 15: Empirical Understandings of Democracy
Topics:
 Basic concepts
 Core components
Readings:
 Nef, Jorge, and Bernd Reiter. 2009. “Democracy as an Idea and as a Process.” The
Democratic Challenge: Rethinking Democracy and Democratization. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan. 12-32.
Wednesday, September 17: Definitional Components of Democracy I
Topics:
 Elections
 Suffrage
 Representation
Readings:
 Cohen, Carl. 1971. “Democracy and Representation.” Democracy. Athens: University of
Georgia Press.76-97.
Due:
 Indiana University Plagiarism Certificate
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 6
Monday, September 22: Definitional Components of Democracy II
Topics:
 Types of democratic executives
 Other democratic institutions
o Independent judiciary
o Meritocratic bureaucracy
Readings:
 Horowitz, Donald L. 1990. “Comparing Democratic Systems.” Journal of Democracy
1(4): 73-79.
 Linz, Juan J. 1990. “The Perils of Presidentialism.” Journal of Democracy 1(1): 51-69.
Wednesday, September 24: Definitional Components of Democracy III
Topics:
 Legal and constitutional protection of rights
Readings:
 Sung, Hung-En. 2006. “Democracy and Criminal Justice in Cross-National Perspective:
From Crime Control to Due Process.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science 605: 311-337. (p. 311-317 & p.326-330 only)
Monday, September 29: Democracy in the United States
Topics:
 Stylized view
 Controversies
Readings:
 Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. 2014. “Testing Theories of American Politics:
Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.” Unpublished manuscript. (p. 2-10 and p.
21-24 only)
o Helpful links that break down the main conclusions of the study:
 http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746 (the first story)
 http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/218858/the-duh-report-study-saysamerica-is-an-oligarchy-not-a-democracy/
 González, Francisco E., and Desmond King. 2006. “The United States.” In
Democratization through the Looking Glass. Peter Burnell, ed. New Brunswick, NJ:
Transaction Publishers. 231-246.
Wednesday, October 1: EXAM
Monday, October 6: Democratization
Topics:
 Definitions
 Historical trends
Readings:
 Huntington, Samuel P. 1991. “What?” The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late
Twentieth Century. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 3-30.
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 7
Wednesday, October 8: Problems with the Assumptions of Democratization
Topics:
 Assumption of linearity
 Democratic backsliding
Readings:
 Carothers, Thomas. 2002. “End of the Transition Paradigm.” Journal of Democracy
13(1): 5-21.
Monday, October 13: Democratic Institutions in Nondemocracies I
Topics:
 Legislature
 Courts
Readings:
 Schedler, Andreas. 2010. “Authoritarianism’s Last Line of Defense.” Journal of
Democracy 21(1): 69-80.
Wednesday, October 15: Democratic Institutions in Nondemocracies II
Topics:
 Elections
Readings:
 Levitsky, Steven, and Lucan A. Way. 2002. “The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism.”
Journal of Democracy 13(2): 51-65.
Monday, October 20: Egypt I
Topics:
 Mubarak-era
Readings:
 Lesch, Ann M. 1989. “Democracy in Doses: Mubarak Launches His Second Term as
President.” Arab Studies Quarterly 11(4): 87-107.
Wednesday, October 22: Egypt II
Topics:
 After the Arab Spring
Readings:
 El-Khawas, Mohamed A. 2013. “Egypt’s Revolution: A Two-Year Journey.” In The
Arab Spring and the Arab Thaw: Unfinished Revolutions and the Quest for Democracy.
John Davis, ed. New York: Ashgate. 113-159. (p. 123-149 only)
Monday, October 27: South Korea I
Topics:
 Bureaucratic authoritarianism
Readings:
 Hyug, Baeg Im. 1987. “The Rise of Bureaucratic Authoritarianism in South Korea.”
World Politics 39(2): 231-257.
Due:
 2-page Egypt paper
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 8
Wednesday, October 29: South Korea II
Topics:
 1980 and after
Readings:
 Steinberg, David I. 2000. “Continuing Democratic Reform: The Unfinished Symphony.”
In Consolidating Democracy in South Korea. Larry J. Diamond and Byung-Kook Kim,
eds. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Press. 203-238.
Monday, November 3: Portugal I
Topics:
 Portugal under Salazar
Readings:
 Lewis, Paul H. 2002a. “Salazar’s Political Elite.” Latin Fascist Elites: The Mussolini,
Franco and Salazar Regimes. New York: Praeger. 129-139.
 Lewis, Paul H. 2002b. “Salazar’s Ministerial Elite: Building the Regime.” Latin Fascist
Elites: The Mussolini, Franco and Salazar Regimes. New York: Praeger. 141-149.
Due:
 2-page South Korea paper
Wednesday, November 5: Portugal II
Topics:
 Renewal of Portuguese democracy
Readings:
 Harvey, Robert. 1979. “Portugal: Democracy’s Balance Sheet.” World Today 35(1): 2430.
 Schmitter, Philippe C. 1975. “Liberation by Golpe: Retrospective Thoughts on the
Demise of Authoritarian Rule in Portugal.” Armed Forces and Society 2(1): 5-33.
Monday, November 10: Mexico I
Topics:
 Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) era
Readings:
 Magaloni, Beatriz. 2005. “The Demise of Mexico’s One-Party Dominant Regime: Elite
Choices and the Masses in the Establishment of Democracy.” In The Third Wave of
Democratization in Latin America: Advances and Setbacks. Frances Hagopian and Scott
P. Mainwaring, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 121-148.
Due:
 2-page Portugal paper
Wednesday, November 12: Mexico II
Topics:
 Mexico since the election of Vicente Fox
Readings:
 Klesner, Joseph L. 2006. “Institutionalizing Mexico’s New Democracy.” In Changing
Structure of Mexico: Political, Social, and Economic Prospects. Laura Randall, ed.
Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. 384-405.
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 9
Monday, November 17: South Africa I
Topics:
 Apartheid
Readings:
 Beinart, William. 2001a. “Black Political Struggles and the Reform Era of P.W. Botha,
1973-1984.” Twentieth-Century South Africa. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
228-253.
Due:
 2-page Mexico paper
Wednesday, November 19: South Africa II
Topics:
 Nelson Mandela and after
Readings:
 Beinart, William. 2001b. “A New Politics: From Rainbow Nation to African Authority.”
Twentieth-Century South Africa. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 289-308.
Monday, November 24: Democracy Promotion I
Topics:
 Why
 How
Readings:
 Sørensen, Georg. 2008. “The Promotion of Democracy from the Outside.” Democracy
and Democracy Promotion: Processes and Prospects in a Changing World. 3rd edition.
Boulder: Westview Press. 79-98.
Due:
 2-page South Africa paper
Wednesday, November 26: NO CLASS
Monday, December 1: Democracy Promotion II
Topics:
 Civil society
 Grassroots organizations
Readings:
 Gottlick, Jane F. Berthusen. 1999. “From the Ground Up: Women’s Organizations and
Democratization in Russia.” In Democratization and Women’s Grassroots Movements.
Jill M. Bystydzienski and Joti Sekhon, eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 241261.
PLSC 120.5 Syllabus 10
Wednesday, December 3: Democracy Promotion III
Topics:
 Election monitoring
Readings:
 Kelley, Judith G. 2012. “The Rise of a New Norm.” Monitoring Democracy: When
International Election Monitoring Works, and Why It Often Fails. Princeton: Princeton
University Press. 16-42.
Monday, December 8: Democracy Promotion IV
Topics:
 “Mundane” promotion
o Financial support
o Logistical support
Readings:
 Carothers, Thomas. 2009. “Democracy Assistance: Political vs. Developmental?”
Journal of Democracy 20(1): 5-19.
 Ishkanian, Armine. 2011 [2007]. “Democracy Promotion and Civil Society.” In Global
Civil Society 2007/8: Communicative Power and Democracy. Martin Albrow, Marlies
Glasius, Helmut K. Anheier, and Mary Kador, eds. London: Sage. 2-29. (skip boxes on
p. 10-11, p. 14-15, p. 18-20 & p. 23-24)
Wednesday, December 10: Democracy Promotion V
Topics:
 “Extreme” promotion
o Germany/Japan
o Iraq/Afghanistan
Readings:

Jennings, Ray Salvatore. 2003. “The Road Ahead: Lessons in Nation Building from
Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan for Postwar Iraq.” Peaceworks 49: 1-41. (p. 5-35 only)
Monday, December 15: FINAL EXAM (1:30 pm – 3:00 pm)