Comparative Politics 4314:
Democracies
Fall 2003, MW 2:30-3:45 pm, 74/101
Professor: Michelle Hale Williams
Office Hours: MW 4-5:00pm, TR 8:30-10:30am
Course Website: http://uwf.edu/mwilliams/CPO4314.htm
Office: 50/124
Telephone: 474-2347
Email: mwilliams@uwf.edu
Course Description
The world has become increasingly democratic over the last several decades. Still the
variety of democracies that exist around the world suggests a lack of agreement about
what it means to be a democracy, how to develop one, and how to maintain one over
time. This course evaluates the necessary conditions and criteria for democracy by first
determining what democracy is, assessing potential advantages and disadvantages.
Evidence from the experience of developing democracy in countries around the world
will be examined to look at patterns of transition. In particular, several regions including
Southern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe will be considered.
Particular attention will be paid to the context and process of transition to democracy in
countries that shifted away from communism in Eastern Europe. Their experience since
1989 will be considered in some detail to evaluate their catalyst for transition, their
constraints and opportunities for change, their founding elections and the
institutionalization of democracy, and the problems that they have faced in the process of
democratic consolidation. The questions of whether or not democracy can and should be
exported will be taken up, and models for developing democracy around the world will
be tested.
Required Books:
Diamond, Larry and Marc F. Plattner, eds. 2002. Democracy after Communism.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Drakulic, Slavenka. 1999. Cafe Europa: Life after Communism. New York: Penguin
Putnam Inc.
Grugel, Jean. 2002. Democratization: A Critical Introduction. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Sartori, Giovanni. 1987. The Theory of Democracy Revisited: Part One: The
Contemporary Debate, Vol. 1. Chatham: Chatham House / Seven Bridges Press.
Stepan, Alfred. 2001. Arguing Comparative Politics. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Grading:
15 % Country Update presentation (10 minutes)
5% Research Prospectus (2 pages)
25% Paper (10-15 pages)
20% Midterm exam
35% Final exam
Country Update presentation
This is an in-class presentation that will be scheduled during the first few weeks
of the course. You will sign up for one country on a list divided by world regions so that
through this assignment the class will cover democratic transitions in several regions
including Southern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. For this
assignment, you will select one country that is currently going through a process of
democratization. You will do research on this country to prepare an in-class presentation
of approximately 10 minutes (no more than 12 minutes). Your presentation should
provide the class with a basic understanding of the present conditions and challenges for
building democracy in the country that you selected. By the end, you should comment on
future prospects for democracy based on your findings in research—why are prospects
good for success? Or why does the evidence you have found suggest a high probability of
failure?
Research Prospectus
The prospectus is a 2 page research design.. It should specify your research
question, your thesis based on preliminary research, and how you will go about
evaluating evidence through your research to determine the answer to your research
question (what factors seem important to the answer and how will you look at these
factors in your paper to evaluate what they can tell you?). A preliminary bibliography is
expected with the prospectus with at least 3 credible academic resources (journal articles
and/or books) that you have used to develop the prospectus.
Paper
For the paper you may choose to build upon research used for your country
update assignment or you may select a different focus altogether, the choice is yours.
The paper should examine some aspect of democratic transition. You many choose, for
example, to focus on such factors as political and/or economic development as a
precondition for democracy, the process of democratization, the viability of
modernization theory or other theories discussed in class in explaining democratization,
the role of political parties and interest groups or political culture in democracy, or
democracy in theory as applied to democracy in practice. The main stipulation is that
you use empirical evidence to substantiate your position and that you focus on democracy
outside of the United States in your analysis. You should use good formatting, MLA or
APA styles, 12 point font size, double-spaced, 10 (minimum) to 15 pages (maximum) in
length, with a bibliography organized alphabetically by author’s last name at the end.
You must have a minimum of 6 credible academic sources (journal articles or books) that
you cite for this paper. Email resources are acceptable as supplementary resources but
will not be counted toward the required number of academic sources.
Penalty for Late Assignments:
Apart from approved excuses and absences, you may expect a penalty of one
letter grade reduction per day for late written assignments, or for missing your in-class
presentation date. This means, for example, a grade reduction for the first day late of A
to A-, then on day two of A- to B+, and so forth. A grade of zero will also be assigned
for missed midterms and final exams.
Plagiarism Policy
As members of the University of West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty.
As we strive for excellence in performance, integrity- personal and institutional- is our
most precious asset. Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly
act in ways which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge to share community
resources in ways that are responsible and that comply with established policies of
fairness. Cooperation and competition are means to high achievement and are
encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is expected unless our directive is to individual
performance. We will compete constructively and professionally for the purpose of
stimulating high performance standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of
expectations for academic conduct as a condition of membership in the UWF academic
community.
The UWF Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct, Academic Misconduct,
states: "Plagiarism is the act of representing the ideas, words, creations or work of
another as one's own." Plagiarism combines theft with fraud, and the penalty is
correspondingly severe: failure for the assignment and, in some cases, for the entire
course. At the instructor's discretion, she/he may recommend that the student be
suspended from the university.
Particular Student Needs
Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other
course-related accommodations should contact Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of Disabled
Student Services (DSS) at dss@uwf.edu or (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the
student with a letter for the instructor that will specify any recommended
accommodations.
If you have specific physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities and require
accommodations, please let me know during the first two weeks of class so that your
learning needs may be appropriately met.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students in this course will cultivate public speaking skills through the in-class
presentation. They will build cognitive reasoning skills by isolating the cause and effect
relationship between variables involved in the process of democratization. Analytical
skills and writing skills will be developed through work on the two written assignments
for this course. Attitudes regarding the objective superiority of particular systems of
government as compared with alternative institutional arrangements will be challenged.
Schedule of Course Meetings:
*indicates that the reading must be obtained on the course website or JSTOR
Week Date
1 25 Aug.
27 Aug.
2 1 Sept.
3 Sept.
3 8 Sept.
10 Sept.
4 15 Sept.
17 Sept.
5 22 Sept.
24 Sept.
6 29 Sept.
1 Oct.
7 6 Oct.
8 Oct.
8 13 Oct.
15 Oct.
9 20 Oct.
22 Oct.
10 27 Oct.
29 Oct.
11 3 Nov.
5 Nov.
12 10 Nov.
12 Nov.
13 17 Nov.
19 Nov.
14 24 Nov.
26 Nov.
15 1 Dec.
3 Dec.
16 8 Dec.
Topic
Introduction
What Democracy Is and Is Not
Labor Day Holiday- no class
Depth and Breadth of Democracy
Who Governs? -Majorities, Minorities, Elites?
library- research orientation
Democratization- How to Build A Democracy
Institutionalizing Democracy
Research Prospectus due
The Role of Opposition
The Role of Civil Society
The Religion and Democracy Nexus
Consolidating Democracy
Sum and Review
Midterm Exam
Regions: Democracy in Southern Europe
Regions: Democracy in Latin America
Regions: Democracy in Africa
Regions: Democracy in Asia
Case Study Region: E. Europe
~communism and the "revolutions" of 1989
~economics
~institutions
~civil society and opposition
Paper due
~prognosis for E European democracy
External Promotion & the return to Europe
Sum and Review
Final Exam
Readings
Draculic
*Schmitter/Karl (web), Sartori Ch1
Sartori Ch 2 and Ch 5
Sartori Ch 6
*Lipset (web), Grugel Ch. 2
Grugel Ch. 3
Grugel Ch. 4, Stepan Ch. 12
Stepan Chs. 7, 8
Grugel Ch. 5
Stepan Ch. 11
Stepan Ch. 14
Grugel Ch. 7, Stepan Ch. 6
Grugel Ch. 8
*Bratton/Van de Walle 1994 (JSTOR)
Grugel, Ch. 10
Grugel, Ch. 9
1, 3, 5, 8
Diamond et al Chs. 1,2, 10
6,7,9,10
Diamond et al Chs. 5,6
17
Diamond et al Ch 20
5
Diamond et al Ch 3, 15, 23
Diamond et al Chs. 4, 14, 16 13,15
Diamond et al Ch 17,18, 26
Grugel Ch 6; Diamond 9,13
2:00-4:30 pm
19,20,22,24
2,4,25