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2020/2021

Democracy in a Global World

Code: 104476 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2503778 International Relations OB 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Oriol Bartomeus Bayes
Email:
Oriol.Bartomeus@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

None

Objectives and Contextualisation

The course aims to provide students with the tools that allow them to analyze democratic systems and their different aspects, their evolution over time and the factors that may condition them in recent years and in the future.

Competences

  • Analyse the behaviour of international actors, both state and non-state.
  • Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  • Identify and analyse the main challenges for democracy in a global world.
  • Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  • Learn and analyse the impacts of the globalisation process on domestic political systems and on the behaviour of the political actors and the public.
  • Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Use English to receive and communicate analyses and proposals.
  • Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse how the EU and other actors manage the problems posed by the promotion of democracy and the rule-of-law state in the world.
  2. Analyse the impact of the globalisation process in the public policies of the main states of the European Union, and their interrelationship with democracy and the rule-of-law state in the world.
  3. Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  4. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  5. In accordance with the theoretical and analytical information acquired, analyse the big challenges for democracy in a global world and the different solutions proposed to manage them.
  6. Make a comparative analysis of the state of democracy and the rule-of-law state in different countries and political regimes.
  7. Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  8. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  9. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  10. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  11. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  12. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  13. Use English to receive and communicate analyses and proposals.
  14. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Content

In recent decades, democracy as a political system has gone from its moment of maximum expansion (as a result of the rise of the Soviet bloc from 1989) to a time of crisis and questioning.
										
											
										
											We will analyze the fundamental elements of democratic systems, both at the institutional level and in terms of the underlying values and the relationship between institutions and citizenship, and we will assess their evolution over time.
										
											
										
											We will also analyze the risk factors for the maintenance of democracies, both the globalization of the turn of the century and the emergence of nationalist and authoritarian movements in the wake of the 2008 global crisis.
										
											
										
											The subject will deal with the following topics:
										
											
										
											1. The foundations of democracy
										
											2. The expansion of democratic systems in the late twentieth century
										
											3. The challenges of democracy: globalization
										
											4. The challenges of democracy: the crisis of 2008
										
											5. The evolution of democratic systems: the indices of democracy
										
											6. Political culture and democratic health
										
											7. Political competence and democracy
										
											8. System response and democracy
										
											9. Is the new nationalism a danger to democracy?
										
											10. What a democracy in what world

Methodology

The sessions of the subject are divided into three types: theoretical classes on the contents of the subject, text comments on selected parts of the bibliography and debates in the classroom on these readings or on interesting aspects of current events. to do with aspects of the subject.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theorical lessons 60 2.4 1, 5, 6
Type: Supervised      
Debate 26 1.04 2, 5, 14, 12, 10, 8, 9, 13
Type: Autonomous      
Writting on bibliography 20 0.8 1, 5, 14, 7, 4, 11, 10, 8, 13, 6

Assessment

The evaluation of the subject will consist of writing three short (one page) text comments on the topic, which will be discussed in the classroom.

The texts on which the comments will be made are part of the bibliography of the subject (book chapters or articles).

In addition, students will be asked to write an original work on some aspect of the subject, which must be delivered at the end of the semester.

To pass the subject it is necessary to pass both the text comments and the final work.

In accordance with article 117.2 of the UAB Academic Regulations, the assessment of repeat students may consist of a single synthesis test. Repeating students who wish to take advantage of this possibility will need to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual writing essay 30 20 0.8 1, 2, 5, 3, 14, 7, 4, 12, 11, 8, 9, 13, 6
Participation in debates 10 6 0.24 10, 9, 13
Writing essay 1 20% 6 0.24 1, 2, 5, 14, 7, 4, 12, 11, 10, 8, 9, 13, 6
Writing essay 2 20% 6 0.24 1, 2, 5, 14, 7, 4, 12, 11, 10, 8, 9, 13, 6
Writing essay 3 20% 6 0.24 1, 2, 5, 14, 7, 4, 12, 11, 10, 8, 9, 13, 6

Bibliography

INNERARITY, D. (2019) Una teoría de la democracia compleja. Galaxia Guttenberg

LEVISKY, S. i ZIBLATT, D. How democracies die. Crown (digital version at UAB library)

LIJPHART, A. (1999) Patterns of democracy. Yale  (digital version at UAB library)

MACPHERSON, C. B. (1977) The life and times of liberal democracy. Oxford

SNYDER, T. (2018) The road to unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America. Tim Duggan

TOCQUEVILLE, A. (1835) La democràcia a Amèrica (diverses edicions)

The Economist Democracy Index https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index

V DEM Democracy report https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/f0/5d/f05d46d8-626f-4b20-8e4e-53d4b134bfcb/democracy_report_2020_low.pdf

FREEDOM HOUSE Freedom in the world https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2020/leaderless-struggle-democracy