AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at analysing the contemporary political change, with particular attention to the evolution of democratic systems. On the one hand, the economic, social and cultural factors that favour the democratic processes will be examined, especially in the emerging countries and those that has just come out from a civil war. On the other, the events - economic crisis, globalization, technological innovation, migrations – that can threaten the stability of consolidated democracies and reduce their quality will be studied.

The course aims to sharpen knowledge concerning the process of democratization, the crisis of liberal democracies, and the role of comparative methods,  focusing on specific issues and case studies (first of all Turkey)

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching activities will be based also on active learning, role-playing (simulations) and seminars with scholars and experts in order to foster debates and a constant involvement of students. Movies, documents, blogs, papers will be adopted. The course will be entirely provided in English

The course is "in person" but it can be given online. However, in accordance with the rules for access to university premises adopted to combat the spread of the COVID pandemic, the lessons can possibly be carried out on TEAMS. The TEAMS code will eventually be communicated via aulaweb

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will focus on:

1) drivers, features, and consequences of democratization

2) causes and patterns of democratic backsliding

3) comparative methods to assess democracy and democratization

4) democracies, hybrid regimes and competitive authoritarianism

5) A case study: Turkey 

The course will also allow to:

• Understand comparative research methods
• Present a paper through a poster session;
• Discuss issues of political science through movies and TV series. 
• Understand how research centres, institutions, and other actors practically deal with the issue of democratizaion
• Analyse report, scientific papers, official docs on comparative politics

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The compulsory texts, as well as the recommended readings (from authors as Lijphart, Sartori, Collier, Schmitter, Przeworski, Boix, Geddes, Lipset, Norris, Torrell, Diamond, Levitsky, Ziblatt, Carothers)will be provided at the beginning of the course. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FABRIZIO COTICCHIA (President)

FEDERICO DONELLI (President Substitute)

ARIANNA BETTIN (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

lessons start February 14th

Teams

gwqk299

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written exam (10 short open questions) and a breif oral exam, in the same day. In case on Online classes due to Covid pandemic the exam will be only oral. 

Exam schedule