Global Authoritarianism
| Module title | Global Authoritarianism |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2128 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Catherine Owen (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
Authoritarianism is on the rise around the world, whether in the form of growing hostility to Western democracy promotion, the roll-back of democratic governance in countries thought to have ‘transitioned’ to democracy or the growing popularity of populist politics within established democracies. Increasingly, democratic governance seems to be revealing itself as an historical anomaly, rather than a consolidating trend. But what is authoritarianism? How can we trace it? What drives it?
This module aims to help students answer these questions, and more, by exploring the international and domestic factors that sustain authoritarian politics. It will introduce students to the range of theoretical approaches, as well as the conceptual and methodological challenges in the study of authoritarianism, which will be explored through a variety of case studies, from the ‘classical’ authoritarian regimes to those considered ‘democratic’.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to equip you with the conceptual and theoretical tools necessary for understanding the rise of authoritarian governance and how it is sustained. It will familiarise you with the latest research on authoritarianism and encourage you to develop a critical perspective in analysing existing research on authoritarianism. You will be exposed to a variety of methodological approaches and challenges in research on authoritarianism and provided with an understanding of how both historical and international factors affect domestic authoritarian governance. You will be able to explore these concepts and theories in a wide range of geographical cases, in class ‘authoritarian regimes’ as well as in established democracies.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate understanding of the domestic and international factors that drive and sustain authoritarian politics
- 2. Demonstrate a command of the main findings of research on authoritarianism
- 3. Critically evaluate the main approaches to the study of authoritarianism
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Critically employ the categories and concepts of Comparative Politics to a range of empirical cases
- 5. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing research
- 6. Conduct rigorous, independent analysis using a variety of relevant sources
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Construct a reasoned and logical argument supported by evidence
- 8. Work independently and with peers to achieve goals.
Syllabus plan
While the precise content will vary from year to year, it is expected that the module will include lectures on the following themes:
- Global Democracy in Decline?
- Studying authoritarianism – methodological and empirical challenges
- Authoritarianism as Regime Type
- Authoritarian Institutions (legislatures, courts, constitutions)
- The Political Economy of Authoritarianism (e.g. rentier states, patronalism, corruption)
- Civic Life under Authoritarianism (civil society, protests and repression, welfare)
- From 20th – 21st Century Authoritarianism (innovations in authoritarian governance, technology and authoritarianism)
- The International politics of authoritarianism (norm diffusion, democracy prevention, authoritarian international institutions, rising powers, decline of the West)
- Authoritarianism in democratic countries (populism, Trump etc., authoritarianism as a set of practices)
- How has COVID-19 exacerbated authoritarianism?
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 65 | Private study, reading and preparing for seminars (approx. 6 hours of private study per seminar) |
| Guided independent study | 28 | Researching and writing Critical Literature Review |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Researching and writing essay |
| Guided independent study | 5 | Preparing formative presentation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation | 15 minutes | 1-8 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical literature review | 40 | 1,500 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Essay | 60 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical literature review | Critical literature review 1,500 words (40%) | 1-8 | August-September re-assessment period |
| Essay | Essay 2,000 words (60%) | 1-8 | August-September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Ahram, Ariel and J Paul Goode (2016) ‘Researching Authoritarianism in the Discipline of Democracy’, Social Science Quarterly, 97 (4): 834-849.
Art, David (2016) ‘Archivists and Adventurers: Research Strategies for Authoritarian Regimes of the Past and Present’, Social Science Quarterly, 97 (4): 974-990.
Bruff, Ian (2014) ‘The Rise of Authoritarian Neoliberalism’, Rethinking Marxism: A Journal of Economics, Culture and Society 26 (1): 113-129.
Diamond, Larry (2015) ‘Facing up to the Democratic Recession’, Journal of Democracy 26 (1): 141-155
Glasius, Marlies (2018) ‘What Authoritarianism is… And is Not: A Practice Perspective’, International Affairs 94 (3): 515-533.
Glasius, Marlies, Meta de Lange, Jos Bartman, Emanuela Dalmasso, Aofei Lv, Adele del Sordi, Marcus Michaelsen and Kris Ruijgrok (2018) Research, Ethics and Risk in the Authoritarian Field (Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan).
Heydemann, Steven and Reinoud Leenders (2011) ‘Authoritarian Learning and Authoritarian Resilience: Regime Responses to the “Arab Awakening”’, Globalizations, 8 (5):
Inglehart, Ronald and Pippa Norris (2017) ‘Trump and the Populist Authoritarian Parties’, Perspectives on Politics 15 (2): 443-454.
Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way (2010) Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Schedler, Andreas (2013) The Politics of Uncertainty: Sustaining and Subverting Electoral Authoritarianism (Oxford University Press)
Svolik, Milan W. (2012) The Politics of Authoritarian Rule (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Tansey, Oisin (2016) The International Politics of Authoritarian Rule (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
A good summary of how to write a policy brief - https://writingcenter.unc.edu/policy-briefs/
Blog on authoritarianism managed at Sheffield and Birkbeck - https://thelanguageofauthoritarianregimes.wordpress.com/
Research project ‘Authoritarianism in a Global Age’, University of Amsterdam, http://www.authoritarianism-global.uva.nl/
NED podcast on authoritarian resurgence - https://www.ned.org/ideas/podcast/
Freedom House 2017 Report on Modern Authoritarianism - https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/breaking-down-democracy-goals-strategies-and-methods-modern-authoritarians
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/02/2022 |
| Last revision date | 13/03/2022 |
