Course Catalogue

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This course will study contemporary authoritarianism both conceptually and empirically. It will survey the broad literature on authoritarian politics to investigate the factors that are associated with the survival of authoritarian regimes, and also the circumstances under which such regimes fail.

Lecture: one hour per week, for 10 weeks

Tutorial: one hour per week, for 10 weeks

Mandatory Entry Requirements

Entry to Honours Politics requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over Politics 2A and Politics 2B as a first attempt.

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Assessment

■ Two essays of between 2,000 and 2,500 words (50% of the final mark each)

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

■ To understand the concept of authoritarianism and its principal sub-types

■ To analyse how authoritarianism research is conducted

■ To appreciate the factors that have contributed historically to the contemporary distribution of authoritarianism around the world

■ To understand how the three main sub-types of authoritarianism function

■ To understand the common causes and consequences of authoritarianism

■ To examine critically common strategies employed in the aim of reducing authoritarianism

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate a command of the principal findings of research in the field of authoritarianism

■ Evaluate critically the design and implementation of authoritarianism research

■ Explore the determinants of authoritarianism in the contemporary world using relevant databases

■ Conduct rigorous analysis using relevant research sources

■ Advance reasoned and factually supported arguments in both written and oral formats

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.