Democratic Backsliding and State Repression
A graduate seminar on the causes, dynamics, and consequences of democratic backsliding and state repression, and how regime type shapes the nature and extent of repression.
Course Description
This class explores scholarship from comparative politics, international relations, and political sociology that examines the causes, dynamics, and consequences of democratic backsliding and state repression. As we connect history, theory, and scholarship to contemporary politics, key questions include: Why do democracies erode, and what role do institutions, leaders, and citizens play in that process? How and why do governments employ repression, and with what consequences for political opposition and civil society? How do different regime types (democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid) shape the nature and extent of state repression?
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will have a good understanding of the major theoretical debates about democratic decline and authoritarian entrenchment, along with knowledge of how these processes have unfolded in a range of countries such as the United States, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Venezuela, Russia, and beyond.
Course Structure
- Seminar: Mondays 5:50 PM - 8:50 PM, Binghamton University Downtown Campus
- Office Hours: Fridays 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, and by appointment
Topics
- Introductions and Political Regimes
- Authoritarian Regimes
- Democracy
- Hybrid Regimes
- Democratic Backsliding
- What is State Repression?
- Why States Repress?
- Repression Types (I): Political violence, disappearances, and judicial and extrajudicial methods
- Repression Types (II): Political imprisonment, torture, and online crackdowns
- Repression Types (III): Propaganda and censorship
- Justification of State Repression
- State Repression in Different Political Regimes (I)
- State Repression in Different Political Regimes (II)
- Responses to State Repression
Assessment
| Component | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Attendance and Participation | 15% |
| Midterm Exam | 15% |
| Discussion Leading | 15% |
| Movie Review | 15% |
| Final Paper | 40% |
Films
Students write a critical review of one film from the syllabus, engaging the film in light of the course materials: No (2012), The Lives of Others (2006), Persepolis (2007), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Hotel Rwanda (2004), Missing (1982), Good Bye Lenin! (2003), Bloody Sunday (2002), The Act of Killing (2012), The Reader (2008), Come and See (1985), Incendies (2010), and Burning Days (2022).