Comparative politics

Teacher(s)

Bocquet Nicolas (compensates Vanderborght Yannick); Vanderborght Yannick;

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The main aim of this course is to give an extensive overview of some of the key issues in contemporary comparative politics. This will be done through a focus on two core questions, that may form our main thread during the whole term (subject to change): - why do some states become democratic, and not others? - why are some democracies stable, and other unstable or fragile ? At the end of the term, students should be able to apply theories in comparative democratization studies to concrete contemporary cases.

Content

After a general introduction to the fundamental principles of democracy, the course will cover the following topics (subject to change):
- How can the concept of "democracy" be operationalized?
- Is economic development a prerequisite for democracy?
- Are democracies characterized by strong cultural diversity destined to be unstable?
- How can democratic regressions be explained?
- Does technological development threaten certain democratic achievements?
- Where does Belgium stand in terms of democracy compared to other countries?
- ...
The course will attempt to demonstrate the essential contribution of the comparative method in the analysis of contemporary political phenomena through these and other questions.

Teaching methods

Evaluation methods

The lecture course consists of presentations given by the teacher (or certain external speakers) and supported by slides posted on Moodle after class. Attendance is strongly recommended, as the teacher will provide many comments and clarifications related to the slides. Additionally, students may be required to read a portfolio of readings or a book related to one or more sections of the course. These required readings are part of the exam material, if applicable.

Faculty or entity

> ESPB