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POL36230

Academic Year 2024/2025

Authoritarian Politics (POL36230)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Jos Dornschneider-Elkink
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The module provides an overview of how authoritarian regimes work and what strategies dictators use to stay in power. We will start by looking at varieties of non-democracies, from totalitarian regimes of the 20th century to modern “informational” autocracies. Then, the module will examine the mechanisms and instruments of authoritarian rule, such as repression and elite purges, co-optation of opposition, electoral manipulations, propaganda and censorship. The students will also learn about transitions from and to authoritarian rule, as well as the effects of authoritarianism on economic development, foreign policy and social values. Each week, we will illustrate the topics with specific case-studies.
(This module will be taught by Dr Nikita Khokhlov.)

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, the students will:
- become familiar with the main theories in the field of comparative authoritarianism;
- learn about the classifications of non-non-democracies and the strategies of authoritarian rule;
- be able to critically engage with the academic literature on authoritarian regimes.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

200
Lectures

22
Total

222

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
* Lectures
* Group work
* Critical writing
* Reflective learning

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Reading responses Week 2, Week 4, Week 8, Week 10 Graded No

20

 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short mid-term case-study paper Week 6 Graded No

30

 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final essay Week 12 Graded No

50

 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

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