Democratic Uprisings and Political Participation

Description

With democracy increasingly coming under attack around the world, this course examines democratic uprisings, focusing on the "people's power" uprisings in Southeast Asia, the "Arab Spring" uprisings in the Middle East, and contemporary uprisings in other parts of the world. It examines the causes of uprisings, the factors that lead to success or failure, and the role of both traditional and social media in the uprisings. It considers when newly created democracies are most likely to succeed and when they are likely to fail. Last, we consider the threats to contemporary democracies, particularly new democracies, but also with some reflection on more established democracies like our own.