Political Science 215: Politics of Authoritarian Survival

You will work on a 3-step writing assignment that is intended to help you link the theories covered in class to real world cases of authoritarian politics. The goal of the project is to analyze the current state of politics in an authoritarian country of your choice, identify the challenges the leadership of the country faces and the survival strategies they use, and to offer policy suggestions for individuals/groups/parties interested in democratization.

Paper 1: Country Selection

First, you will pick a country for your research project. Your country must be classified as “Partly Free” or “Not Free” in the Freedom House Database. Keep in mind that this selection is a commitment for the rest of the semester. Therefore, you are advised to pick a country that you are interested in. You are also strongly recommend to have a conversation with your professor before you commit to it. Moodle submissions are due at the beginning of the class on September 23.

Paper 2: Getting to Know Your Country

Next, you will conduct research on the regime characteristics of your country (electoral process, judicial system, constitution, rights and liberties etc.) and write a paper on the reasons why your country is classified as an authoritarian regime. Moodle submissions are due at the beginning of the class on October 3. On October 3 or 5, you will make a presentation to the class, introducing your country, its brief history, the current state of politics, and its authoritarian traits.                    

Paper 3: Authoritarian Survival

You will identify the challenges faced by the leadership of your country and write a paper to assess the effectiveness of the survival strategies being employed by the leadership. First, on December 7, you will submit a 2-page outline of your paper (5%) and have a meeting with your professor to go over your outline and get feedback. Final papers are due on December 15 at 4 pm (25%).

Writing is one of the most important skills one can learn in college. If you are struggling with writing, please come to your professor's office hours to discuss strategies to improve your writing. For additional writing resources, do not hesitate to take advantage of the Writing Desk. Peer tutors at the Writing Desk offer help with any paper, in any class, at any stage of the writing process. You can sign up for an appointment online or drop in to RML 354 or the outer reference room, across from the reference desk/by the IT helpdesk.

• September 23: Paper 1 - Country Selection
• October 3: Paper 2 - Getting to Know Your Country
• October 3 or October 5 - Country Presentations
• December 15: Paper 3 - Authoritarian Survival