Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3184: Politics of Semidemocratic and Authoritarian Countries

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce you to, and familiarize you with, the politics of semi-democratic authoritarian countries. You will not only study the different types of authoritarian regimes but also learn about their internal politics, popular resistance, and mechanisms that regime leaders employ to prevent democratisation.

This module also allows you to develop your critical analysis skills as well as your ability to communicate with others through module assignments, presentations, and class participation. These skills are important for employment in any field and sector. 

 

If you complete this module, you will also have a more informed understanding of politics in general and your ability to analyse political news will have been enhanced.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. define and describe the different types of semi-democratic, authoritarian, and hybrid regimes and their characteristics in a competent manner;
2. effectively explain the internal politics of semi-democratic and authoritarian regimes, especially the various methods these regimes use to gain legitimacy;
3. discuss cogently the typical challenges to authoritarian rule and what current scholarly knowledge predicts with regard to their success;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Demonstrate the ability to effectively synthesize knowledge gained from both theoretical and empirical material;
5. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate research on relevant topics;
6. Demonstrate the ability to formulate scholarly arguments and ideas regarding politics;
Personal and Key Skills7. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with peers and to convey ideas to an audience;
8. Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse texts and to competently offer own ideas and interpretation of texts; and
9. Demonstrate the ability to write cogently and to support ideas with logical argument and evidence.