Department of Political Science

POL 112H5 S

Democracy in Theory and Practice

Dr. Justin Bumgardner
2016 Winter

Classroom: IB 120 (Instructional Building)

Time: Tuesdays (9:00 to 11:00)
Office: DV 3249 (William Davis Building)
E-mail: j.bumgardner@utoronto.ca
Office hours: Tuesdays 11-12 and Fridays 12-1

Rationale
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all
the others that have been tried."
--Sir Winston Churchill
This course provides an introduction to the concept of democracy, as well as
various theories that can be applied to it. As the quote from Churchill above
suggests, democracy has many serious problems, but nevertheless, it is
generally viewed as being superior to the alternatives.
Democratic
governments have existed in the international system for more than two
hundred years. During this time, they have evolved by expanding suffrage
and including more civil liberties and civil rights. As recently as the mid1970s, democracy was a minority form of government in the world. During
the next two decades, however, democracy experienced a boom and became
more popular across the globe. Democracy remains popular because it holds
its elected leaders accountable, provides for a separation of power and
checks and balances, and protects the rights of its citizens. It also treats its
citizens as adults, rather than children, by trusting them enough to give them
a voice in the government.
Samuel Huntington noted that democracy tends to come in "waves," with
many states shifting their governments from authoritarian to democratic
within a certain time span. Boom periods have been followed by democratic
"recessions," in which a number of democracies revert back to autocracy.

In this class, we will discuss the definition of democracy, which is much more
than a country simply having elections. We will examine what drives
democracy in terms of internal factors, external factors, and regional
influence. We will also explore how democracy is sustained. We will take a
closer look at Latin America, the post-communist states, Asia, Africa, and the
Middle East, while considering the prospects for sustained democracy in each
of those regions. We will also examine the events of the Arab Spring, which
have lead to regime changes and a transition to democracy in Tunisia.
Finally, we will consider how best to make democracy work and promote its
form of government abroad.
Students are expected to keep up with the assigned readings and come to
class prepared to discuss what they have read. The midterm test and the
final exam will cover material in both class sessions and the readings.
Students with learning disabilities are welcome in this course. In particular, if
a student has a disability/heath consideration that may require
accommodations, please feel free to approach the instructor and/or the
AccessAbility Resource Centre as soon as possible.
The AccessAbility staff (located in 2047 William Davis Building) is available by
appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange
appropriate accommodations. Please call 905-569-4699 or e-mail at
access.utm@utoronto.ca. The sooner you let us know about your needs, the
quicker we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.
The University of Toronto respects your privacy. The information on medical
certificates is collected pursuant to section 2(14) of the University of Toronto
Act, 1971. It is collected for the purpose of administering accommodations
for academic purposes based on medical grounds. The department will
maintain a record of all medical certificates received. At all times it will be
protected in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy Act.
If you have questions, please refer to www.utoronto.ca/privacy or contact the
Universitys Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office at 416946-5835. ADRESS: Room 201, McMurrich Bldg., 12 Queens Part Crescent,
Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1.
Required Readings
Diamond, Larry and Marc F. Plattner, eds. 2015. Democracy in Decline?
Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.
I also assign additional articles. Students can access these through our
course web site on Blackboard/Portal. Click on "Course Materials" and look in
the folder "Readings."

Requirements and Grading

Course grades will be determined by the following assignments:

A midterm test is worth 30% of the final grade. It will require students to
answer two out of three questions, and will take place on Feb. 9.
Students will be asked to develop an argument based on concepts and
theories used in the course and to demonstrate a detailed grasp of
materials covered in the readings and lectures. The test will be one hour
and fifty minutes in duration.
Students will earn 10% of their course grade in tutorials. These grades
will be based upon attendance and participation and will be awarded at
the teaching assistants' discretion. Students will meet eight times during
the term for tutorials. Tutorials will take place on Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan.
26, Feb. 2, Feb. 23, Mar. 1, Mar. 8, and Mar. 22.
20% of the points in the class will be earned through the writing of
critiques. Each student will write two 4-5-page summaries/critiques on
articles/book chapters throughout the course.
Critiques are to use
standard margins and be double-spaced. Each paper will be worth 10% of
the total grade and will be due at the beginning of tutorial. Deadline
dates for these assignments will occur on the weeks of Jan. 19, Jan. 26,
Feb. 2, Mar. 1, Mar. 8, and Mar. 22. Each student will be responsible
for submitting a critique for two of these deadlines. The instructor will
assign the specific due date and assignment for each individual student.
Please check our Blackboard/Portal web site for your assignment. Late
critiques will be penalized 5 marks (out of 100), and an addition 5 marks
for each 24 hours thereafter.
The final examination is worth 40% of the final grade. Students can
choose one out of two non-cumulative questions that cover the final half
of the course. This will be worth one-half of the final exam. There will
also be a mandatory question that covers the entire course. All students
must answer this final question, and it is worth one-half of the final exam.
The exam is two hours in length. Check the University of Toronto web site
for details on the time and place of the final exam.

Final grades for students will be determined by what percentage of points

they receive out of the total available, using a standard scale as determined
by the University of Toronto.
As a final note, students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the
instructors office hours to discuss course readings and lectures, or exam
performance.

Reading Assignments and Outline to the Course

January 5
First day and introduction to the class
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January 12
Puddington, Arch. 2015. A Return to the Iron Fist. Journal of Democracy. Vol.
26.2., pp.
122-138.
Kagan, Robert. 2015. The Weight of Geopolitics. In Diamond, Larry and
Marc F. Plattner, eds.
2015. Democracy in Decline? Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University
Press, pp. 25-38.
January 19
Moller, Jorgen and Svend-Erik Skaaning. 2013. The Third Wave: Inside the
Numbers.
Journal of Democracy. Vol. 24.4, pp. 97-109.
Plattner, Marc F. 2014. The End of the Transitions Era? Journal of
Democracy. Vol.
25.3, pp. 5-16.
January 26
Fukuyama, Francis. 2015. Why is Democracy Performing so Poorly? In
Diamond, Larry and
Marc F. Plattner, eds. 2015. Democracy in Decline? Baltimore, MD:
Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 11-24.
Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way. 2015. The Myth of Democratic Recession.
In Diamond, Larry
and Marc F. Plattner, eds. 2015. Democracy in Decline? Baltimore, MD:
Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 58-76.
Diamond, Larry. 2015. Facing Up to the Democratic Recession. In Diamond,
Larry and Marc F.
Plattner, eds. 2015. Democracy in Decline? Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press, pp. 98-118.
February 2
Carothers, Thomas. 2015. Democracy Aid at 25: Time to Choose. In
Diamond, Larry and Marc
F. Plattner, eds. 2015. Democracy in Decline? Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press, pp. 77-97.
Levitsky, Steven and Lucan Way. 2013. The Durability of Revolutionary
Regimes.
Journal of Democracy. Vol. 24.3, pp. 5-17.
February 9
Midterm Test
February 23
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Mainwaring, Scott and Anibal Perez-Linan. 2015. Cross-Currents in Latin

America.
Journal of Democracy. Vol. 26.1, pp. 114-127.
Corrales, Javier. 2015. Autocratic Legalism in Venezuela. Journal of
Democracy. Vol. 26.2, pp.
37-51.
March 1
Shleifer, Andrei and Daniel Treisman. 2014. Normal Countries: The East 25
Years after
Communism. Foreign Affairs. Vol. 93.6, pp. 92-103.
Shevtsova, Lilia. 2015. Forward to the Past in Russia. Journal of Democracy.
Vol. 26.2, pp.
22-36.
March 8
Minzner, Carl. 2015. China after the Reform Era. Journal of Democracy. Vol.
26.3, pp. 129-143.
Economy, Elizabeth C. 2014. Chinas Imperial President: Xi Jinping Tightens
his Grip.
Foreign Affairs. Vol. 93.6, pp. 80-91.
March 15
Gyimah-Boadi, E. 2015. Africas Waning Democratic Commitment. Journal of
Democracy. Vol. 26.1, pp. 101-113.
Lewis, Peter and Darren Kew. 2015. Nigerias Hopeful Election. Journal of
Democracy. Vol.
26.3, pp. 94-109.
March 22
In class film: PBS Frontline: Revolution in Cairo
Chenoweth, Erica and Maria J. Stephan. 2014. Drop your Weapons: When
and Why
Civil Resistance Works. Foreign Affairs. Vol. 93.4, pp. 94-106.
March 29
Brownlee, Jason, Tarek Masoud, and Andrew Reynolds. 2013. Why the
Modest
Harvest? Journal of Democracy. Vol. 24.4, pp. 29-44.
Ross, Michael L. 2011. Will Oil Drown the Arab Spring? Foreign Affairs. Vol.
90.5,
pp. 2-7.

Equity Statement
The University of Toronto is committed to equity and respect for diversity. All
members of the learning environment in this course should strive to create an
atmosphere of mutual respect. As a course instructor, I will neither condone
nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any
individual in this course and wish to be alerted to any attempt to create an
intimidating or hostile environment. It is our collective responsibility to create
a space that is inclusive and welcomes discussion. Discrimination,
harassment and hate speech will not be tolerated. If you have any questions,
comments, or concerns you may contact the UTM Equity and Diversity officer
at edo.utm@utoronto.ca or the University of Toronto Mississauga Students
Union Vice President Equity at vpequity@utmsu.ca.
Academic Rights
You, as a student at UTM, have the right to:
-

Receive a syllabus by the first day of class.

Rely upon a syllabus once a course is started. An instructor may only
change marks assignments by following the University Assessment
and Grading Practices Policy provision 1.3.
Refuse to use turnitin.com (you must be offered an alternative form of
submission).
Have access to your instructor for consultation during a course or
follow up with the department chair if the instructor is unavailable.
Ask the person who marked your term work for a re-evaluation if you
feel it was not fairly graded. You have up to one month from the date
of return of the item to inquire about the mark. If you are not satisfied
with a re-evaluation, you may appeal to the instructor in charge of the
course if the instructor did not mark the work. If your work is remarked,
you must accept the resulting mark. You may only appeal a mark
beyond the instructor if the term work was worth at least 20% of the
course mark.
Receive at least one significant mark (15% for H courses, 25% for Y
courses) before the last day you can drop a course for H courses, and
the last day of classes in the first week of January for Y courses taught
in the Fall/Winter terms.
Submit handwritten essays so long as they are neatly written.
Have no assignment worth 100% of your final grade.
Not have a term test worth 25% or more in the last two weeks of class.
Retain intellectual property rights to your research.
Receive all your assignments once graded.
View your final exams. To see a final exam, you must submit an
online Exam Reproduction Request within 6 months of the exam. There
is a small non-refundable fee.
Privacy of your final grades.
Arrange for representation from Downtown Legal Services (DLS), a
representative from the UTM Students Union (UTMSU), and/or other
forms of support if you are charged with an academic offence.
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A WARNING ABOUT PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is an academic offence with a severe penalty.
It is essential that you understand what plagiarism is and that you do not
commit it. In essence, it is the theft of the thoughts or words of others,
without giving proper credit. You must put others words in quotation marks
and cite your source(s). You must give citations when using others ideas,
even if those ideas are paraphrased in your own words. Plagiarism is
unacceptable in a university.
The University of Toronto provides a process that faculty members must
initiate when they suspect a case of plagiarism. In the Department of
Political Science, suspected evidence of plagiarism must be reported to the
Chairman.
A faculty member may not mark an assignment or assess a penalty if he or
she finds evidence of plagiarism the matter must be reported. The
Chairman, or Dean, will assess the penalty.
The following are some examples of plagiarism:
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

Submitting as your own an assignment written by someone

else.
Quoting an author without indicating the source of the words.
Using words, sentences, or paragraphs written by someone
else and failing to place quotation marks around the material
and reference the source and author. Using either quotation
marks or reference alone is not sufficient. Both must be used!
Adapting an authors ideas or theme and using it as your own without
referencing the original source.
Seeking assistance from a friend or family member in respect to work
you claim as your own.

If you are not sure whether you have committed plagiarism, it is better to ask
a faculty member than risk discovery and be forced to accept an academic
penalty.
Plagiarism is cheating. It is considered a serious offence against
intellectual honesty and intellectual property. Penalties for an undergraduate
can be severe.
At a minimum, a student is likely to receive a 0 mark for the assignment or
test in question. But a further penalty is often assessed, such as a further
reduction from the course mark or placing a permanent notation of the
incident on an academic record.
Some website listed below on avoiding plagiarism:
How to Use Sources and Avoid Plagiarism - available at:
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html
and http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/document.html
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Other Advisory Material available at:

www.utoronto.ca/writing

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