The course syllabus is here.
Course Description
During this quarter, we will compare democratic and authoritarian regimes and consider whether they are convergent or divergent regime types. Both democratic and authoritarian regimes have adopted legal forms, including constitutions, court systems and professional judges and lawyers. Further, authoritarian regimes have established “democratic-looking” institutions like legislatures, which have enacted extensive bodies of law. We will analyze the roles of these institutions in both democratic and authoritarian regimes and consider how they affect political life. We will also consider citizens’ legal consciousness and their participation in real and virtual civil society and social movements in both types of regimes.