Universität Wien

070191 SE Seminar - Varieties of Authoritarianism (2024S)

Sir-Peter-Ustinov Visting Professorship - Seminar

8.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 7 - Geschichte
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Tu 21.05. 15:00-16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Tuesday 05.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 19.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 09.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 16.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 23.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 30.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 07.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 14.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 28.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 04.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 11.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 18.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1
Tuesday 25.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 2, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, 1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The seminar examines modern authoritarianism and mass dictatorship as distinct political forms that promote and draw their strength from popular support and mobilization. After an overview of authoritarianism in the 20th history, the seminar will focus on illiberal democracies and new forms of political authority in the 21st century. We will review the main historical, political science, and legal literature to understand the appeal of authoritarianism in parts of Europe and the global world since 2000. The end of the Cold War was supposed to globalize democracy yet authoritarianism made a spectacular come back in the 21st century: we will attempt to find out why.
The seminar will be conducted in English, questions and discussions can be in English or German. Student participation in encouraged. The final essay can be written in English or German.

Main topics

Theories of Authoritarianism
Hybrid Regimes and Electoral Authoritarianism
State Repression and Political Order
The Authoritarian Personality
Illiberal Democracies
Authoritarian Liberalism
Surveillance Capitalism
Autocratic Legalism

Assessment and permitted materials

see above

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Assessment:
Written research paper under supervision of professor

Examination topics

see above

Reading list

Reading List

Introductory Reading (a week by week reading list will be provided the first day of class)
Milan Svolik, The Politics of Authoritarian Rule (New York: Cambridge UP, 2012), Chapter 1.
J. Gandhi and A. Przeworski, A, "Authoritarian institutions and the survival of autocrats" in Comparative Political Studies, 40(11), 2007, pp.1279-1301.
Kim Lane Scheppele, Autocratic Legalism, available at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6085&context=uclrev
Ruth Ben Ghiat, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (New York, Norton, 2021)
Anne Appelbaum, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (New York: Knopf, 2021)

Association in the course directory

EAR: Zeitgeschichte.
MEd UF GP (Version 2015): UF MA GP 01 Fachwissenschaft , SE Vertiefungsseminar 1: Quellenkunde und Quellenkritik (6 ECTS).
MA Geschichte (Version 2019): PM4 Individuelle Schwerpunktsetzung, SE Seminar aus Geschichte (8 ECTS).
IDMA Zeitgeschichte und Medien (Version 2019): M4a SE Seminar zu Zeitgeschichte und Medien, SE Seminar aus Zeitgeschichte (8 ECTS) / M4b Wahlbereich - Spezialthemen zu Zeitgeschichte und Medien II, SE Seminar (8 ECTS, Bereich Zeitgeschichte).

Last modified: Mo 26.02.2024 16:25