Modernization theorists argued that democracy emerged in wealthy and formally educated societies – but today, many countries in the Global South hold elections and maintain other democratic features. This course explores the extent of democratic governance, the implications of democratic features, and the challenges and barriers to democratic functioning with particular emphasis on underdeveloped countries.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
Per the Center for Teaching and Learning, “Georgia Tech aims to cultivate a community based on trust, academic integrity, and honor. Students are expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, exam, or assignment will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity, which will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for violations. For more information on the Honor Code, visit the OSI websiteLinks to an external site..” If you are uncertain what constitutes a violation of academic integrity, please check with the instructor prior to submitting an assignment.
AI Usage Policy. The use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini is prohibited for reading responses and reflections submitted in case of absence. The only assignment where generate AI is not prohibited during this course are is the term project; allowable uses are quite circumscribed, including the following:
- Topic selection: You man use generative AI to identify a country where an election is occurring, a book to review, or a data set to use when crafting your term project proposal.
- Coding: If you are conducting an original data analysis for the term project, you can use generative AI for coding purposes. Be aware that you must be able to confirm that AI-generated code actually confirms the operations and analyses you intended; do not blindly trust AI-generated code.
Among other reasons, this limitation on generative AI usage arises from the belief that she who does the thinking does the learning – a proposition that recent researchLinks to an external site. on student usage of generative AI supports.
Students can use editing tools built into word processors to check subject-verb agreement, punctuation, spelling, etc. However, they cannot use Grammarly or other AI tools to write or rewrite entire sentences or paragraphs. Locating, understanding, and synthesizing information, as well as writing competently, are skills you must develop.
Peer consultation. You are welcome to brainstorm together for both the unit reflections and individual submission for groupwork. You must draft all submitted material independently, however. You may peer-review draft work or use university writing resources to check completed drafts.
Previous coursework. You cannot recycle work from other courses, either past or ongoing, either in part or in full, without permission from the instructor. I will consider these requests on a case-by-case basis based on compatibility with learning objectives.