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Paper #2 - Regime Change

Due by 8 p.m. on November 8, emailed to me as a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx) to dhopper@marymount.edu. Students turning in papers containing plagiarism will fail the course.  Late papers will be reduced in grade.

 

Topic: Choose ONE of the two following topics:

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  • Democratization: Choose either Cuba, Saudi Arabia, or Vietnam. Is there likely to be a transition to democracy in that country within the next 20 years? Why or why not?

  • Autocratization: Choose either Brazil, Poland, or the United States. Is there likely to be a transition to autocracy in that country within the next 20 years? Why or why not?

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Length: Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, standard margins of no more than 1 inch on each side. At least 2 pages long (not counting reference list).

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Sources: Your paper should refer to our course textbook, plus two or three articles from mainstream newspapers or magazines (Such as New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, The Economist, Al Jazeera, Le Monde, CNN, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, or others) published after December 1, 2020. You should not use more extensive background material from journals, books, government documents, etc. Use any standard citation format you wish, as long as you apply it consistently.

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Cite any article/source you quote directly, and also cite any source that provided you with information or ideas that you incorporate into the paper. Write the paper yourself. Students caught turning in plagiarized work will fail the course and will be reported to the Academic Integrity process.

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This assignment asks you to apply concepts from the course to a particular, real-world situation in a country facing significant changes in governance or other stresses to legitimacy. To answer the question, you need to focus on the general logic of governance and consent, and then apply that logic to this particular case. Grades will be based on:

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  • Writing. The paper must have a clear thesis, stated early. The rest of the paper should contain facts and logic that support the thesis;

  • Analysis of the logic of why and how regimes change;

  • Application of these ideas to the country you choose.
     

There isn't a single right answer to these questions; you will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your analysis.

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