Course Syllabus

Photo: Roman Koziel.

Course Description

The collapse of communism in 1989 ushered in a "third wave" of democratization, bringing an unprecedented expansion of democratic regimes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEEs).  Many of these countries established multi-party democratic political systems and market economies, and joined the European Union (EU) and NATO.  But over the last two decades, we have witnessed an erosion of liberal democratic rule in several of the newly established democracies in eastern Europe, as well as a significant rise in left-wing and right-wing populism and a decline in support for democratic institutions in western Europe.

In eastern Europe, far-right politicians took power in a number of countries including Hungary and Poland. The Law and Justice Party in Poland and Fidesz in Hungary politicized the judiciary and curtailed the media and civil society.  This led to serious conflicts with European Union institutions over the rule of law.  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continued to clash with the EU over migration issues and the Ukraine, and the European Parliament has labelled Hungary an "electoral autocracy".  In 2026 Orbán lost the election to a former party member Péter Magyar after 16 years of rule.  Magayar's government has launched a raft of economic, political and legal measures dubbed “Operation Cleansing Fire” with the aim to install a new constitution, purge the country’s institutions, establish a new anti-corruption office, and unseat the president. While Poland's legislative elections in 2023 resulted in a centrist, pro-EU government, in its most recent presidential election in June 2025, the conservative nationalist candidate, Karol Nawrocki narrowly won over the liberal candidate, which makes gridlock a continuing possibility. In the mean time other CEE countries like Slovakia and Czechia have picked up inspiration from the Orban playbook.

In western Europe, right-wing and left-wing populist parties and politicians have become major political players. The Sweden Democrats, the Alternative for Germany, the Freedom Party of Austria, The Brothers of Italy, the Party of Freedom in the Netherlands, and the National Rally in France have all won substantial support in the electoral contests and the national legislature and are now among the largest parties in those countries. Public trust in democratic political institutions has eroded.  Political parties have become more polarized, and political competition has become more fragmented, making it difficult to form stable governments.  Mis- and disinformation have become more widespread. 

These developments are all part a broader global trend of democratic backsliding that threatens the values that liberal democratic regimes seek to uphold including free and fair elections, rule of law, pluralism, and the protection of minority rights. 

This course is designed to explore the issues and debates surrounding the erosion of democratic rule in eastern and western Europe. We will analyze what liberal democracy entails, why it is difficult to establish and maintain, what democratic backsliding is, the theories of why and how it occurs, the rise of populism and the ways in which populist leaders have contributed to democratic backsliding, and the challenges governments face in preventing democratic backsliding. We will examine the differences between the countries, as well as identify patterns that are common to all.  We will discuss various cases including Poland, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, and France. In doing so, students will gain a better understanding of the global phenomena of democratic backsliding and be able to draw parallels to, and lessons for, the United States. 

This is an elective course in political science/government/international relations/comparative politics and has no prerequisites (except an interest in democratic governance!)

Learning Objectives

This course will build knowledge of liberal democracy, democratic backsliding, and populism in the European context. By the end of the semester, students will have a better understanding of:

• Liberal democracy and the values and principles that underlie liberal democratic regimes 
• Theories of democratic erosion
• The causes, manifestations and consequences of democratic backsliding in western and eastern Europe
• The definition of populism and the causes and consequences of the rise of left-wing and right-wing populism in Europe
• The relationship of populism to the erosion of liberal democratic regimes
• The role that nationalism, economic insecurity and inequality, mis- and disinformation, and European integration play in the rise of populism and democratic backsliding
• The ways of defending liberal democracy from populism and democratic backsliding

Students will also develop their writing, critical thinking, oral communication and analytical skills. 

Faculty

Iben Schacke-Barfoed, MA

MA in Political Science, University of Copenhagen and Fullbright Scholar at Columbia University 1998-1999.

Former analyst and Head of Communications at Think Tank Europa, a Copenhagen-based think tank on EU and Europa Politics. Previous work experience from the European Parliament, Danish Institute for International Studies, the European Affairs Committee in the Danish Parliament and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affars.

Readings (selected) 

The following eBook will be available for use in this class.  

Mueller, Jan-Werner. 2016.  What is Populism?  Philadelphia:  University of Pennsylvania Press. 

In addition, we will also read an array of academic articles and reports about liberal democracy, democratic erosion, and the rise of populism in Europe.  Some of these will include: 

Dahl, R.  1972. Polyarchy.  Participation and Opposition.  New Haven:  Yale University Press. Ch. 1

Galston, W.  “The Enduring Vulnerability of Liberal Democracy,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 31, 3 (July 2020): 8-24

Bermeo, Nancy. 2016.  "On Democratic Backsliding,:  Journal of Democracy, 27 (1): 5-19. 

Haggard, Stephen and Robert Kaufman.  2021. "The Anatomy of Democratic Backsliding,"  Journal of Democracy, 32 (4). 

Carothers, T. and Brendan Hartnett, 2024. "Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding,"  Journal of Democracy, 35 (3):  24-37. 

Levitsky, S. and Daniel Ziblatt. 2018.  How Democracies Die.  New York:  Crown. Selected chapters. 

Brechenmacher, S. 2018, “Comparing Democratic Distress in the United States and Europe,” 2018, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At https://carnegieendowment.org/2018/06/21/comparing-democratic-distress-in-united-states-and-europe-pub-76646

Huq, A. and T. Ginsburg.  2018.  "How to Lose a Constitutional Democracy," UCLA Law Review 65 (1):  78-169.  

Hinterleitner, M.and F. Sager, 2002.  "Political challengers and norm erosion in advanced democracies."  European Journal of Political Research.  At https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1475-6765.12571

Anghel, V. and E. Jones, 2024, “What Went Wrong in Hungary,”  Journal of Democracy, 35, 2, 2024,  pp. 52-64. 

Przyblski, Wojciech, 2018,  ”Explaining Eastern Europe:  Can Poland’s Backsliding be Stopped?”  Journal of Democracy, 29 (3): 52-64.

Galston, W.  2018. "The Populist Challenge to Liberal Democracy," Journal of Democracy, 29 (2), 5-19. 

Lucas, E.  2022. "How Autocrats Undermine Media Freedom",  Journal of Democracy, 33 (1)., 131-146. 

Berman, S.  2021, “The Causes of Populism in the West,”  Annual Review of Political Science 24, 71-78.

Svolik, M., et al., 2023,  “In Europe, Democracy Erodes from the Right,”  Journal of Democracy, 34 (1), 5-20. 

Allen, T.  2017.  "All in the party family?  Comparing far-right voters in western and post-communist Europe,"  Party Politics, 23 (3, 274-85. 

Rodrik, D.  2018.  "Populism and the Economics of Globalization".  Journal of International Business Policy 1 (1-2):  12-33. 

Lindberg, S.  2019.  "Are Increasing Inequalities Threatening Democracy in Europe". Carnegie Europe.  

Youngs, R. et al.,  2019.  "Six Ideas for Rejuvenating European Democracy,"  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  

Field Studies

Field studies, site visits, and speakers will form an integral part of the course. We will visit organizations and attend workshops dealing with issues raised in the class. Students are required to attend all field studies and to be actively engaged by asking questions and paying attention.  Since our field trips involve other institutions with their own agendas and timetables, we might have to make changes during the semester.  These changes will be announced in class. 

Guest Lecturers

Guest lecturers will be professionals from academia and politics. They will allow us to deepen our knowledge of specific issues and compare the theoretical knowledge we will have gathered during the course with the reality on the ground. 

Approach to Teaching

My goal is to share my passion for studying European politics with you and to provide you with a more nuanced and deeper understanding of the challenges facing liberal democratic regimes in Europe. I also aim to develop your analytical, writing, and oral communication skills so that you can better address the important issues facing the world today. My teaching style is based on active interaction with students. I employ different methods to make sure that everybody in the class is engaged. This includes presentations, in-class discussions, guest lectures, small group exercises, discussion questions, classic readings, and written and group assignments. The course requires thorough preparation from the students, but is also designed to be engaging and intellectually stimulating.  I am interested in getting to know you and your interests and to develop your skills to assist you in your future professional careers. We may add readings or activities based on student interests and on current events. These changes will be announced in class.

Evaluation

Attendance

Attendance in class is mandatory. This also applies to all activities and field studies. Absences from class and activities - whether excused or unexcused - will negatively affect your grade. If you have a fever or are seriously ill, please do not come to class, but contact me before class to let me know you will be absent.  If you are experiencing serious difficulties (illness, family problems) that force you to skip two or more class in a row, please communicate with me and with the relevant DIS units.  All readings, guest lectures, field studies, study tours and other activities are crucial to master the contents of the course. Students are expected to be on time for class and not to leave class during the class period.  Lateness to class and to any activities will also negatively affect your grade. 

Class Engagement/Participation

Much of the success of the course depends on your active intellectual engagement, enthusiasm, preparedness, and open-mindedness. They are crucial  to both your own success and the success of the class. Class engagement  constitute a significant portion of your grade. Engagement is not the same as attendance.  Engagement is thoughtful, analytical, and informed participation based on a careful reading and preparation of the assignments. Your grade will be based on the quality of your contributions and the insights you provide, as well as your careful listening, and responses, to the contributions of others. Students are expected to complete the assignments prior to each class and to submit questions or comments before class to promote discussion. This will give us material to generate in-depth conversations. Class engagement will also include your participation and questions when we have guest lectures, student presentations, workshops, simulations, and field trips. 

Other Expectations

• There are no cell-phones or lap-tops allowed in class unless told otherwise. Please turn off cell phones and close laptop computers when you come to class. Whenever we have a student presentation or a guest speaker, no laptops are allowed out of respect to the presenters and the speaker. There is no recording of guest lectures or site visits or classroom sessions.
•  I expect all students to be respectful of the other participants in class and of me. This means paying attention and listening carefully when others are speaking and remaining analytical in your comments. We will often be discussing controversial topics. We want people to be willing to take risks in expressing various viewpoints and in exploring different explanations of phenomena.
• As a courtesy to other students and to me, please do not leave class, arrive late, or eat during the class period.
• Students are expected to keep up with current events in Europe.  We will be discussing these in class.  A student subscription to The Economist or Politico.eu are recommended.  If you read an article that you think is applicable to class, please email it to me and the class. 
• All work for this class must be your own and done explicitly for this course.  No use of artificial intelligence is allowed in the writing or creation of any assignment for this course unless explicitly authorized by me. All ideas and information gleaned from other sources must be cited. 
• Students must complete all of the assignments in order to pass the class.  

To facilitate communication between me and the group, we will elect two class representatives in the beginning of the semester. We will discuss their role during our first meeting.

Grading

The final grade for the class will be based on the following: 

Assignment	Percent
Active course participation (attendance in all classes and field studies, careful preparation and active engagement in class discussions, debates, small group exercises, and field studies, discussion questions and comments)	25%
Reflection Paper	25%
Group case study presentation	25%
Final Project	25%

The guidelines and expectations for the various assignments will be outlined in Canvas under Assignments. There is no possibility to obtain an A grade in this course without active class participation.

DIS Accommodations Statement

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support academicsupport@dis.dk