Nelson Mandela voting in 1994 elections. (Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of State.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Chappell Lawson
Prof. Frederic Schaffer
MIT Course Number
17.53
As Taught In
Fall 2001
Level
Undergraduate
Translated Versions
Course Description
Course Description
Recent years have seen an astonishing spread of democracy to many African, Asian, and Latin American countries. What caused these dramatic political transitions? What challenges do democratizing countries in the Third World face? Will these new democracies endure? We will take up these questions using film, fiction, and popular journalism, as well as scholarly research. We will also focus on a small number of countries (Brazil, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Singapore, and Sri Lanka) in order to explore in greater depth some of the most important political challenges faced by developing countries. Although the class focuses on the developing world, many of the lessons should "travel" to democratizing countries in other regions.