Democracy and Civil Society
Course code
RIT6033.YK
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Demokraatia ja kodanikuühiskond
Course title in English
Democracy and Civil Society
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
Develop an understanding of how contemporary democracies and civil society work and what the citizens' role is in it. To advance a deeper understanding of how the modern civil society functions in practical terms and its position in social, economic and political contexts. To provide the prerequisites for addressing issues related to democracy and civic participation in the BA theses and for developing practical skills for the work in NGOs or with NGOs.
Brief description of the course
Democracy – the concept and its development. The basic parameters of modern democratic statehood. Democracy among other political regimes. Approaches to democratization. Crisis of democracy. Citizenship in modern democracies. Civil society - the concept and functions. The main actors of civil society.Advocacy and interest groups. Forms of civic participation. Deliberative democracy and its forms. Founding an NGO: organizational and legal issues, activities and objectives. Internal democracy of NGOs. State and civil society relations. Budgeting, sustainability and funding possibilities for NGOs. Democracy in the transnational context - Europeanization and globalization. Civil society actors in the transnational arena.
Student independent work includes studying the course materials and seminar texts, preparing for the examination, and/or writing an analytical essay.
Student independent work includes studying the course materials and seminar texts, preparing for the examination, and/or writing an analytical essay.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- has a basic understanding of how modern democracies work and differ from other political systems;
- knows the different models of democracy and democratic statehood and their evolution;
- understands the political, economic and social role of the civil society;
- knows a variety of types of civic initiatives;
- knows how to found an NGO and what challenges are associated with its maintenance;
- knows what social movements, interest/ pressure groups and how they communicate their interests are;
- knows the different forms and practices of civic participation and how civic advocacy and participation work at the state and EU levels;
- knows the major challenges and issues of transnational democracy and civil society;
- has acquired the basic competencies for writing a bachelor's thesis or other research papers on democracy, civil society, and civic participation.
- has a basic understanding of how modern democracies work and differ from other political systems;
- knows the different models of democracy and democratic statehood and their evolution;
- understands the political, economic and social role of the civil society;
- knows a variety of types of civic initiatives;
- knows how to found an NGO and what challenges are associated with its maintenance;
- knows what social movements, interest/ pressure groups and how they communicate their interests are;
- knows the different forms and practices of civic participation and how civic advocacy and participation work at the state and EU levels;
- knows the major challenges and issues of transnational democracy and civil society;
- has acquired the basic competencies for writing a bachelor's thesis or other research papers on democracy, civil society, and civic participation.
Teacher
Ott Lumi (Estonian), Triin Toomesaar (English)
Study programmes containing that course