Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Populism and Gender: What’s the correlation?

Oct 10, 2024 | Brown University

It is no secret that populists — charismatic, strong-willed, and skilled at agitating a base — are increasingly consolidating political power. Today’s headlines are riddled...

“These Guys Are Weird”: How Overtly Anti-Democratic Ideology Made It From Online Forums to the Presidential Ticket

Oct 10, 2024 | Brown University

When now Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz spoke these titular words in reference to JD Vance, his opposition on the Republican ticket, the feeling resonated...

Sanders’s Exit from the Democratic Primary HIghlights Flaws in US Primary System

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

With the suspension of Bernie Sanders’ campaign today, Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. Whatever your personal views on it, this result highlights a major flaw in the US...

A Threat or Aid to U.S. Populism? Covid-19.

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

By Casey Pupek (Source: https://www.livescience.com/topics/live/coronavirus-live-updates) First recognized as an “unknown pneumonia” in Central China, Covid-19 quickly spread throughout the...

Pandemic Elections

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

COVID-19 has upended the basic functions of life in the U.S.. While healthcare and businesses experienced the initial disruptions that the virus brought, the elections are quickly falling into...

Electoral Maneuvering in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

The novel coronavirus is now a significant concern within all fifty states. Critically, this public health crisis has struck during an election year, wrecking havoc near the middle of primary...

Electoral Malfunctions, Cancellation, and Protests: The Case of the Dominican Republic

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

On February 16th, a few hours after the polls opened for municipal elections in the Dominican Republic, voting machine malfunctions caused the election to be called off. The voting machines left...

Paranoia in America’s Political System

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

According to both Richard J. Hofstadter's work titled The Paranoid Style in American Politics and the Miriam-Webster dictionary, "Webster defines paranoia, the clinical entity, as a chronic mental...

COVID-19: Another Blow to American Democracy

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

The Coronavirus, or COVID-19 pandemic, is an unprecedented global infectious disease disaster. The initial outbreak was in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, but it has since spread all over the...

Paranoid Politics in the Time of COVID-19

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

The past few months have seen a rapid escalation in cases of the novel coronavirus disease in the United States. The U.S.’ first case of the virus was reported in mid-January and since then,...

What Hitler’s Rise to Power can Teach us About Victor Orban

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

On Monday, March 30th, the Hungarian Parliament voted to give the Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, the right to rule by decree indefinitely. The decision, which was a response to the increasingly...