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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

The United States Supreme Court, Constitutional Retrogression, and Stealth Authoritarianism

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

Consensus and uniform use of political norms by major actors in all branches of government is key to democratic survival. If our nation’s executives, legislators, and judges...

Why Democrats Spending Millions to Support Far-Right Candidates is Dangerous for American Democracy

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

A week before the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, Doug Mastriano prayed with Christian Nationalists for Donald Trump to seize power. Why then did he receive funding...

The Korean Peninsula: Peaceful Unification of a Democracy and a Dictatorship? by Taylor Robinson @ Georgia State University

Nov 1, 2018 | Georgia State University

Sixty-five years after the beginning of the Korean War, leaders of South Korea and North Korea began meeting with the intention of declaring peace and mending their damaged relationship. In addition...

How Trump’s Incompetence is Protecting us From Democratic Erosion by Tomas Rodriguez @Georgia State University

Oct 29, 2018 | Georgia State University

There seems to be a paradox in American Anti-Trump rhetoric where on the one hand Trump is this power-hungry potential authoritarian who is going to target the rights of minorities and drag the...

Rigged: How Donald Trump Eroded Norms of Respect in the 2016 Election by Zach Hopkins @ Georgia State University

Oct 28, 2018 | Georgia State University

The classic refrain we hear with regard to our democratic process is “one person, one vote,” so when that principle is violated, we should be concerned. But is such a phenomenon so prevalent as to...

Democracy Dies in Darkness

Oct 27, 2018 | Georgia State University

Democracy dies when there are no checks and balances; to ensure the newly established United States democracy would be able to secede, the Founding Fathers constructed the Constitution of the United...

American Democracy: Whites Only by Alexander Lloyd @ Georgia State University

Oct 25, 2018 | Georgia State University

Despite the absurdity of the 2016 election, the success of Donald J. Trump was not a random fluke but rather the result of a series of events starting with the Compromise of 1877. As described in...

Is Too Much Democracy a Bad Thing? by Matthew Mottet @ Georgia State University

Oct 23, 2018 | Georgia State University

Is it necessarily true that “the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy”? In 1972 the McGovern-Fraser Commission revolutionized America’s primary system under this quote. For centuries...

Donald Trump vs. the Enemy of the People by Kara Nelson @ Georgia State University

Oct 23, 2018 | Georgia State University

During the last turbulent presidential election cycle, a clear division grew between those who regard Donald Trump as a solution to the ineffectiveness of the government and those who regard him as...

“The Empire Strikes Back (Again)” by Casey Francois @ Georgia State University

Oct 21, 2018 | Georgia State University

If you told me five years ago that we would be anywhere other than in the safe embrace of a Hillary Clinton presidency, I would ask who your dealer was and how much. Alas, here we are in the throes...

“Restricting Peaceful protest is a danger to our Democracy” by Verina Hunt @ “Georgia State University”

Oct 11, 2018 | Georgia State University

The idea of protest evokes images of minorities taking a public stand or groups that are outside the mainstream protesting for basic civil liberties. When people protest, it is often against...