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...

Show Us, Don’t Tell Us: Poll Working and How It Can Increase the Gen-Z Vote

Jan 20, 2023 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

In the 2022 Midterms, young voters nationally had the second highest turnout in history with 27% of people 18-27 showing up to the polls. Some ask for the reason of the...

Supporting the Workforce of Democracy

Jan 14, 2023 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

In the US, we have a large and organized workforce that otherwise goes unnoticed during the elections. The workers on election day are composed of volunteers and government...

Is Germany’s Latest Shift a Sign of Things Gone Too Far Wrong? by Naba Khan @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While Angela Merkel remains in power for the fourth election in a row, there has been a shift in Germany’s government. For the first time, the country’s far-right party has won seats in parliament....

Fake News, Real Consequences: The Shaping of a Propaganda Machine by Victoria Saeed @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Between dodging criticisms from San Juan's Carmen Yulín Cruz, exchanging verbal blows with Kim Jong-un, and maintaining a healthy golfing schedule; Donald Trump has managed to escalate his ongoing...

Donald Trump and Populist Rhetoric in 140 Characters or Less by Anna Spier @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

President Donald Trump is no stranger to twitter. His tweets are frequent and he makes no obvious effort to hide his true opinions on a vast array of subjects, from foreign affairs, to the media, to...

Trump’s Polarizing Presidentialism, Poeticized by Eminem by Kate Jamison @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

The Trump Administration has done an excellent job of staying present in the media, between the president’s tweets threatening to start a nuclear war with North Korea to the viral video of him...

Mass Surveillance + Populism = A Threat to Public Safety and Democracy by Lukas McMahon @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A free, liberal democracy should not spy on its citizens. But the United States does, and it may continue to indefinitely, which puts its citizens at risk of persecution — especially with the rise...

Undermining the Miners: Political Strategies of Partisan Governments by Kaylie Piecuch @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A democratic government is a type of a government representative of all constituents. Many Americans have held on to the belief that we are the winning Miss Democracy in a pageant for equality and...

Nevada and the right to legally bear weapons of a mass shooting: a freedom or a sign of democratic backsliding? by Dorothy Spector @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

In wake of the recent mass shooting in Nevada, one of the deadliest shootings in American history, the debate on why legislation's have not been put in place to prevent such events reappears....

Spain, Stop Hiding Behind Smokescreens by Maxine Moore @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While talk of a referendum regarding Catalonia becoming independent from Spain has been occurring for months, on October 1st, Catalonia finally voted. Madrid did everything in its power in hopes of...

Corruption, Frustration, and the Risk of Democratic Breakdown in Brazil by Julia Banas @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Brazil’s “The South is My Country” secessionist movement is only the most recent addition to what could be democratic breakdown. Brazil’s risk for democratic breakdown has only increased with the...