IR 6634 - Revolutions and Change

3 Semester Hour(s)

Revolutions have upended the politics of many countries over the past two centuries, from the American and French Revolutions of the eighteenth century to the Arab Spring and the Color Revolutions of the past twenty-plus years. This course examines the process of revolutions across the modern world, along with prominent theories of revolutions. It also dissects the ways by which major political change comes about, such as through popular movements (“People Power’), revolutions from above organized elites, negotiated ends to authoritarian regimes, and democratization in its various forms. It also considers the fall of democracies. Finally, the course looks at the relationship between cultural and political changes, in terms of the various social, business, and scientific upheavals (also popularly called revolutions) that have transformed modern societies.