Securing Digital Democracy
Securing Digital Democracy is an online course offered by the University of Michigan in the United States. The course introduces students to the security risks involved with electronic voting and Internet voting and can be beneficial to anyone who is a registered voter in their country. Lasting for five weeks, the class is broken into five modules that each require two to three hours of study time per week. The modules are: Voting as a Security Problem, Computers at the Polls, Security Procedures and Voting Around the World, Human Factors and Internet Voting and New Technology and Policy.
Democracy and Development: Perspectives from Africa
Democracy and Development: Perspectives from Africa is an online course offered by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. The class is self-paced, giving students the freedom to complete the course as slowly or quickly as they desire. It is recommended that students spend one week on each of the seven course modules: Introduction; From Difficult Legacies to Democratization; The African Citizenry: Diversity, Public Opinion and Civil Society; Understanding the Rules of the Game: Institutions in African Democracies; Accountability and Service Delivery; The Expanding Role of Human Rights and the Judiciary; and Digital Democracy.
Democracy and Autocracy: Theories and Empirical Findings
Democracy and Autocracy: Theories and Empirical Findings is an online course offered by the University of Naples Federico II of Italy. The class is taught entirely in English with course material presented in the form of online video lectures and supplemental readings. Students will need to spend roughly four to six hours per week on the course material during the five-week class. Through the modules, students will learn more about the relationship between democracy and autocracy and how nations transition from one form of government to the other. The class discusses the topics both from historical and contemporary standpoints.
Human Rights for Open Societies
Human Rights for Open Societies is a free online course taught in English by Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The class lasts for six weeks and consists of five modules that include online videos and supplemental readings. Modules include introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights, General principles of the European Convention on Human Rights; Human rights and democracy; Insiders and outsiders: non-discrimination, vulnerable groups, migrants and asylum seekers; and Freedom of expression and public protest. During the sixth week, students complete a culminating assignment to assess how well they have mastered the concepts covered in the lectures and readings.
After the Arab Spring – Democratic Aspirations and State Failure
After the Arab Spring – Democratic Aspirations and State Failure is a free online course offered by the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The course lasts for six weeks and will require about two to three hours of study time per week for success. During the class, students will learn about the goals of the Arab Spring, the aftermath of the uprisings that took place since the event and what lies ahead for the countries impacted by the movement. Modules included in the course are: Instability and Institutional Failure; Governance; Institutions; Economics: Bread, Dignity and Freedom; Human Development: Growth and Frustration; and Outlook: Elusive Stability.
