17 March 2009

Transitions to Democracy in a Comparative Perspective

Masaryk University Brno

Spring 2009

Instructor: Óscar Hidalgo-Redondo


Long Essay Requirements


            The deadline for handing the essay will be 12 May 2009. Failing to deliver the essay
before the end of the deadline will imply automatically an F in this part of the evaluation. The
essay must be delivered in person and e-mailed essays will not be accepted (unless agreed by the
instructor).

            The essays must be word-processed and they must contain an appropriate bibliography and
references. Essays without bibliography and references are not acceptable. References must be
produced according to parameters acceptable for social sciences university papers; improper
references will have a negative effect on the final mark. Students are expected to use documents
retrieved from academic electronic libraries.

            Mind the university policy regarding plagiarism and, in case of any kind of doubt,
contact your instructor.

            The minimum length of the paper is 2000 words and the maximum length of the paper is
4000 words including bibliography and references. In case of exceeding this length, it is necessary
to get the approval of the instructor. The same is applicable for any possible change in the topic
proposed for the essay. In both cases, contact your instructor in advance to explain the
circumstances that motivate the need of change of the basic requirements of the essay.

            The topic of the essay is the comparative analysis of two processes of transition to
democracy from two different groups from the following list of historical periods:


Group A: Post-WWII transitions

Italy, Japan, West Germany, Austria

Group B: 1970s-1989

            Spain, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea

Group C: Post-communist Transitions

            Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, East Germany, Hungary


The grading of the paper will be done according to the following criteria

a)    Quality of research (10 points)

It will be evaluated the quantity and the quality of the sources that the research has made
available and how they have been incorporated to the paper

b)    Formal aspects (10 points)

The evaluation will take into consideration the format of the paper, the format of references and
bibliography; the existence of a logical structure and a clear line of argumentation.

c)     Contents of the paper (30 points)

The final grade will take into consideration how well the proposed topic has been covered in the
paper and if the arguments provided explain the central questions of the paper.