Based on single-country and cross-national research, this course includes some issues concerning democracy and democratization around the world. It will start with helping students understand the debates on the definitions of democracy and explore their implications. The course will then examine empirically the consequences of democracy and thereby debate on the alleged strengths and weaknesses of democracy. The course will also introduce the global expansion of democracies since the late twentieth century. It will analyze the causes of global democratization from various perspectives. Lastly, it will examine the factors shaping democratic stability from various approaches.