https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/UGST4262?type=COREDigital technologies play an increasingly important role not only in our daily life, but also in the politics of both democratic and authoritarian regimes. In the last decade, the increased digitalization of autocracies has led to the emergence of such concepts as "spin dictatorships", "digital repression", and "deep fakes" among others. The course will analyze various intersections between "the digital" and authoritarian politics, topics that become increasingly relevant with the simultaneous global waves of autocratization and digitalization. Specifically, the students will learn about the digital tools and strategies that autocracies use to remain in power, how civil society pushes back against these, as well as how the intersections of "the digital" and authoritarian politics can be theorized. Most importantly, the course challenges students to think critically about the role of digitalization in shaping political and social dynamics and teaches them how to recognize, analyze, and resist digitally induced authoritarian practices. The course is designed as a series of discussion seminars, which will include various interactive exercises and debates to make learning / assessment more accessible and fun (e.g., mind-mapping; research brainstorming; debates). Moreover, the course will build upon earlier courses to help students apply their research skills in practice by developing their own proposal using a scaffolded approach (writing an abstract; delivering a presentation; providing peer-feedback; and finalizing the proposal).