# POLISCI 845: Democratic Imperfections | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/courses/POLISCI_845) ## Dataset ### search projection #### version 1 #### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### revision fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 10 ### projection id 25a5e1495a940a130efa223858e76f52294bba73a112cecf25208173491bd201 ### observed at 2026-10-14T17:50:09.728220+00:00 ### built at 2026-10-19T18:58:33.786556+00:00 ### courses 8929 ### current instructors 3758 ### limited false ### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### term 1274 ### departments | subject | count | | --------- | ----- | | AAE | 90 | | ABT | 20 | | ACCTIS | 36 | | ACTSCI | 14 | | AFAERO | 10 | | AFRICAN | 87 | | AFROAMER | 70 | | AGROECOL | 21 | | AMERIND | 54 | | ANAT\&PHY | 7 | | ANATOMY | 2 | | ANESTHES | 8 | | ANSCI | 53 | | ANTHRO | 93 | | ART | 124 | | ARTED | 10 | | ARTHIST | 121 | | ASIALANG | 129 | | ASIAN | 109 | | ASIANAM | 28 | | ASTRON | 38 | | ATMOCN | 70 | | BIOCHEM | 52 | | BIOCORE | 10 | | BIOLOGY | 14 | | BIOMDSCI | 18 | | BME | 66 | | BMI | 41 | | BMOLCHEM | 10 | | BOTANY | 68 | | BSE | 44 | | C\&ESOC | 73 | | CBE | 48 | | CHEM | 101 | | CHICLA | 51 | | CIVENGR | 131 | | CLASSICS | 47 | | CNP | 11 | | CNSRSCI | 49 | | COMARTS | 137 | | COMPBIO | 15 | | COMPLIT | 10 | | COMPSCI | 138 | | COUNPSY | 78 | | CRB | 14 | | CS\&D | 71 | | CSCS | 39 | | CURRIC | 193 | | DANCE | 93 | | DERM | 8 | | DS | 88 | | DYSCI | 33 | | ECE | 155 | | ECON | 144 | | EDPOL | 115 | | EDPSYCH | 97 | | ELPA | 71 | | EMA | 52 | | EMERMED | 17 | | ENGL | 205 | | ENTOM | 39 | | ENVIRST | 149 | | EP | 15 | | EPD | 65 | | ESL | 15 | | F\&WECOL | 60 | | FAMMED | 21 | | FINANCE | 50 | | FOLKLORE | 38 | | FOODSCI | 43 | | FRENCH | 62 | | GEN\&WS | 144 | | GENBUS | 72 | | GENECSLR | 17 | | GENETICS | 60 | | GEOG | 112 | | GEOSCI | 83 | | GERMAN | 84 | | GLE | 47 | | GNS | 39 | | GREEK | 27 | | HDFS | 43 | | HEBR-BIB | 13 | | HEBR-MOD | 10 | | HISTORY | 232 | | HISTSCI | 54 | | HONCOL | 13 | | ILS | 43 | | INFOSYS | 9 | | INTEGART | 7 | | INTEGSCI | 22 | | INTER-AG | 18 | | INTER-HE | 11 | | INTER-LS | 21 | | INTEREGR | 16 | | INTLBUS | 21 | | INTLST | 52 | | ISYE | 82 | | ITALIAN | 55 | | JEWISH | 56 | | JOURN | 87 | | KINES | 127 | | LACIS | 26 | | LANDARC | 61 | | LATIN | 24 | | LAW | 118 | | LEGALST | 48 | | LINGUIS | 35 | | LIS | 90 | | LITTRANS | 79 | | LSC | 52 | | M\&ENVTOX | 7 | | MARKETNG | 65 | | MATH | 152 | | MDGENET | 8 | | ME | 132 | | MEDHIST | 41 | | MEDICINE | 59 | | MEDIEVAL | 32 | | MEDPHYS | 39 | | MEDSC-M | 29 | | MEDSC-V | 45 | | MHR | 68 | | MICROBIO | 45 | | MILSCI | 16 | | MM\&I | 22 | | MOLBIOL | 6 | | MS\&E | 60 | | MUSIC | 164 | | MUSPERF | 125 | | NAVSCI | 20 | | NE | 44 | | NEURODPT | 11 | | NEUROL | 7 | | NEURSURG | 5 | | NTP | 11 | | NURSING | 112 | | NUTRSCI | 64 | | OBS\&GYN | 18 | | OCCTHER | 39 | | ONCOLOGY | 13 | | OPHTHALM | 5 | | OTM | 44 | | PATH | 34 | | PATH-BIO | 29 | | PEDIAT | 27 | | PHARMACY | 36 | | PHILOS | 76 | | PHMCOL-M | 10 | | PHMPRAC | 41 | | PHMSCI | 58 | | PHYASST | 38 | | PHYSICS | 88 | | PHYSIOL | 3 | | PHYTHER | 37 | | PLANTSCI | 53 | | PLPATH | 37 | | POLISCI | 197 | | POPHLTH | 54 | | PORTUG | 33 | | PSYCH | 102 | | PSYCHIAT | 21 | | PUBAFFR | 54 | | PUBLHLTH | 23 | | RADIOL | 11 | | REALEST | 41 | | RELIGST | 90 | | RHABMED | 9 | | RMI | 24 | | RP\&SE | 101 | | S\&APHM | 16 | | SCANDST | 73 | | SLAVIC | 90 | | SOC | 145 | | SOCWORK | 87 | | SOILSCI | 46 | | SPANISH | 81 | | SRMED | 21 | | STAT | 91 | | STDYABRD | 52 | | STS | 8 | | SURGERY | 24 | | SURGSCI | 33 | | THEATRE | 88 | | URBRPL | 60 | | UROLOGY | 6 | | ZOOLOGY | 90 | ### designations | family | value | label | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | breadth | biological-science | Breadth - Biological Science | | breadth | biological-science-or-social-science | Breadth - Biological Science or Social Science | | breadth | humanities | Breadth - Humanities | | breadth | humanities-or-natural-science | Breadth - Humanities or Natural Science | | breadth | humanities-or-social-science | Breadth - Humanities or Social Science | | breadth | literature | Breadth - Literature | | breadth | natural-science | Breadth - Natural Science | | breadth | physical-science | Breadth - Physical Science | | breadth | social-science | Breadth - Social Science | | breadth | social-science-or-natural-science | Breadth - Social Science or Natural Science | | catalog-level | advanced | Level - Advanced | | catalog-level | elementary | Level - Elementary | | catalog-level | intermediate | Level - Intermediate | | communication | a | Comm QR - Communication A | | communication | b | Comm QR - Communication B | | core-gened | civics-and-perspectives | Core GenEd - Civics & Perspectives | | core-gened | communication-and-literacy | Core GenEd - Communication & Literacy | | core-gened | humanities-and-arts | Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts | | core-gened | mathematics-and-quantitative-reasoning | Core GenEd - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness-lab | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab | | core-gened | social-and-behavioral-science | Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science | | ethnic-studies | yes | Ethnic St - Ethnic Studies | | frgn-lang | 1st-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 1st semester language | | frgn-lang | 2nd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 2nd semester language | | frgn-lang | 3rd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 3rd semester language | | frgn-lang | 4th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 4th semester language | | frgn-lang | 5th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 5th + semester language | | graduate-credit | yes | Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement | | honors | accelerated-honors | Honors - Accelerated Honors (!) | | honors | honors-only-courses-h | Honors - Honors Only Courses (H) | | honors | honors-optional | Honors - Honors Optional (%) | | liberal-arts | l-and-s-liberal-arts-and-science | L\&S Credit - L\&S Liberal Arts and Science | | quantitative-reasoning | a | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning A | | quantitative-reasoning | b | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning B | | workplace | workplace-experience | Workplace - Workplace Experience | ## course ### run id 20261014T203208-0851c9a1 ### semester 1274 ### observed at 2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00 ### record version id b5422ee6a0abbb72754fc43b7844b9b93b51aeb96769b619aa549feda35cce44 ### course id POLISCI 845 ### course uid course\_360135f0f3ceb261834dbb66 ### catalog version id dd83799fcf7f2987e63f8f215ddaeb80b5d2405c1f74a043ee2edc93f8f78018 ### course number 845 ### subjects * POLISCI ### title DEMOCRATIC IMPERFECTIONS ### description Democracies routinely fall short of their textbook ideal. Examine selected imperfections of real-world democracy - their causes, their effects, and the reforms proposed to address them. Consider who participates, who is represented, and whether democratic governments deliver. Engage the frontier of empirical political science, paying close attention to problems of measurement and causal inference. ### requirements text Graduate/professional standing ### credit offering ids None recorded. ### llm job id enrich-49752a259f17fab0f49665b3 ### llm output id a2628a6ecb05c56d5bf74f1b329f5ca8a8a0c0eba378bf8014ec3e050af772cb ### llm model Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B ### llm model revision 1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0 ### llm task version 17 ### llm search status valid ### llm summary Examines imperfections of real-world democracy, including causes, effects, and proposed reforms, while engaging with empirical political science methods. ### llm topics * Political participation and representation * State capacity and bureaucratic accountability * Measurement and causal inference in empirical political science ### llm skills * Developing theoretically grounded, testable hypotheses * Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary research designs * Formulating and implementing research designs to evaluate hypotheses * Replicating published empirical work and writing referee reports ### source url ### llm activity tags * data-analysis * writing ### llm assumed background None recorded. ### llm search phrases * real-world democracy imperfections * political participation inequalities * representation gaps * state capacity and bureaucratic accountability * empirical political science measurement * causal inference in politics * democratic reforms * research design evaluation ### llm requirements status valid ### llm student summary status valid ### llm experience status insufficient\_evidence ### designations * Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement ### catalog variants None recorded. ### official learning outcomes Gain familiarity with the frontier of the empirical literatures on inequalities in political participation and representation, and on state capacity and bureaucratic accountability. ```json { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ``` Develop theoretically grounded, testable hypotheses. ```json { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ``` Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary research designs. ```json { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ``` Formulate and implement compelling research designs to evaluate hypotheses. ```json { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ``` Replicate published empirical work and write referee reports. ```json { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ``` ### skills taught Developing theoretically grounded, testable hypotheses ```json { "evidence": [ { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "official_learning_outcomes", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "outcome_index": 1, "quote": "Develop theoretically grounded, testable hypotheses.", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ] } ``` Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary research designs ```json { "evidence": [ { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "official_learning_outcomes", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "outcome_index": 2, "quote": "Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary research designs.", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ] } ``` Formulating and implementing research designs to evaluate hypotheses ```json { "evidence": [ { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "official_learning_outcomes", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "outcome_index": 3, "quote": "Formulate and implement compelling research designs to evaluate hypotheses.", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ] } ``` Replicating published empirical work and writing referee reports ```json { "evidence": [ { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "official_learning_outcomes", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "outcome_index": 4, "quote": "Replicate published empirical work and write referee reports.", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ] } ``` ### activity tags data-analysis ```json { "evidence": [ { "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "description", "quote": "Engage the frontier of empirical political science, paying close attention to problems of measurement and causal inference.", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/" } ], "label": "data-analysis" } ``` writing ```json { "evidence": [ { "catalog_year": "2026-2027", "course_id": "POLISCI 845", "field": "official_learning_outcomes", "observed_at": "2026-10-14T17:51:03.625248+00:00", "outcome_index": 4, "quote": "Replicate published empirical work and write referee reports.", "source": "catalog", "source_url": "https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/poli_sci/", "term": null } ], "label": "writing" } ``` ### student summary #### context hash a8b614c4aa30e97421959ca9b15e2d25daa97834b6574f798124eb38cce1ab89 #### course id POLISCI 845 #### current instructors None recorded. #### difficulty workload None recorded. #### errors None recorded. #### historical context None recorded. #### message No 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