Research project
Enhancing Democracy Education through Co-creation, Drama, and Experience (DECODE)
The educational programmes at Leiden University and Leiden University College (LUC) lack effective, practice-oriented democracy education. While they offer several democracy-related courses, these remain largely theoretical—a pattern seen across Dutch universities. Democracy teaching is often monodisciplinary, limiting access for students in other fields. Few courses use interactive methods, and collaboration with societal partners remains rare, missing opportunities to connect democratic theory with practice.
- Contact
- Anar Ahmadov
About the project
There is a pressing need to strengthen democracy education at Leiden University and beyond to prevent higher education from detaching from society and reinforcing populist, anti-intellectual discourses. On a broader level, the project responds to three challenges: declining youth knowledge and support for democracy in Western societies; outdated civic education across Europe that fails to engage students meaningfully; and limited access to democracy education among international students from the Global South.
The project introduces an experiential, interdisciplinary teaching package designed to enhance democratic competencies, critical thinking, and societal engagement. It integrates three experiential learning methods—interactive theatre, mock trials, and participatory documentaries—into democracy education. Partnerships with relevant civil society organizations aim to ground the project in practice and extend its educational impact.