PSCI 331 US Democracy in Crisis-How We Got Here
Prerequisites: Successful completion of any 200-level PHIL or PSCI course; or permission of instructor.
The overall aim is for students to reflect on various theories of democracy, through the lens of primary historical writings on the topic, in order to cultivate their own deeply theoretically informed definition. Students read about definitions of democracy as a word, a political theory, and in terms of political values, practices, and institutions. Students reflect on and evaluate classical theories of liberal democracy and democratic republicanism as well as contemporary theories, such as participatory democracy, before considering related critiques from postmodernism, postcolonialism, and theories of identity.
Core
Philosophical InquiryOffered
Offered Fall or Spring Semester