DEMOCRACY IN DANGER?

All around the world the cry for democracy is being heard. But do those who cry out truly understand its meaning? Is there a danger they might create something terribly and cruelly different— to coin a new term, demo-n-cracy? This course focuses on the political and social foundations that support true democracy. What are its fundamental and enduring principles and values? And how have they evolved historically? In the search for answers, this course will also consider some key contemporary questions: How firm are the foundations of today’s democracy—at home and abroad? What dangers threaten its institutions? And what are its future prospects?

Tony Judt’s analysis of political and social contemporary trends Ill Fares the Land is a course highlight. Other readings include essential affirmations of democracy from Plato and Aristotle to Joseph Schumpeter and Fareed Zakaria, as well as extracts from Democracy J.Dunn, Democracy’s Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World’s Most Popular Form of Government M. Mandelbaum, Victorious and Vulnerable: What Democracy Won in the 20th Century and How It Is Still Imperiled A. Gat, What Democracy Is For S. Ringen, The Origins of Political Order F. Fukuyama.

COURSE LENGTH: 12 weeks
DISCUSSION TEAM: Roland Major, Irene Menear, Sybil Murray-Denis
FIRST SESSION: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 6:15 pm