Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-308
Andrew Poe (Section 01)
[PT] What do we mean by “democracy”? Is democracy the rule of the people? Or is it free and fair elections? Is democracy merely a set of political institutions and practices, such as party systems and electoral structures? Or is democracy something more radical, such as the opposition to any form of domination? How these different meanings operate – how they do and don’t work together – is not always clear. In this course we will examine current debates in democratic theory. Our aim will be to parse different theories of what democracy is and could be. The course will be divided into three parts: Part One will serve as an introduction, questioning the possibility and impossibility of democracy, and paying particular attention to paradoxes of democratic rule. Part Two will focus on agreement, examining logics of consensus and the forms of democracy that might result. In Part Three, we will turn our investigation to disagreement, and the promise of democracy as seen through the lens of more radical and agonistic democrats. Readings will consist of selections from various theorists, including Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Jürgen Habermas, Jacques Rancière, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Carl Schmitt, Jacques Derrida, and Sheldon Wolin, amongst others.
Limited to 25 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester. Professor Poe.
If Overenrolled: Preference for majors/Juniors first/balanced after
Cost: $14.00 ?
Section 01
M 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM CLAR 100
W 12:30 PM - 01:50 PM CLAR 100
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy | Mit Pr | Carl Schmitt | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Human Condition | Chicago | Hannah Arendt | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere | MIT | Jurgen Habermas | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Concept of the Political | Chicago | Carl Schmitt | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Hatred of Democracy | Verso | Jacques Ranciere | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Social Contract and The First and Second Discourses | Yale | Jean Jacques Rousseau | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Truth of Democracy | Fordham University Press | Jean-Luc Nancy | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.