GOVT 3675 Spring 2017
GOVT/CLASS/AMST 3675: DEMOCRACY AND ITS DISCONTENTS Professor A. Livingston. Dept. of Government. Cornell University
Course Description: Despite its nearly universal acceptance at the dawn of the twenty-first century, Required Textbooks: Books are the idea of democracy has been an object of available for purchase at the Cornell suspicion, fear, and anxiety since it first appeared Store. in ancient Athens two thousand years ago. What about the idea of equal rule provoked political • de Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy thinkers from Thucydides to James Madison to in America, tr. George Lawrence describe democracy as incoherent in theory and (Harper Perennial). dangerous in practice? How has the meaning of • Madison, Hamilton, Jay, et al. The democracy transformed over the last two millennia? How has our contemporary embrace of Essential Federalist and Anti- democracy come about? What of this radical idea Federalist Papers, ed. David remains alive in modern forms of representation Wootton (Hackett Publishing) and constitutional government? What ought • Marx, Karl. Later Political Writings, democracy mean for us today? In this course we ed. Terrell Carver (Cambridge) will investigate answers to these questions through the study of major texts in the history of • Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and political thought. We will examine the meaning of Other Essays, (Oxford) democracy in historical and contemporary • Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. On the contexts from the perspective of both its S o c i a l C o n t r a c t , ( H a c k e t t champions and its critics. Central topics and Publishing) themes we will consider include: the value of democracy, the institutional and legal means of • Schmitt, Carl. The Crisis of realizing the idea of popular rule, the nature of Parliamentary Democracy, tr. Ellen equality, the duties and virtues of citizenship, the Kennedy (MIT Press) role of rhetoric and persuasion in democratic • Thucydides. On Justice, Power, politics, the relationship between popular and Human Nature, tr. Paul sovereignty and representation, democratization and domination, the idea of a civic religion, and Woodruff (Hackett Publishing). the politics of revolution. 4 Credits. Satisfies AS- HS and HB distribution requirements. 1 of 8 GOVT 3675 Spring 2017
Learning Objectives: The learning objectives of this course are to develop careful and rigorous reading habits, to sharpen interpretive and analytical writing skills, to broaden your understanding of the history of political thought, and to delve deep into the contested history of democracy as a word, an idea, and an institutional arrangement. By the end of this semester, students should be able to demonstrate competency in (1) defining political theories and concepts; (2) applying a broad knowledge of the history of political thought; (3) identifying an author’s argument and restating it in your own words; (4) interpreting and comparing canonical works of political theory; and (5) analyzing and evaluating the conceptual premises of both historical and contemporary democratic politics.
Assignments and Grading: Final grades will be calculated on the basis of aggregate scores in the following assessments:
Participation 15% Final Exam 30%
Responses 20%
Essay 2 Essay 1 20% 15%
• Participation (15%): Your participation grade will reflect your presence and contribution to our common dialogue in class. It is therefore expected that all students come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and have a point of view that demonstrates a strong command of, and sophisticated engagement with, the assigned texts. All students begin the semester with a participation grade of 100%. This portion of your grade drops due to missing class, arriving late, leaving early, arriving unprepared, or failing to actively contribute to in-class discussion. NB: Do not hesitate to come speak with me in person early in the semester if you have worries concerning challenges or hesitations you may have about participating actively in class.