Democracy & Its Crises

It is common today to speak of a “crisis of democracy.” What do the rise of nationalism and populism, the renewal of socialism, and other recent developments reveal about twenty-first century democracy and its relationship to economic order, constitutionalism, and the rule of law? This course draws on political theory, political science, and legal scholarship to engage these questions. (It is not a course on “the law of democracy” in the usual sense of election law.) Topics include the definition of democracy, the relationship between democracy and the rule of law, voter ignorance, “the tyranny of the majority,” norms, inequality, nationality and borders, and democracies’ capacity to deal with crises such as climate change. Course outline available from instructor on request.