DSPO 25A54 - Democracy and its Critics-Deep Reading a Modern Classic

Democracy is rule by the people, so much is clear. But this simple statement raises many questions. Who are the people? What makes them a people? What does it mean for them to rule? How do they do so when there is disagreement amongst them? Why is this a good system? What are its problems? And how do we make it work in a complex nation state or a globalising world? With democracy under discussion, both from within and on a global level, considering these questions is more important than ever before. In this class, students will read Robert Dahl's Democracy and its Critics, a modern classic of democratic theory, with the goal of developing the ability to think about democracy in a critical and informed way. Every week, students will read a number of chapters and consider how they help them think about issues facing contemporary democracy. Rather than seeking to cover a lot of readings quickly, students will study this one text in a process called deep reading. This is aimed at really understanding every aspect of a book and engaging in a dialogue with it, to discover its full richness.

Teun DEKKER

Séminaire

English

Autumn 2022-2023

• A kick-off presentation to one of the sessions: 25% • A reading diary, in which students will reflect on their process of reading the book and apply insights from it to issues facing contemporary democracy. Students will be expected to hand in sections from their reading diary 3 times in the course, every 4 weeks. (3*25%)