Strong Democracy and Student Leadership - WILL students only

Course Description

At the core of every definition of democracy is the concept of “people power”—but throughout history we can find competing perspectives on what this should mean with respect to the role of individual citizens in making public decisions.  This course is driven by one central question: should ordinary citizens have more power in our democracy? To begin, we must return to the birth of democracy in Athens and the classical (or direct) model (Pericles, Aeschylus’ Orestia) and meet its critics (Socrates, Plato’s Apology). We will encounter thinkers who support more radical democracies (Rousseau) and study the emergence of modern alternatives (e.g. representative democracy, Hamilton, Madison).  Next, we review competing views of how well our modern democracy is working (elitism v pluralism, Dahl, Beard, Barber), as well as debate proposed revisions (e.g. initiative and referendum, proportional electoral systems, same day registration) that arguably aim to give the populace more power.  Finally, to connect theory and practice, we work on a semester long community-engaged learning project that will further develop the civic leadership capacity of the students (e.g. organizing, public speaking) in this class along with other first-year students.