Theorizing power and democracy in the US 4219-RS284
Power and democracy are intrinsically connected—’democracy’ means the rule of the people, after all—but what is the nature of this connection? The puzzle does not end here. What kind of power is compatible with democracy? Who specifically has it and how can they exercise it? Is democracy only about elections as means of selecting ruling elites, or is it about something more, like citizens’ engagement in various associations or even disruptive protests? How should we understand this ‘rule’ and who ‘the people’ is or acts on ‘the people’s’ behalf? In this course we will address these questions in the context of researching power and democracy in the US.
The course will be structured in the following manner. We will begin with various conceptualizations of democracy, subsequently we will analyze selected works addressing history of American democracy and its lasting legacies, then we will explore selected themes relevant for studying democracy today, and finally we will look at critical-theoretical analyses of power and democracy and their relationship with real-existing capitalism.
The purpose of this course is to give students tools, resources, and skills to study American democracy on their own. Consequently, students will be exposed to various methodological and theoretical approaches to studying democracy. Additionally, each reading will be analyzed from the formal perspective, that is, by looking at how the research topic is introduced, contextualized in the existing body of research, and how its relevance is presented to the broader audience.
Type of course
elective courses
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Student has the knowledge of fundamental conceptualizations of power
Student has the knowledge of fundamental conceptualizations of democracy in the American context and is able to distinguish them
Student has the knowledge of various methodological approaches to studying democracy and is able to identify them
Skills:
Student can read and analyze various types of research on democracy
Student can apply various concepts regarding power and democracy to different contexts
Student is able to point to benefits and limitations of specific definitions of power and democracy in the context of researching democracy
Student can design their own research on the basis of acquired knowledge
Student is equipped to critically assess the applicability of the learned concepts outside the US context
Social competences:
Student participates in group work and can arrange it skillfully
Student develops one's political education to understand in an advanced manner information about political receive ads in a conscious way and gain awareness about their influence Student is ready for critical reception of information about political developments in the US and elsewhere
Assessment criteria
Active participation in class discussions
Individual consultations with the instructor
Research proposal
Annotated bibliography
Detailed outline of the paper
Final paper
Bibliography
Assigned readings will include::
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, The Federalist Papers
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Robert Dahl, Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City
Aziz Rana, “Settlers and Immigrants in the Formation of American Law”
Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen, Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics
Elisabetta Ferrari, Appropriate, Negotiate, Challenge Activist Imaginaries and the Politics of Digital Technologies
Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer, (Not) Kidding Politics in Online Tabloids
Michael McQuarrie, “The revolt of the Rust Belt: place and politics in the age of anger”
Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don't Talk about It)
Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: