Module description
The term ‘democracy’ has passed into the vocabulary of everyday life, reaching beyond the sphere of formal politics into areas as diverse as education, work and family life. Fundamentally, most people who talk about democracy hold the assumption that it is a ‘good thing’, which is to be promoted as widely as possible. This is an important point; a fully-functioning democracy is held as proof of the success of developed societies, even as justification for war against nations which do not reach the democratic ideal. And so it might seem remarkable that there are those who would argue against its value as an idea, and as a means of organising society, yet an extensive body of literature has developed which raises a number of serious objections to many of the established features of democratic thought. It is this tension which provides the focus of this module.
This module aims to bridge democratic theory and practice. It traces the development of the ideas of democracy with a particular emphasis on the institutions, past and present, which have been influenced by these evolving theories. Students taking the module will be encouraged to develop their knowledge and critical understanding of the place of democratic ideas and practice in modern political thought.
Teaching on the module will be a little different to the kinds of class previously encountered in the degree. The term is split into two parts. The first few weeks of classes will be taken up with lectures, accompanied by either seminars or informal workshop sessions. The lectures will provide an introduction to the development of democratic thought, focusing on some of the major themes of the literature. As well as providing a foundation to the major elements of theory, these sessions will help to guide students’ reading of the prominent texts in the field. Some topics will be accompanied by a related seminar session, which will deal with institutional developments, focused on a particular question or problem which relates to the overarching theme of the week. So, for example, an introductory lecture on democratic theory is accompanied by a seminar session examining the competing claims over the origins of the term, and their importance to later critiques of democracy. Students will be assigned tasks to complete in advance of these sessions and will be expected to lead discussion on the topic. The workshop sessions will focus on simulations, where the class work through scenarios which examine the real-life applications of democratic theory.
The second part of the module introduces some of the numerous critiques of democratic institutions, including, for example, those who favour minimal forms of democracy over widespread participation, the varying critiques of deliberative democracy and the results of empirical analyses of democracy in practice. This part of the module follows a more conventional lecture-seminar format, with students preparing for a group discussion of a different critique each week.
The workload involved in the module, and the assessments, have been designed to encourage scholarly engagement with, and critical evaluation of, core literature in the field, both past and current. If you take this module you will encounter a diverse range of material, and will need to be comfortable with a reading load which is, in places, demanding. The module will suit students interested in the connections between political theory and empirical political science, as well as anyone who wonders why most people aren’t interested in democracy, and whether this matters.
Assessment details
2 Essays, 1 of 2000 words, the other of 2500
Suggested reading list
: 1-hour lectures & either a 1-hour seminar or 1-hour workshop weekly