Spring 2022

Public Discussion and Liberal Democracy

Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-353

Faculty

Freke Ette (Section 01)

Description

Democracy refers to the rule of the people. But who exactly are the people? This course examines how the people, understood as a publicly discussing, political entity, evolved with the expansion of the voting franchise. It then considers what the notion of public discussion means in the Social Media Age. The course will explore public discussion as a concept in the history of political thought, focusing on a variety of European and American thinkers. The first third of the course studies several nineteenth-century English and French theorists who grappled with the fate of liberalism in the face of mass democracy. The second part revisits the famous debate, during the Progressive Era, on the role of public opinion in establishing and sustaining democracy in the United States. The course concludes with a look at what public discussion means in an age of big data, individualized advertising, a fragmented media landscape, and social silos.  

Requisite: At least one POSC course numbered 200 or above.  Not open to first-year students.  Spring semester. Visiting Assistant Professor Ette.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: This course will emphasize written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, group work and in-class exams. Students with documented disabilities who will require accommodations in this course should be in consultation with Accessibility Services and reach out to the faculty member as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.

This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
The crisis of parliamentary democracy MIT Press Carl Schmitt Amherst Books TBD
The Public and Its Problems Shallow Press John Dewey Amherst Books TBD
Public Opinion Free Press Walter Lippmann Amherst Books TBD
The age of surveillance capitalism : the fight for a human future at the new frontier of power Public Affairs Shoshana Zuboff Amherst Books TBD
History has begun : the birth of a new America Oxford University Press Bruno Maçães Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2022