Realizing Democracy

Democracy requires a proper understanding of the values, and forms of social cooperation, we ought to honor. But it also requires engagement with institutions and practices that make it more likely that those values will be honored. This course will examine institutional practices and political choices required to support a range of values we associate with democracy: equality, representation, deliberation, political competition, rule of law, etc. The course will use classic texts, philosophical papers and case studies to shed light on the institutional working of democracy.