FYS 1018 DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

Democracy appears to be in crisis today, both in the U.S. and abroad. We shall ask what such a claim means and whether it is justified - against the background of past accounts, defenses, and criticisms of democracy from Plato on and historical challenges that actual democracies have faced. We shall look especially closely at the claims that "populism" poses a grave threat to democracy and that "democratic norms and expectations" are as important as institutional frameworks to a well-functioning democracy. Ultimately, we shall ask whether democracy is an ideal worth fighting for and what it must be in order to live up to its fullest potential.