Instructor: Charles Kenney
Telephone: 325-3735
E-mail: ckenney@ou.edu
Office: DAHT 216
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 – 4:00

Almost everyone agrees that democracy is the best form of government. Or do they? Have they always? What do we mean when we use the word "democracy"? What are some of the problems inherent in democracy? Is there just one standard by which to measure democracy? What are some of the alternatives to democracy? Why have some countries become democratic and others not? Will more countries become democratic? Will countries that are already democratic today become more democratic in the future? What are the limits and the possibilities of democracy in the world today?

This seminar will help us consider and respond to these questions by examining the nature, origins, varieties, limits and possibilities of political democracy in countries throughout the world. We begin by examining our own varied experiences of democracy and by asking questions about the meaning of democracy. Next we study some of the historical sources of democracy, with particular emphasis on the nature of Athenian democracy and the critiques offered by Plato and Aristotle. After a brief look at the Republican tradition and the transition from city-states to nation-states, we will study the emergence of modern political democracy in the United States. We will look at the Marxist and Fascist critiques of democracy, and discuss Jean Bethke Elshtain’s concerns about the crisis of democratic authority. We will then ask how democracy grew and why it developed in some countries but not in others. Since the mid-1970s the number of countries classified as democracies has risen sharply: we will examine the origins of this growth and the prospects for its continuance, placing close attention to and comparing the specifics of different countries and regions, including the United States. This semester we will also have the opportunity to incorporate the biannual Rothbaum Lectures, to be delivered this year by Seymour Martin Lipset. Finally, we will ask about the demands being placed upon democracy in the present and the near future, before reaching some tentative conclusions about the limits and possibilities of democracy.

• Robert A. Dahl, Democracy and its Critics, (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1989).
• Course Reader: available at Sooner Textbooks.

Attendance is required: unexcused absences will be penalized. Twenty percent of your grade will be based upon participation, short assignments and pop quizzes. Another twenty percent will come from a five-page paper, and a longer research paper will count for forty percent. The final exam will count for twenty percent. Papers are not to exceed the stated lengths and they are to be turned in at the beginning of class. Late papers will be marked down one-third of a letter grade for each day late.

"Honesty is fundamental in all academic activities, and those privileged to be members of a university community have a special obligation to observe the highest standards of honesty and a right to expect the same standards of all others. Academic misconduct in any form is inimical to the purposes and functions of the University and therefore is unacceptable and rigorously proscribed." (Academic Misconduct Code, Norman Campus). Neither plagiarism nor any other form of academic misconduct will be tolerated.

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.

Aug. 25 Mon. Introduction

Readings: Declaration of Independence (CR); Correspondence of John and Abigail Adams in Skidmore 1978:46-49 (CR).

Readings: Sartori 1987:21-38 (CR).
Writing Assignment Due Today: In no more than one paragraph, define democracy.

Readings: Dahl 1989: 13-23 (Dahl book)

Readings: The Republic: Book VIII, pp. 221-243 (CR)

Sept. 10 Wed. Aristotle on Democracy

Readings: The Politics: Book IV, Ch. 1-12 (CR)

Sept. 15 Mon. Republicanism and the Nation State

Readings: Dahl 1989:24-33, 213-224 (Dahl book)

Readings: Wood 1992:91-105 (CR)

Readings: The Federalist, Nos. 10 and 51 (Madison) (CR).

Readings: Tocqueville 1833: 246-261 (CR)

Readings: Marx 19-23, 160-161, 490-491, 537-538 (CR)

Readings: Mussolini 1933:7-12, 17-18 (CR).

Readings: Dahl 1989:52-79 (Dahl book).
Writing Assignment: Five Page Paper Due Today

Writing Assignment: Choose two countries to study for research paper. First draft of paper will be due on day of class presentation. Final draft due on December 1.
Attend Public Lecture by Jean Bethke Elshtain, "The Crisis of Democratic Authority," on Thursday, October 2, at 7:00 in the OCCE Forum Building.

Oct. 6 Mon. How and Why Democracy Expanded

Readings: Dahl 1989:232-264 (Dahl book)

Readings: Huntington 1991:12-34 (CR).

Readings: Diamond, Linz and Lipset 1995:1-66 (CR).

Readings: Przeworski, et al 1996:39-55 (CR).

Readings: Diamond (CR); Schmitter and Karl 1991: 75-88 (CR).

Oct. 20 Mon. Democracies in Eastern Europe

Readings: Król 1995: 37-43 (CR).

Oct. 24 Fri. Democracies in Latin America

Readings: Domínguez and Giraldo 1996: 3-41 (CR).

Oct. 29 Wed. Democracies in Asia

Readings: Alagappa 1995: 29-36.

Nov. 3 Mon. Democracies in Africa

Readings: Chege 1995: 44-51 (CR).

Nov. 7 Fri. Democracies in the Islamic World

Readings: Lewis, et al 1996:52-89 (CR).

Special class meeting: attend Rothbaum Lectures delivered by Seymour Martin Lipset on Nov. 12, 13 and 14 in the Meacham Auditorium.
Readings: Lipset 1994: 1-22.

Special class meeting: attend Rothbaum Lectures delivered by Seymour Martin Lipset on Nov. 12, 13 and 14 in the Meacham Auditorium.

Nov. 17 Mon. Democracy in the World and in the United States

Readings: Lipset 1995: 4-18 (CR)
Return research paper first drafts today.

Readings: Tocqueville 1833:513-517 (CR); Putnam 1995: 65-78 (CR).

Readings: West 1994: xiii-xvi, 3-13, 155-159.

Nov. 24 Mon. Democracy in Tomorrow’s World

Readings: Dahl 1989: 311-321 (Dahl book).

Readings: Held 1993: 37-47 (CR)
Final Draft of Research Papers Due

Readings: Dahl 1989: 322-341 (Dahl book).

Readings: Dunn 1992:239-266 (CR).

Readings: Articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal

Return to the normative question: should there be more democracies today? Should all countries be democratic? Should countries become more democratic?

Dec. 17 Wed. Final Exam 8:00-10:00 AM

 
Alagappa, M. (1995). "Democracy's Future: IV. The Asian Spectrum." Journal of Democracy 6(1): 29-36.

Aristotle (1984). The Politics. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Chege, M. (1995). "Democracy's Future: VI. Between Africa's Extremes." Journal of Democracy 6(1): 44-51.

Dahl, R. A. (1989). Democracy and its Critics. New Haven, Yale University Press.

Diamond, L., J. J. Linz, et al. (1995). Introduction: What Makes for Democracy? Politics in Developing Countries: Comparing Experiences with Democracy. L. Diamond, J. J. Linz and S. M. Lipset. Boulder, Lynne Rienner: 1-66.

Domínguez, J. I. and J. K. Giraldo (1996). Conclusion: Parties, Institutions, and Market Reforms in Constructing Democracies. Constructing Democratic Governance. J. I. Domínguez and A. F. Lowenthal. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press: 3-41.

Dunn, J. (1992). Conclusion. Democracy. The Unfinished Journey 508 BC to AD 1993. J. Dunn. Oxford, Oxford University Press: 239-266.

Huntington, S. P. (1991). "Democracy's Third Wave." Journal of Democracy 2(2): 12-34.

Król, M. (1995). "Democracy's Future: V. Where East Meets West." Journal of Democracy 6(1): 37-43.

Lewis, B., R. Wright, et al. (1996). "Islam and Liberal Democracy." Journal of Democracy 7(2): 52-89.

Lipset, S. M. (1995). "Malaise and Resiliency in America." Journal of Democracy 6(3): 4-18.

Madison, J. (1787). The Federalist Nos. 10 and 51. New York.

Marx, K. (1843, 1846, 1848, 1875). Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, The German Ideology, The Communist Manifesto, Critique of the Gotha Program. The Marx-Engels Reader. R. C. Tucker. New York, Norton: 19-23, 160-161, 490-491, 537-539.

Mussolini, B. (1958). The Doctrine of Fascism. Readings on Fascism and National Socialism. U. o. C. Department of Philosophy. Boulder, Swallow: 7-24.

Plato (1968). Trans. Allan Bloom. The Republic. New York, Basic Books.

Przeworski, A., M. Alvarez, et al. (1996). "What Makes Democracies Endure?" Journal of Democracy 7(1): 39-55.

Putnam, R. D. (1995). "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital." Journal of Democracy 6(1): 65-78.

Sartori, G. (1987). The Theory of Democracy Revisited. Chatham, Chatham House Publishers.

Schmitter, P.C. and T. L. Karl (1991). "What Democracy Is . . . and Is Not." Journal of Democracy 2(3): 75-88.

Skidmore, M. J. (1978). American Political Thought. New York, St. Martin's Press.

Tocqueville, A. d. (1969). Democracy in America. New York, Harper and Row.

West, C. (1994). Race Matters. New York, Vintage Books.

Wood, G. (1992). Democracy and the American Revolution. Democracy. The Unfinished Journey 508 BC to AD 1993. J. Dunn. Oxford, Oxford University Press: 91-105.