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The first aim of this course is to learn about a substantial number of, on the one hand, key topics in the contemporary philoisophical debate about democracy, and, on the other hand, an equally substantial number of classical and non-classical theoretical approaches to democracy. A second aim of the course is to "learn to think democratical about democracy": a focus on what is controversial, contested, etc., rather than arguing in the direction of a single best solution, a final answer, or a conclusive consencus. A third aim of the course, finally, is to become familiar, through direct acquantance with original materials, with a number of alternative approaches of and takes on "democracy".
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The aim of this course is to approach ‘democracy’ from a comparative point of view. How is the term used in different cultural, social, and political contexts? Does ‘democracy’ everywhere mean the same thing? Has it always meant the same? What about related notions like ‘representation’ or ‘populism’? What different normative and descriptive theories of democracy are central to contemporary debates? Is there a ‘universal’ or ‘global’ model of democracy that is implemented, with varying degrees of success and sustainability, in different parts of the world? Do different cultural traditions or ‘parts of the world’ contain different conceptions and practices of (democratic) politics that are mutually incompatible? Can they be combined? Or is the reference to ‘indigenous’ or ‘national’ traditions merely employed in order to resist the call of local populations to be recognized as a ‘dèmos’ and to participate in politics? A reader that offers a large variety of short original texts by philosophers and politicians from all ages, including feminist and non-Western perspectives, will allow us to compare and debate various historical and cultural perspectives on ‘democracy.’
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| The 1st year PPS course in Political Philosophy, or an equivalent course. |
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| This course will be tested with a written exam in which short, specific questions are combined with the task to write an informed and apposite comment on a short fragment from one of the texts that have been studied. |
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This course is part of a module of three courses in the Philosophy, Politics and Society bachelor programme. You can only take this course if you also take the two associated courses during the same semester. If you want to register for the three courses in this module, you must FIRST register for the module itself via the 'Minor' tab in Osiris, and THEN register for the courses themselves. For an overview of modules and their associated courses, see the course guides on the website of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.
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