Time Schedule:
Glenn D. Mackin
POL S 308
Seattle Campus
Origin and evolution of major political concepts from ancient Greece to the medieval period, from Thales through Aquinas.
Class description
Description: It is now widely held that a legitimate regime must be a liberal democracy; it must be democratic, in the sense that the "people" have a say in how their governed, and it must be "liberal" in the sense that the regime must protect individual rights. Yet throughout the 20th century many have rejected these claims. They suggest that the very idea of a "liberal democracy" is incoherent or fraught with intractable paradoxes. Others suggest that liberal democracy simply reinforce the privileges and powers of the relatively well-off, and so liberal democracies are ultimately unjust. Finally, emphasize that liberal democracy, while it might be a nice ideal, is simply unrealizable under the conditions of a mass society. This course explores these questions by focusing on some contemporary developments in social and political theory. These texts will help to clarify what we mean by a "liberal democracy," why it is (or isn't) a desirable model of political legitimacy, and whether its norms can be realized under modern conditions. We will also explore conceptual and empirical critiques of the idea. For instance, we'll deal with the objection that modern liberal democratic values, far from guaranteeing human freedom and dignity, simply create new (and nefarious) forms of domination. We'll also deal with more sympathetic critics-those who want to re-think what a liberal democracy is in order to realize its goals more completely. Readings will include Carl Schmitt, Horkheimer and Adorno, Rawls, Habermas, and several feminist theorists.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
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