Democracy and its Critics
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| POLI2013 | Politics and International Relations | 2 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- POLI2013
- School
- Politics and International Relations
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
Democracy is a contested concept and organising principle of politics both ancient and modern. Its appeal seems to be universal, yet it has always had its critics. This module investigates the nature of democratic principles, the arguments of democracy’s opponents and the claims of those who say that contemporary life is inadequately democratised. A particular feature of the module is the use of primary sources to investigate historic and contemporary debates.
Target Students
Available to Year 2 UG students in the School of Politics and International Relations on single and joint honours plans. Also available to Year 2 UG students on the Liberal Arts plan, Year 2 UG students on the Philosophy, Politics and Economics plan, incoming exchange students based in the School of Politics and International Relations, and Ningbo International Studies students.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, and lecture engagements.
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 2000-word essay
- 50% Exam 1 (1-hour): Take-home exam.
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to: i) Acquaint students with the core constitutive ideas of democracy in its many historical manifestations, ii) Evaluate the appraisals and critiques of democracy by political thinkers through the study of primary sources, and iii) Equip students with the analytical skills to critically analyse assess the merits and limitations of democracy from both conceptual and historical perspectives.Learning Outcomes
a) Knowledge and understanding: Evaluate key concepts, theories and debates in the study of democratic theory; Demonstrate knowledge of the historical evolution of debates on democracy; Assess the major perspective and theories of democracy applied to Europe, the US and the Islamic World.
b) Intellectual skills: Evaluate, synthesise and develop conceptual and normative arguments; Learn appropriate ways of engaging with complex primary texts, and of comparing these; Synthesise and interrogate arguments in the secondary literature; Show aptitude in applying conceptual thinking to concrete examples.
c) Professional and practical skills: Develop problem-solving skills by engaging with texts and critically assessing their meaning, arguments and contemporary relevance; Demonstrate organisational, leadership and teamwork skills by working together to devise and answer questions; Show initiative and self-motivation by researching independently and meeting deadlines; Develop the capacity to analyse, critically evaluate and communicate knowledge and understanding in writing; Develop the capacity to evaluate own work.
d) Digital competencies: Develop web literacy by using online resources such as the Module’s Moodle page, its online reading list, and the web resources to which those direct them; Navigate and make use of digital repositories and/or archives of texts in the history of ideas to gather evidence and answer questions; Prepare professional, word-processed documents for assessment.