A history of the development of the idea of democracy and the development of democratic institutions, principally in Europe and the United States, from the ancient Greeks to the present.  Most of the reading will be documents which bear on the principles of democracy, either favoring them or in opposition.  Students are encouraged to explore the strengths and weakness of the democratic process and of democracy itself.

Course Goals:

* Introduce students to the major historical events and conflicts which have influenced the development of democratic ideas and democratic institutions.

* Introduce students to the key concepts and components of modern democracy including limited government, participation, representation, human rights, self-determination, and the rule of law.

* Promote appreciation for the study of history and its relevance to understanding contemporary issues and controversies.

*Enhance students' ability to make logical, coherent and persuasive arguments in written and oral presentations.

COMMON READINGS ARE FROM:

The Idea of Democracy

Primus Text Compiled by Core 102 Faculty.

THEY INCLUDE:

#1  Pericles, Funeral Oration

#2  Euripides, Suppliants

#3  Aristotle, Politics, Book Three

#4  "Magna Carta"

#5 Thomas Hobbes, "The Social Contract"  from Leviathan

#6 John Locke, Toleration and Government

#8 Immanuel Kant, Freedom and Enlightenment

#9 Thomas Jefferson,  The Declaration of Independence

#10  Edmund Burke On Election to Parliament

#10A  Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens

#11  The Constitution of the United States including the Bill of Rights

#12 The Federalist #10

#13  The Federalist #51

#14  Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy and Equality

#15 Sarah Grimke, Legal Disabilities of Women

#16 Sarah Grimke, Letter on the Equality of the Sexes

#17 The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions

#18 Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

#20  Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address

#21 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

#22  John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

#23 "Plessy vs. Ferguson"

#24  "Brown vs. Board of Education"

and seven readings to be distributed in class:

Thucydides,  The Melian Dialogue

Abraham Lincoln,  Speech at Peoria

J. Harlan,  "Dissent in Plessy vs. Ferguson"

Winston Churchill,  Iron Curtain Speech

Martin Luther King, Jr.  Letter from Birmingham Jail

--Roger Williams, Letter to the Town of Providence

--Benito Mussolini, Decalogue

Other required texts and supplemental readings are listed on the following pages under the sections of the respective professors teaching this course.

Search Engines

Spring Semester, 2000