UE: Democracy Troubled Times

Catalog description

This course investigates the rise and spread of democracy. Democracy as a form of government and social movement will be traced from its ancient origins in Greece and Rome to the American and French Revolutions of the 18th Century, through its evolution and diffusion during the 19th and 20th Centuries to its position of global dominance at the beginning of the 21st Century. Democratic values, norms and behaviors will be examined through the use of historic video footage and core texts. Attention will be paid to governmental systems in the U.S., Western Europe, the BRIC countries, and our neighbors Canada and Mexico, and to the emerging democracies in the Middle East and Asia. Acquiring basic academic skills will be emphasized, as students are awakened to the significance of world historical events and the excitement of following current affairs.