Representation and Democracy

Catalog description

What is the relationship between representative government and democracy? What makes someone a good representative, and what kinds of institutions and social norms promote good representation? This course explores 20th and 21st century theories of political representation and brings them to bear on both big picture questions about the values of electoral democracy and contemporary controversies about, for example, race-conscious districting and judicial elections. This course also examines political representation outside of electoral institutions, asking how our understanding of democratic representation changes when we turn our attention to organizers, activists, and civic leaders.