32514
Graduate Course
SoSe 17: Democracy and the State
Christian Lammert, Boris Vormann
Comments
Course participation requires attendance in both sessions (32514 AND 32515)!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal….” Since the Founding, Americans have cherished the ideals of political equality and democratically responsive government. Reformers and mass movements have repeatedly highlighted disparities between ideals and reality and sought to extend citizenship rights. In recent times, the Civil Rights struggle and other rights revolutions expanded the rights and participation of African Americans, women, and other formerly marginalized groups. Yet over the past four decades, new threats have emerged. Disparities of income, wealth, and access to opportunity are growing more rapidly in the United States than in many other nations. Progress toward realizing American ideals of equal opportunity and impartially responsive democracy may have stalled, and in some cases reversed.
This seminar explores the impact of vast and rising economic inequality on the workings of American democracy and considers how social analysts can do research on important questions. We begin by surveying recent socioeconomic trends and probing how citizens and commentators think about inequality and democracy. Then we consider existing research in three key areas: inequalities of electoral and civic participation; the responsiveness of government to different strata of citizens; and the role of government policies in mitigating or exacerbating social inequalities and shaping the political engagement or disengagement of citizens.
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14 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2017-04-19 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-04-26 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-05-03 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-05-10 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-05-17 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-05-24 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-05-31 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-06-07 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-06-14 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-06-21 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-06-28 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-07-05 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-07-12 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2017-07-19 16:00 - 18:00