A survey of American politics critically examining and questioning the vitality and viability of democracy in the United States. It begins by examining what kind of political system the founders had in mind and reviews recent theories of power and of how and whether the people rule. We will consider how important it is to broaden participation and to include groups, such as women and minorities, who have been historically excluded from politics.
First semester is lecture format.
This is an introductory course, open to all students, including first-year students. Enrollment in each section limited to 50.