Pluralism and Democratic Imagination

In this course, we will investigate the contours of historical debates about pluralism and democracy in the public imagination. Our goal will be to make the terms "pluralism" and "democracy," which simultaneously serve as hollow tropes in contemporary political discourse and as the basis for a secular religious faith for many on the left and the right, more difficult. Rather than cleansing these terms of their complications, we will strive to see them from all sides, interrogating their maddening paradoxes and ugly undertones while never losing sight of their awesome possibilities. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors.