American Political Theory

The goal of this course is to provide a basic acquaintance with some texts and themes in American political theory. Throughout the semester, we will be asking the question, “What kind of country do we want?” Our focus will be on what it means to live in a constitutional democracy where political equality and equal access to the democratic process is a key political goal as well as a continuing and complicated political problem. Another way to see this question is as an ongoing and contentious political contest between democracy for some with hierarchies of inclusion and exclusion, and an inclusive multiracial democracy.