Topics in Political Theory: Democracy & Citizenship

The primary focus of this class is on the contemporary practice of democracy at the local level. You will meet and work with community leaders who are trying to act on their values to make life better and more democratic for everyone in their New Jersey communities. We will read texts related to engaging citizens in public policymaking and democratic life, and you will learn how a broad-based community organization understands the practice of democracy through participating in the work of the organization.

This course will provide you with an experience of how your knowledge and expertise in political science might find a place in the world as it might be. We will do some background and some hands-on work in partnership with our community organization and its leaders, and through this work we will reflect on democracy and what it means.