Summer 2026
Thinking About Democracy
Dates: June 01, 2026 – July 23, 2026Day/Time: Monday; Tuesday; Wednesday; Thursday; Friday 9:00 AM - 10:45 AM EDT
Level: 100-Level
Certificate: Democracy*
Instructor: Christopher Henderson, American University of Afghanistan
This course explores democracy as both a normative ideal and a set of practices, encouraging students to critically appraise what democracy is, what it is not, and what it could become across varying contexts and spaces. Through engagement with key foundational and contemporary texts, students will explore key themes such as citizenship, free speech, liberalism, religion, capitalism, secularism, media, truth, and resistance. Each text is supplemented by a recorded discussion between selected experts on each theme/text and Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, who developed the essence of this course from the New School’s Democracy Seminar. Through further exploration and discussion of these concepts in and outside of class, students will become familiar with the historical and contemporary affordances and constraints of democracy and how they relate to one another. By thinking about democracy in this way, students will begin to appreciate the global and multicultural dimensions of democracy, gaining insights into how various societies do and/or may interpret and implement democratic principles.
This is session 1 course. Deadline to register is May 29.
Credits: 3 US / 6 ECTS