Module 14

 

Module 14

 

I hope you all had a safe and uneventful Thanksgiving. As I write, I am hearing whisperings that there may be another lockdown on the way here in California due to the post-Thanksgiving surge. Knowing how anxiety-producing this can be, I’m going to keep this week’s activities light. 

 

Some fear that democracy is in danger. Are they right? Please write a blog post exploring one of the following two statements:

 

1) In order to keep democracy flourishing for future generations, we need to revise our educational system so that all students learn the history of the European and American Enlightenments. To be effective, voters must be informed, and informed voters must understand the historical context within which American-style democracy arose. 

 

Or 2) American-style democracy is a relic of the early Modern era. It no longer satisfies the needs and desires of its citizens. As a result, voters and leaders increasingly undermine its foundations rather than bolster them. By the time we are firmly established in a “post-Modern” world, democracy will have been shown to be fatally flawed, and will have given way to new forms of government in the USA and throughout the world.

 

I know you are all behind, but my hope is that having your responses to these statements on the blog will spark some participatory dialogue, now or in the future. You will receive extra credit for responding to another student’s statement.

 

Aside from that blog post, please continue to work on your Term Project as outlined last week. We only have one more week of classes (next week) before finals.