Democracy in a Globalising World

Academic year 2012-13

Date last modified

17-10-2012 1:23

Period

Period 5

Startdate:

08-Apr-13

Enddate:

03-May-13

Code

EUS4011

ECTS credits

6.0

Organisational unit

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Coordinator

R.H. Gabriels

Description

The course examines some of the main challenges to democracy as a model of government in an increasingly globalised world. The course builds on the knowledge about the dynamics of globalisation processes introduced by the preceding modules and focuses on some of the normative questions underlying democratic theory. The aim of the course is to familiarise students with some of the main debates within current democratic theory: instrumental and non- instrumental arguments in favour of democracy, the problem of democratic citizenship and democratic institutions, democracy beyond the nation- state, and global governance. Students will become familiar with the main challenges to a democracy as a model of government in a globalising world, and the subsequent transformations in the way we can perceive sovereignty, legitimacy and accountability of political decision-making in settings that go beyond the nation-state.

Goals

By the end of the course students should be able to identify and critically assess different arguments and basic justifications for democracy, as well as to evaluate arguments concerning the democratic legitimacy of the EU and international organisations.

Instruction language

Prerequisites

Recommended literature

David Held 1996, ‘Models of Democracy’, Stanford: Stanford University Press

Teaching methods

LECTURE(S)

Assessment methods

FINAL PAPER

Key words

Democratic theory, instrumental and intrinsic value of democracy,,, democratic, autonomy, legitimacy, EU, international organisations,