Conversations with History and host Harry Kreisler welcome Harold Wilensky, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at UC Berkeley, to talk about his recently published book, Rich Democracies: Political Economy, Public Policy, and Performance. In this landmark work, Wilensky compares rich democracies and explores what makes these modern societies distinct and what makes them alike. (55 min)

U.C. Berkeley's Harry Kreisler welcomes diplomat Peter Tarnoff for discussion of the evolution of U.S. foreign policy from the height of the Cold War through the Clinton Administration. (56 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Iranian journalist and human rights activist Akbar Ganji for a discussion of the dynamics of change in Iran. Topics covered include the Iranian Revolution in comparative context, the problem of establishing democracy in Islamic societies, power in Iran, and U.S. Iranian Relations. Ganji also talks about his work as an investigative journalist in Iran and his political imprisonment. (59 min)

Distinguished social scientist and public intellectual Chalmers Johnson, President of the Japan Policy Institute, joins host Harry Kreisler for a conversation on the nature of the American Empire and its costs and consequences for the future of American democracy and power in the world. (58 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Congressman Howard Wolpe who reflects on the work of a congressman in a democracy of divided power. (58 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Mark Leonard, Executive Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, for a discussion of the ideas that are influencing the domestic and foreign policy debates in China. Through a careful examination of what Chinese intellectuals have to say on topics such as democracy, economy, and international relations, Leonard finds distinctive Chinese worldviews. The West must understand the contours of these debates to effectively address China's rise because they offer important insights into how China will use its enormous power to shape world order in the twenty-first century. (59 minutes)

This is a lesson plan for a 3rd grade social studies unit. This unit is about democracy and applying democracy to our own lives. The students will divide in groups and create a presentation about different historical figures that influenced democracy.

Democracy Minutes are a growing series of short videos that explain topics and constructs important to civil discourse and a healthy democracy. This video series is created by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, which elevates the role of research and evidence-based reasoning into the national conversation. Drawing on original content anchored on facts and evidence, the Project seeks to make a meaningful contribution to bridging America’s deepest differences.

Participating in the democratic processes is seen as being a fundamental aspect of citizenship. All pupils need a broad knowledge and understanding of the rights, responsibilities and duties of citizens, as well as an understanding of forms of government. Notions of citizenship have been forged alongside the expansion of the right to vote and the development of our ideas about democracy. In this unit we explore different interpretations of democracy and strategies for involving pupils in consideration of these issues within the citizenship curriculum.

The unit focuses on the struggles for self-identity and self-determination that continue to be problematic even a century after Puerto Rico’s inclusion in the United States’ territory. As a teacher of Spanish and Latin American culture, I find it very appealing that my Puerto Rican heritage students are aware of their roots and I have tried to bring that perception into the unit using a variety of lesson plans to help students understand the political status of Puerto Rico and their rights as citizens of the U.S. In this unit students will be exposed to various topics in the history of the Caribbean islands but with a focus on Puerto Rico. Students will be able to contrast the different historical epochs and their political implications. Finally, using the research as a guide, students will able to evaluate how the outcome of the Spanish-American War changed Puerto Rico’s political status from Spain’s colony to a U.S. territory. After exploring what being a Commonwealth meant for the people of Puerto Rico, they will be able to explain Puerto Rico’s “dual” citizenship and how it affects the Island’s national identity and culture.

Democracy in Brief touches on topics such as rights and responsibilities of citizens, free and fair elections, the rule of law, the role of a written constitution, separation of powers, a free media, the role of parties and interest groups, military-civilian relations and democratic culture.

Democracy in difference: Debating key terms of gender, sexuality, race and identity focuses on concepts and analytical frames we use when discussing how marginalised identities navigate their place in an assumed common culture.

This ebook offers a path for exploring how we might build a shared vocabulary when working through the muddle of public debates like identity politics, political correctness, pronouns and what constitutes racism. Democracy in Difference is an unconventional interdisciplinary guide to key concepts, which borrows from decolonial methodologies, Marxism, feminism, queer theory and deconstruction.

Key terms are illustrated through written text, La Trobe Art Institute artworks (centering Indigenous artists), poetry, comedy and song, and customised animations which make difficult terms accessible.

This text is published by the La Trobe eBureau.

The way our democracies are today is not necessarily how they should be tomorrow. There probably is no perfect system out there but this resource can help students think differently about democracy, approach its problems through novel angles and find new solutions.

The first part is a detailed look at the various democratic systems across the world, including plurality voting, proportional representation and direct democracy. Pros and cons will be laid out for each while key terms such as gerrymandering, uni and bicameralism, tactical voting, the concept of the blank vote, ballot intiatives and referenda will be explained. The left-right divide will also get a mention, the need to

The second part of the lesson will look more into alternative voting systems including ranked choice, approval, star and condorcet method. Considerations on the left-right-center political spectrum and some of its limitations will also feature.

The final part will focus on the two novel ideas: quadratic voting and liquid democracy. With quadratic voting, voters have a bank of credit and can cast one or multiple votes in favour of, or opposed to, a proposition. Liquid democracy enables you to vote directly on the issues you care about, or delegate your vote, by topic, to another person or party.

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Part of the political science collection.

These are a set of fictional case studies that are designed to prompt reflection and discussion about issues at the intersection of AI and Ethics. These case studies were developed out of an interdisciplinary workshop series at Princeton University that began in 2017-18. They are the product of a research collaboration between the University Center for Human Values (UCHV) and the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) at Princeton. Click the title of each case study to download the full document.

Does Democracy Matter in My Life?- Own It! Handbook is the guide book for a transformative after-school, trauma-informed enrichment program. It provides five  lessons & activities about essential elements of American democracy since the 1780s. Own It! also nurtures academic skills, personal growth and leadership. It uses history to connect our past to our future, as part of the Own Your History® (OYH) Collection. But Own It! is not “school” and it differs from traditional approaches to history.  Own It! helps students learn more about themselves, as well as their community and the country. Own It! enhances students’ engagement in being creative, making things happen, and  achieving goals. Its mission is to help them step up and enrich their lives, especially by understanding that they live in history. 

This course proposes that most cities have neither the infrastructure nor the processes in place to support the demographically complex public in fulfilling its role in democracy. Through this course, participants will learn a set of design principles for creating public engagement practices necessary for building inclusive civic infrastructure in cities. Participants will also have the opportunity to review and practice strategies, techniques, and methods for engaging communities in demographically complex settings.

This seminar provides an overview of the field of international relations. Each week, a different approach to explaining international relations will be examined. By surveying major concepts and theories in the field, the seminar will also assist graduate students in preparing for the comprehensive examination and further study in the department’s more specialized offerings in international relations.

This course provides an introduction to the field of comparative politics. Readings include both classic and recent materials. Discussions include research design and research methods, in addition to topics such as political culture, social cleavages, the state, and democratic institutions. The emphasis on each issue depends in part on the interests of the students.

Define common forms of government, such as monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, and democracyCompare common forms of government and identify real-life examples of each The image is a map of the world showing the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2020 Democracy Index scores for each state.  Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

How and why do we participate in public life? How do we get drawn into community and political affairs? In this course we examine the associations and networks that connect us to one another and structure our social and political interactions. Readings are drawn from a growing body of research suggesting that the social networks, community norms, and associational activities represented by the concepts of civil society and social capital can have important effects on the functioning of democracy, stability and change in political regimes, the capacity of states to carry out their objectives, and international politics.