Faculty First Year Seminars 191SOC8 - Marx, Du Bois & Demcracy in US

We usually think of challenges to democracy in the U.S. from the political right. However, it is also facing skepticism from the left, particularly among college students, who are asking: How can a system characterized by deep racial and class inequalities from its very origins be ?democratic?? We?ll examine the key ideas of two great scholars and activists, Karl Marx and W.E.B. Du Bois, regarding democracy in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere. We?ll encounter their thoughts in the context of the political upheavals of their times--the mid-19th century revolutions in Europe, and the Civil War and Reconstruction in the U.S. This history is especially relevant now as we may be heading into an equally dynamic period. To get the most out the course materials, we?ll practice skills you?ll use throughout college: reading actively, using writing (and drawing) to think, and learning by teaching.

First-year (R1ST)