This course is an examination of both classical and contemporary debates about democracy. What does it mean to be democratic? How does our modern conception of democracy differ from that of the Ancients? What are the dangers inherent in a democratic system? How easily can such a system be exported? In this course, we analyze the various conceptions of and justifications for democracy paying particular attention to the contemporary challenges that democracies face in the light of the rise of globalization. Spring Group I Writing