Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This seminar will explore innovations in democratic practice in America, informed by the many innovations happening across the world. We will spend significant time exploring the history of conventions in America, the development of elections across our history, the challenges with elections, especially in the current moment, and citizen assemblies as complements or substitutes for elections as ways to populate representative and administrative entities, or as constraints on the work of representative democracies. Short essays (800 words) are required each week based upon the reading, as well as either a group project or paper (20 pages) at the end of the term.