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Lehrende: Prof. Dr. Peter Niesen; Prof. Dr. Filimon Peonidis
Veranstaltungsart:
Seminar
Anzeige im Stundenplan:
IPT1: Athenian...
Semesterwochenstunden:
2
Credits:
6,0
Unterrichtssprache:
Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl:
10 | 20
Weitere Informationen:
Verwendbar in folgenden Studiengängen bzw. Modulen:
M.A. Politikwissenschaft (FSB ab WiSe 2014/15): Modul Internationale Politische Theorie (IPT 1)
M.A. Politikwissenschaft (FSB WiSe 2013/14): Profilmodul
Masterstudiengänge der Fakultät WiSo: Wahlbereich
englischsprachige Übersetzung des Lehrveranstaltungstitels:
Kommentare/ Inhalte:
Most political theorists concur that democracy was invented in Greek antiquity. At the same time, they take pains to dissociate contemporary democracies from their Athenian predecessor, pointing out that political representation, the division of (legislative, executive and judicial) powers and the allocation of imprescriptible basic rights have no place in the Greek democratic practise. They will also point out that the democratic peace hypothesis is not applicable to ancient democracy.
This seminar will attempt to highlight what connects Athenian and contemporary democracy, paying special attentions to features of Greek democracy that play a role in today's democratic innovation and reform debates. We will discuss topics such as ostracism, sortition, graphe paranomon or the practice of demagogues in conjunction with contemporary democratic institutions, innovations and challenges such as the ban on political parties,, or constitutional courts, the introduction of lotteries, as well as the challenges of contemporary populism. We will discuss currently prominent ideas such as the "Wisdom of Crowds" with reference to their Athenian and contemporary defenders.
Lernziel:
Participants are to gain a deeper understanding of the uses of the term 'democratic'. They will familiarise with current interpretative and systematic discussion about Athenian and contemporary democracy, reflecting on the purpose and normative appeal of attempts to draw on Athenian democracy to revive our contemporary democratic practises and institutions.
Vorgehen:
We will discuss classical and (mainly) modern texts. Students will be asked to join group presentations on comparative issues and topics (ancient-modern).
Literatur:
For an overview of Athenian democracy, you can look at
Hansen, Mogens Herman: The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes: Structure, Principles, and Ideology [1999]
For comparisons, you could start with
Finley, Moses, Democracy Ancient and Modern (1973)
Ober, Josiah, Democracy and Knowledge: Innovation and Learning in Classical Athens (2008) or Demopolis: Democracy before Liberalism in Theory and Practice (2017)
For contemporary democracy, a good place to start is
Dahl, Robert, On Democracy [1998]
For the history of democracy, a lively account is
Dunn, John, Democracy. A history. 2005
Zusätzliche Hinweise zu Prüfungen:
Studienleistungen (unbenotet):
Active participation, preparation of readings, group presentation or essay.
Modulteilprüfung:
Prüfungsart: term paper/Hausarbeit
Bewertungsschema: graded/benotet
Umfang: 15-20 pages/Seiten
Abgabetermin: due on 30.09.2019
Delivery: pdf e-mail attachment to peter.niesen@uni-hamburg.de. No hard copy.
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