Purpose

To understand why the United States, both historically, and currently, falls short when it comes to the standards of democracy, and why the United States may be better understood as a plutocracy or as oligarchy despite some democratic elements.

Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to...

Critique the idea that the United States Constitution inscribes a democratic form of government.
Identify different models and standards of democracy to critic the status of democracy in the United States.
Think about why the notion of democracy may be inconsistent with the idea of a centralized, powerful state as well as with substantial forms of private (or corporate) power.
Survey at least one recent quantitative study of American politics that suggests people have very little influence over what government does.

Module Checklist

In order to meet our outcomes for this module, we will complete the following activities and assignments:

Read & Watch: Required Module Readings & Resources
- Textbook: Chapter #: Chapter Title (pages # - #)
- Title & Link
- Title & Link
- Title & Link
- Optional Readings & Resources
- Title & Link
- Title & Link
- Title & Link
Post & Discuss: Assignment Title & Link (Discussion)
- Initial Post: Deadline
- Replies: Deadline
Complete: Assignment Title & Link (Quiz)
- Deadline
Submit: Assignment Title & Link (File Upload/Dropbox)
- Deadline

Tips for Success

To help in the completion of this activity, you should…

To ensure you don't lose work, it is recommended that you work offline using a word processing application such as Microsoft Word and then copy/paste your post into the course's discussion forum.
Tip

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