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Here are some related topics our community is exploring.
The goal is to stimulate a rich mesh of connections and arouse deep curiosity about what is known, how it’s known, and why it matters.
New Visions of Democracy: In Theory and Practice (Political Science)
The twenty-first century has been tough on democracy and shows no signs of easing up soon. Social scientists have tried to understand the forces at work behind contemporary democratic backsliding, while political theorists have undertaken the task of imagining what a more successful vision of popular government might look like. This seminar seeks to make this latter body of work more accessible to participants. It looks at theoretical questions at play in reinterpreting democratic rule, and it also suggests a number of institutional fixes that have excited theorists determined to reinvent democracy for the future.
Economic Inequality: Policies and Attitudes (Economics)
Economic inequality has become a subject of public interest and debate, from executive compensation to Universal Basic Income. Do disparities of income and wealth contribute to a more efficient economy, or the opposite? How should inequality be measured, when is it excessive? At the personal level, what attitudes do individuals express about inequality, and what impact does perceived inequality have on their actual economic behavior? In this seminar we study tools and models used by economists to study these questions.
Reasoning About Right, Wrong, Good, and Bad (Philosophy)
What is the relationship between value and action? If performing some act would be good for you or others, is that reason enough to think it is the right thing to do? Or are there other kinds of reasons that bear on the morality of an act, distinct from how good or bad its outcomes would be? This seminar explores these questions of normative ethics, a branch of moral philosophy. We will consider certain well-known examples, both real and hypothetical, and learn from classic and contemporary philosophers about how there can be better and worse reasoning regarding moral matters.
Democratic Backsliding (Political Science)
Why do democracies break down? This question is at the heart of contemporary concern about the prospects for democracies around the world. Is it cultural, a consequence of changing norms? Or is it institutional, a problem in the way our political systems divide power and channel conflict? We’ll look closely at these alternative explanations and at the methods that political scientists are developing to measure democratic breakdown and validate competing theories.
Architectural Choices, Civic Meanings (Art)
The 2020 presidential order requiring “classical architecture” in Federal buildings — and its subsequent revocation in 2021 — have highlighted current controversies about the meaning of public buildings and spaces. Not surprisingly, this is a topic with a long and nuanced history. This seminar will explore the civic meaning of architectural choices in both contemporary society and earlier times.
The Rise of China and Theories of Geopolitical Stability (Political Science)
China has been rising, economically and militarily, for decades. China’s increasing power, coupled with its repression of dissidents at home and military threats against Taiwan and others abroad, have heightened US concerns that China poses a dangerous and perhaps imminent threat to its security and vital interests. To analyze this situation, we turn to theories of geopolitical stability proposed by political scientists to study the dynamics and consequences of challenges to traditionally dominant powers. We find that competing theories — for example, “balance of power” and “hegemonic stability” — differ in their analyses of the current situation and its implications for US policy toward China.