ASTK12158U Spaces of Democracy

Volume 2013/2014
Content

We tend to think of 'democracy' either as a description of decision-making in certain kinds of political systems or of an ideal form of government against which actual political institutions and procedures should be evaluated. Less often do we hear of democracy as an activity or practice that takes place in distinct 'spaces'. A 'space of democracy' in this sense refers to more than a physical place (like a parliamentary chamber, for example), but the way in which such places are defined by the practices that go on in them, which in turn are shaped by the character of their physical setting.

In this course, we will consider democracy from this perspective, as a variety of spaces which overlap (spatially, temporally, and conceptually) but which are in other respects quite distinct from one another. We will examine more 'formal' spaces of assembly, such as the Athenian agora and the British Houses of Parliament, as well as less formal and bounded spaces, from sites of public memory and entertainment to the city as a whole. Such spaces are defined by the character of power relations in a society, but they are at the same time constitutive of political identities and forms of political action. In this way, we will challenge the notion of 'democracy' either as a concept descriptive of political 'systems' with set and bounded meaning, or as a single ideal of the best society towards which we should strive. Democracy is better understood as a variety of practices that take place in distinct spaces bearing family resemblances. The objective of the course is thus to examine critically the way in which spaces of democracy have been conceived of in different times and places, while at the same time exploring the constitutive power of space in shaping political thought and action.  

The course will be structured as follows.

  1. Concepts of space, place, and democracy
  2. Agora and Forum
  3. The Florentine Republic
  4. Assemblies of Estates and Peoples
  5. From Boston to Washington
  6. From the Bastille to the National Assembly
  7. The Palace of Westminster
  8. War, memory, and democracy in the city
  9. The games of democracy
  10. Capital and the capital today: neoliberalism and spaces of democracy
Learning Outcome

The course's objective is to enable students to:

  • Recognize the distinction between democracy as the description of a political system, an ideal, and a set of distinct but related spaces of political activity
  • Describe a variety of spaces of democracy and demonstrate an understanding of their distinctive features
  • Compare a variety of spaces of democracy and understand the similarities and differences between them
  • Analyse the historical, social, and political conditions of spaces of democracy and relate them to ideas concerning democracy in particular settings
  • Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary debates on the character of democratic and public space in political theory and political science
  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of the theoretical issues involved in examining the connections between political ideas, practices, and spaces

Competency description

This course focuses on a number of theoretical issues in contemporary and historical political theory, social theory, and political geography. It would be suitable for those who which to study other theory courses, and may also be of interest to students interested in further study or careers in public policy, town planning, and architecture.  

Weekly reading will be usually be made up of two pieces – one a theoretical piece on the understanding of democratic space in particular contexts, the second an historical, sociological, or geographical account of a democratic space. A full reading list will distributed closer to the start of the course. In the meantime, students may look at the following as useful background reading:

Hirst, P. (2005) Space and Power: Politics, War, and Architecture. Cambridge: Polity.

Hubbard, P. et al. (2004) Key Thinkers on Space and Place. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Keane, J. (2009) The Life and Death of Democracy. London: Simon & Schuster.

Parkinson, J. (2013) Democracy and Public Space: The Physical Sites of Democratic Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Some prior study of political and social theory is desirable but not necessary.
The teaching will involve a mixture of short lectures, class discussion, and Student presentations.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Exam
  • 79
  • Preparation
  • 168
  • Total
  • 275
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Written exam
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

Criteria for achieving the goals:

  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner