Rethinking Democracy in the (Mis)Information Age
SOC-STD 98RM
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Liberal deliberative ethics often assumes that people with different perspectives can, through dialogue, come to agree—or at minimum, to understand one another. Yet recent phenomena, including rising polarization, the spread of bizarre conspiracy theories, and the proliferation of online misinformation, challenge this assumption. They raise the possibility of differences in perspective that are irreconcilable and non-eliminable. How should democratic societies respond to the proliferation of seemingly incompatible belief systems throughout the public? And, what does it mean to be an informed citizen in this fragmented informational environment? This tutorial examines these questions by combining empirical research on public opinion with theoretical approaches from social and political epistemology, ordinary language philosophy, and political theory. This course invites students to explore alternative models of democratic deliberation that do not hinge on restoring a possibly mythical condition of factual consensus but instead view shared understanding as an outcome of active engagement.
Course Notes
This course will be lotteried and is open to non-concentrators if space permits. This course must be taken for a Letter Grade and cannot be taken Pass/Fail.
Not Available for Cross Registration
