The Democracy Group and the McCourtney Institute for Democracy recently announced the release of Democracy Discourse, an interactive online course designed to delve into democracy, why it’s in decline and how you can help save it.
The curriculum was created with the general public in mind and serves as a primer to further academic pursuits in democracy and civics topics.
Democracy Discourse helps students differentiate democracy from other forms of government, understand why it’s worth fighting for, be fluent in obstacles hindering democracy and discover ways for citizens to take action. From students to community leaders, Democracy Discourse is suitable for engaged citizens of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Each lesson features insights from leading scholars and practitioners who offer their expertise and spearhead conversations on democracy. After the lesson, students can also participate in polls about the direction of the course as well as leave their thoughts on the materials in the comment section.
“This way we are not just learning about democracy, but having a discourse about it,” Stover said.
The first lesson — “Is Democracy in Peril?” — touches on the definition of democracy, the apparent decline of its pillars and the factors leading to potential democratic failure. With guides from experts such as Anne Applebaum, Robert Lieberman and Barbara Walter, the lesson explores the historical context of democracy’s fragility and examines modern challenges like political polarization and the rise of populism.
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The Democracy Group is a network of podcasts and organizations that create educational content about democracy, civic engagement and civil discourse. With a mission of examining what’s broken in our democracy and how we can fix it, The Democracy Group provides informative resources that increase curiosity and empathy among our listeners. We use our platform to share the good work of organizations that are taking action to strengthen democracy.
Stover is the network manager for The Democracy Group.
