CAPI 1575 - Capitalism and Democracy

An examination of issues or concepts related to American democracy, with attention to key historical documents including but not limited to: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. This course will provide the historical context and deep critical analysis necessary to help students understand the importance of these founding documents to the American democratic journey. The course will explain the founding ideas of American capitalism, how capitalism helped to end undemocratic forms of government, and how capitalism created a new contradiction in American democracy through the rise of an unelected capitalist class. This course explores where and when capitalism furthered the goals of American democracy, and where and when capitalism constrained those goals. Students will read documents from government officials, economists, workers, activists, and intellectuals, all of whom tried to further the goals of capitalism or who tried to constrain capitalism in order to make America more democratic. Students will explore periods where democracy thrived under capitalism, and periods when democratic institutions recoiled due to the power and influence of capital.

Credit Hours: (3)
General Education Requirement(s) Satisfied: Foundations of American Democracy

Schedule of Classes