Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Kent State University/Capitalism and Democracy (Spring)
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- Course name
- Capitalism and Democracy
- Institution
- Kent State University
- Instructor
- Mark Cassell
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Political Science
- Course dates
- 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC – 2019-05-07 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 10
The course examines the conceptual definitions of capitalism and democracy and outlines theoretical perspectives on their relationship. Drawing on a variety of international and historical examples, we explore the arguments as to why these two institutional systems might support, or instead undermine, each other. The Wikipedia assignment will supplement a median-length research paper.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 15 January 2019 | Thursday, 17 January 2019
- Assignment - Introduction
Readings:
- Almond, Gabriel 1991. Capitalism and Democracy PS: Political Science and Politics 24(3): 467-474
Questions to consider:
- What is the relationship between capitalism and democracy?
- How does Almond define capitalism and democracy?
- Can you think of current examples that support the causal
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 22 January 2019 | Thursday, 24 January 2019
- Assignment - What do we mean by democracy?
Readings:
- Dahl, Robert. 2000. On Democracy New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, Chapters 1-7.
Recommended readings:
- Schumpeter, Joseph. 2010. Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. London: Routledge Press.
- Almond, G. A., & Verba, S. (2015). The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Princeton University Press.
Questions to consider:
- How does democracy develop?
- What are the conditions that favor democracy?
- How many countries are currently democratic?
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 29 January 2019 | Thursday, 31 January 2019
- Assignment - What are the varieties of democracy?
Readings:
- Dahl, Robert. 2000. On Democracy New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, Chapters 9-12.
Questions to consider:
- What are the limits of democracy?
- How do different electoral systems shape democracy?
- What are the conditions for democracy?
Writing Assignment:
- Half-page research paper topic proposal due in class January 31st.
- In class - Discussion
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 5 February 2019 | Thursday, 7 February 2019
- Assignment - Features of Capitalism
Reading:
- Bowles, Samuel, Richard Edwards, and Frank Roosevelt 2005. “Chapter 6: Capitalism as an Economic System” in Understanding Capitalism.
- Cryan, Dan, Sharron Shatil, and Piero. Introducing Capitalism: A Graphic Guide. Pp. 1-51
Recommended:
- Coates, David. 2016. Capitalism: the Basics, London: Routledge Press.
Questions to consider:
- What features distinguish capitalism?
- How did we get capitalism?
- What are the conditions the enable capitalism to flourish?
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 12 February 2019 | Thursday, 14 February 2019
- Assignment - Varieties of Capitalism
Readings:
- Bresser-Pereira, Luiz Carlos. 2012. “Five Models of Capitalism” Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 32(1): 21-31.
- Soskice, David and Peter Hall. 2001. “An Introduction to Varieties of Capitalism” in Soskice and Hall (eds.) Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford Press. Read pages 1-33 and skim the rest.
Recommended:
- Albert, Michel. 1993. Capitalism vs. Capitalism. London, Whurr Publishers.
- Thurow, Lester. 2012. Head to Head. New York, Harper Collins.
Questions to consider:
- What are the different models of capitalism?
- What do they share in common? What are their differences?
- What is a coordinated market economy?
- What is a liberal market economy?
- Assignment - Exercise
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 19 February 2019 | Thursday, 21 February 2019
- Assignment - Capitalism Promotes Democracy
Readings:
- Friedman, Milton, and Rose Friedman. Free to Choose - Ch. 5
- Dahl, Robert. On Democracy, Chapter 13.
- Bush George. 2008. The Surest Path Back to Prosperity, op-ed, Wall Street Journal, 15 November.
- Friedman, U. (2013, October 26). Capitalism's Most Overlooked Benefit: Peace. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/capitalism-s-most-overlooked-benefit-peace/339363/
Recommended readings:
- Inglehart, R. (2000). Globalization and postmodern values. The Washington Quarterly, 23(1), 215-228.
- Mcfaul, M. (2000). Russian democracy: Still not a lost cause. The Washington Quarterly, 23(1), 161-172.
- Novak, M. (2013, September 24). Democratic Capitalism. National Review. https://www.nationalreview.com/2013/09/democratic-capitalism-michael-novak/
- Hadar, L. (2013, March 13). How Capitalism Saved Chile. The American Conservative.
Questions to consider:
- How does capitalism support democracy?
- How is peace connected to capitalism?
- What are Friedman and Bush's arguments?
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 26 February 2019 | Thursday, 28 February 2019
- Assignment - Capitalism Undermines Democracy
Readings:
- Charles Lindblom. 1984. “The Market as Prison” in The Political Economy (eds.) Thomas Ferguson and Joel Rogers. (Blackboard Learn)
- Crain, Caleb. (2018, May 14). Capitalism a Threat to Democracy? The New Yorker Magazine.
- Dahl, Robert. On Democracy, Chapter 14.
Recommended:
- Löwy, M. (2015). Capitalism Vs. Democracy in Europe. Against The Current, 30(178), 10-12.
- Stilwell, Frank. 2012, Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas, Oxford University Press, Australia
- Howard, M & King, J 1976, ‘Introduction,' in M Howard & J King (eds.), The Economics of Marx: Selected Readings of Exposition and Criticism, Penguin Books Ltd, Great Britain, pp. 9-47
Questions to consider:
- What are the threats to democracy?
- What role do corporations play in shaping public policy?
- Why has authoritarianism been making a comeback?
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 5 March 2019 | Thursday, 7 March 2019
- Assignment - Capitalism as an Authoritarian Tool
Reading:
- Larison, D. (2012, June 29). Challenges to Liberal Democracy. The American Conservative.
- New York Times series on China
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/world/asia/china-rules.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/25/world/asia/china-freedoms-control.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/25/world/asia/china-economy-strategy.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/25/world/asia/china-world-power.html
Questions to consider:
- How has capitalism enabled authoritarian regimes to strengthen their power?
- Does China point to a new model of economic and political development?
- In class - Discussion
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 12 March 2019 | Thursday, 14 March 2019
- Assignment - Dark Money Film
Readings:
- Koerth-Baker, M. (2018, September 10). How Money Affects Elections. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/money-and-elections-a-complicated-love-story/
- Waldman, P. (2014, April 4). How Our Campaign Finance System Compares to Other Countries. The American Prospect. Retrieved from http://prospect.org/article/how-our-campaign-finance-system-compares-other-countries
Recommended:
- Bender, Edwin, 2010. An Insider’s View. Open Government: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation in Practice available on http://www.followthemoney.org website under research and reports.
- Bohlen, C. (2018, January 20). Opinion | American Democracy Is Drowning in Money. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/opinion/democracy-drowning-cash.html
Question to consider:
- How does money affect elections?
- How do other countries do campaign finance?
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 19 March 2019 | Thursday, 21 March 2019
- Assignment - Can Democracy Promote Capitalism
Readings:
- Olson, Mancur (1993). Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development. American Political Science Review, 87(03), 567-576
- Tanden, Neera. (2011, February 17). Democracy Also Means Opportunity. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2011/02/17/8981/democracy-also-means-opportunity/
Recommended:
- Moore, Barrington. 1993. Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World. Reprint edition. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Huber, Evelyne, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and John D. Stephens. “The Impact of Economic Development on Democracy.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 7, no. 3 (July 1, 1993): 71–86.
- Therborn, Goran: The Rule of Capital and the Rise of Democracy,” New Left Review 103:3-41.
- Diamond, Larry. (2012, January 24). Why East Asia – Including China – Will Turn Democratic Within a Generation. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/why-east-asia-including-china-will-turn-democratic-within-a-generation/251824/
Questions to consider:
- How does Olson view the relationship between democracy and development?
- What is it about democracy that enables markets to thrive?
- Is promoting democracy in the Middle East a pathway to prosperity?
Writing Assignment:
- First Draft of research paper due in class March 21st.
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 2 April 2019 | Thursday, 4 April 2019
- Assignment - How does Democracy undermine Capitalism
Readings:
- F.A. Hayek Road to Serfdom, Chapter 5 “Planning and Democracy.”
- Przeworski, A. (1992). The Neoliberal Fallacy. Journal of Democracy,3(3), 45-59
Recommended:
- Muller, Jerry Z. (2007). The democratic threat to capitalism. Daedalus, 136(3), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1162/daed.2007.136.3.77
- Barro, R. (1994). Democracy & Growth. Journal of Economic Growth, 1(3), 1-27
Questions to consider:
- How does democracy stifle capitalism?
- What evidence is there that elections lead to market failures and market distortions?
- What is the neoliberal fallacy?
- What is Hayek’s argument?
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 9 April 2019 | Thursday, 11 April 2019
- Assignment - Democracy and the Global Financial Crisis
Reading:
- Cassell, Mark. 2019. “The Global Economy and the “Great Recession” in K. Larres and R. Wittlinger (eds.) Understanding Global Politics London: Routledge Press.
- Blyth, Mark. 2013. The Austerity Delusion: Why a Bad Idea Won Over the West Foreign Affairs, 92(3) (MAY/JUNE 2013), 41-56.
Recommended Readings:
- Gosling, J. J., & Eisner, M. A. (2013). “The Great Recession” Economics, Politics, and American public policy. Armonk, N.Y.: Sharpe.
Questions to consider:
- Is the global recession an example of capitalism harming democracy or democracy harming capitalism?
- What led a US recession to become a global recession?
Writing Assignment:
- Peer review of a colleague’s research paper due April 11.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 16 April 2019 | Thursday, 18 April 2019
- Assignment - Global Financial Crisis
Film: The Great Euro Crisis
Reading:
- Krugman, Paul. 2011. Can Europe be Saved? New York Times Magazine, January 11.
Questions to consider:
- What contributed to Europe’s economic crisis?
- What democratic steps need to occur for Europe’s capitalist systems to function?
- Is capitalism compatible with democracy in Europe?
- In class - In-class presentation
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 23 April 2019 | Thursday, 25 April 2019
- In class - Student Presentations
Week 15
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 30 April 2019 | Thursday, 2 May 2019
- In class - Student Presentations
- Assignment - Final Exam and Paper
Final Exam 12:45-3pm Final paper Due on May 7th.
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Assignment - Original analytical paper
Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.