Assignment: Application: Critiques of Democracy

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the article “Democracy, Nationalism and Culture: A Social Critique of Liberal Monoculturalism” in this week’s Learning Resources. Take note of critiques of democracy in the article.
• Review the articles “Plato’s Criticisms of Democracy in the Republic” and “Is Democracy Possible?” in this week’s Learning Resources. Pay particular attention to dissenting arguments about democracy.
• Think about why critiques of democracy might be an important element of democratic governance.
• Reflect on the role of critiques of democracy in reforming and improving democratic governance.
• Using the knowledge you have gained from this course, the Learning Resources for this week, and/or your own research on democracy, select two critiques of democracy for this Assignment.
• Consider (as they relate to governance and public policy) the validity of the critiques, their constructive or destructive nature, and how they might be rebutted.

The Assignment (3–5 pages):

• Briefly describe the two critiques of democracy that you selected.
• Evaluate them as follows (as they relate to governance and public policy):
  • Explain why and how the critiques might be valid and constructive.
  • Explain why and how the critiques might be invalid and destructive.
  • Explain how you might refute or support these critiques.
• Share insights and/or draw conclusions based on your evaluation of critiques of democracy.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are required to use at least four of this week learning resources for this course.