Digital Democracy: Theory and Practice
Objectives
This course unit aims to offer an introduction to the normative debate on the concept of democracy, including liberal, participatory and deliberative theory. Provide tools for assessing the practical limits of different democratic models and identifying some of the main problems that affect the concrete functioning of democracies. Analyze democratic innovations, especially to what extent the use of new communication tools impacts political representation, familiarizing students with the theoretical literature on the political dimension of new digital technologies. Implications of digital democracy for citizenship, in particular on education and civil society. Discussion of the dynamics and possibilities of digital democracy through transnational processes, examining the implications of the diffusion of new technologies in terms of international relations, economic order and leadership.
General characterization
Code
02104593
Credits
10.0
Responsible teacher
Available soon
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 280
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
Gardels, N., e N. Berggruen. Renovating Democracy. Santa Barbara (CA): University of California Press, 2019.
Grofman, B., A. H. Trechsel, e M. Franklin. The Internet and Democracy in Global Perspective: Voters, Candidates, Parties, and Social Movements. New York: Springer, 2014.
Hague, B. N., e B. D. Loader. Digital Democracy. Discourse and decision Making in the Information Age. London: Routledge, 1999.
Hindman, M. The Myth of Digital Democracy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009.
Lutz, B., e P. Toit. Defining Democracy in a Digital Age. London: Palgrave, 2014.
Smith, G. Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Urbinati, N. Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy. Boston: Harvard University Press, 2019.
Teaching method
Combination of theoretical classes and knowledge exposure (60%), with practical classes aimed at both the presentation and discussion of texts (20%), the operationalization of concepts and the empirical validation of arguments and explanatory hypotheses (20%).
Evaluation method
Evaluation Method - Attendance and Participation(15%), Individual and/or Group Work(35%), Written Essay(50%)
Subject matter
- Democracy: normative definitions. Direct democracy, deliberative democracy and participative democracy.
- Definitions and conceptualizations of representative democracy. Transformations of political representation.
- The concept of quality of democracy and democratic innovations.
- Civic education, active citizenship and democratization of civil society.
- Digital literacy, journalistic ethics and information access. Public opinion in the digital age.
- Globalization and digital democracy.
- The future of digital democracy.
Programs
Programs where the course is taught: