POL 503B Crucial Cultural & Political Differences between France & America two centuries afterTocqueville
This class analyzes the core cultural and political differences between the French and the American democracies as they have been shaped through the historical process from their foundation to the present. Based on Alexis de Tocqueville's two main works, Democracy in America and the Old Regime and the Revolution, it will focus on specific notions such as: the relationship between religion and politics, the work ethics and the market economy, the role of the civil associations in the fabric of the social bond, the power of the central state. After a series of introductory lectures, the class will rely strongly on students' participation and initiatives. The course will be taught in English.