https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/UGST4028?type=COREThe course introduces students to the foundational thinkers of democratic theory, and also to democracy's most penetrating enemies. Class-room work will focus on close discussion of some exciting and difficult texts: for example, Locke's Letter on Toleration, Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Marx On the Jewish Question. Students will learn to situate these texts in their historical context and to understand their relevance to contemporary dilemmas and debates. The overall aim is to show that what democracy is and what it should be are never settled questions. The controversies that divide democracies today can be illuminated by returning to the great thinkers of the past. The key themes will be how democratic theorists have thought about toleration, inequality, exclusion and inclusion. Students will be expected to think for themselves on these questions, and to learn how to explain texts to their fellow students, demonstrating their historical context and contemporary relevance.All readings are on Moodle. The pages to be read are in the syllabus. Biography Michael Ignatieff is Rector Emeritus and professor of historical studies at CEU.Ignatieff came to CEU after serving as Edward R. Murrow Professor of Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School.He served in the Canadian Parliament and was Leader of the Liberal Party. His books include The Needs of Strangers (1984) Blood and Belonging (1993), The Warrior's Honour (1997), Isaiah Berlin (1998), The Rights Revolution (2000), Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (2001), The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror (2004), Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics (2013), and The Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World (2017). His latest book is On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times (2021).