| Unit name | What is democracy, and how should it work? |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20057 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jason Konek |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
What’s so great about democracy? Why are democratic institutions valuable? Voting seems to be part of the story. But how? Why is the ability to vote so important? And what makes a good voting system anyway? In this unit, we will explore a number of different voting systems and investigate their role in democracy. We will ask a range of philosophical questions about voting: Do we have a moral duty to vote? Is it rational to vote? What sorts of voting systems are good or bad for different purposes? When is a voting system fair? Whose vote should count anyway? We will also explore important results about what sorts of voting systems are even possible, such as Arrow’s theorem and the Condorcet Jury Theorem, and consider their implications for how to structure democratic institutions. Along the way, we will examine the subtle (and not so subtle) ways in which democracy is often undermined.
On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
Lectures, small group work, individual exercises, seminars and virtual learning environment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
None
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHIL20057).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
