Resources
Teacher Bibliography
"Appendix: Observing Democracies." In The Democracy Sourcebook, edited by Robert
Dahl, Ian Shapiro, and Jose Antonio Cheibub, 527-534. Cambridge: The MIT Press,
2003.
A quick overview of different methods for rating the successfulness of democratic governments
Dahl, Robert A. How Democratic Is the American Constitution? New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2002.
A study of the successes and failures of the American democratic experiment
—. On Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
An accessible textbook treatment of democracy and its varied applications
Fishkin, James S. The Voice of the People: Public Opinion and Democracy. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1995.
Explores the processes of deliberative democracy as well as provides a model
Shapiro, Ian. Democratic Justice. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
Used to illuminate the principle of affected interest and collective self-government
—. "Introduction: The Federalist Then and Now." In The Federalist Papers, edited by Ian Shapiro. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009.
An overview of the use of the Federalist Papers by the framers of foreign democracies
—. "Tyranny and Democracy: Reflections on Some Recent Literature." Government and
Opposition 43, no. 3 (Summer 2008): 486-497.
A review of two books on democratic theory and practice
Student Bibliography
Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist Papers. Edited by
Clinton Rossiter. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1961.
A pocket edition of the essays with a summary of each essay in the table of contents
Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address."
http://americancivilwar.com/north/lincoln.html (Accessed August 13, 2008).
A website with a transcription of Lincoln's famous Civil War speech
Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
A philosophical discussion of the purposes of government in relation to personal liberties
Plato. The Republic. Translated by R.E. Allen. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.
An accessible translation of Plato's classic work on government
Classroom Materials
This unit requires the ability to create handouts both of excerpts of the rationale above and also of select excerpts from student resources included in the bibliography. For writing the position papers, students should have access to the internet and/or a library for researching their comparisons; photocopies of portions of both of the Dahl books would also suffice. The children's book requires art materials such as large paper and markers/crayons as well as a way to bind the book (yarn or staples).
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