A Deep Dive into Sophocles’ Antigone
Clare Pearson
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Deadline December 28, 2026
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Modality Online
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Tuition $580
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Next Start Date January 7, 2027
Course Description
When Democracy in America first appeared (volume 1 in 1835 and volume 2 in 1840), democracy was, in France, a controversial novelty. As such, Tocqueville needed to defend it as both just and capable of supplying society with effective government. This defense involved the state of society as well as the structure of government and the way each affected the other. Tocqueville paid particular attention to the conditions required for democracy’s success and the danger of new kinds of despotism which accompanied it. In the United States, if not from the very beginning, from early on democracy’s goodness was taken for granted and Tocqueville’s work seemed to vindicate the idea that we were the very model of an effective modern democracy. But joined with his claim that he “examined America” because he “wanted to find lessons from which we [France] could profit,” Tocqueville observed, “one would be strangely mistaken to think that I wanted to make a panegyric.” At this juncture in the history of the United States, many of our fellow citizens think the nation confronts an unprecedented threat of some kind of despotism. In such circumstances we have good reason to revisit Democracy in America for what Tocqueville can teach us about the preservation of democracy as such and related to this, the particular circumstances that distinguish American democracy from that of other countries, for good and ill.
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Required Texts
- Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Edited and Translated by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, University of Chicago Press, 2000, ISBN: 0-226-80536-0.
Available Course Sections
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Complete any assigned reading and come prepared to participate actively in classroom discussion. While not required, we offer an optional course to prepare students to engage with challenging works: How to Read Classic Texts. While this is presented as an introductory course for the Basic Program, students in other programs or open enrollment courses are also welcome to participate and grow their skills.
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UChicago has a reputation for academic rigor. Will I be able to meaningfully participate in the classroom discussions?
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