POLT 281 - Interest Groups and American Democracy

FC SSCI

4 credits
This course examines the U.S. interest group system, focusing in particular on its relationship to the struggle for democracy in America. We begin by exploring different ideas about how interest groups contribute to and/or suppress democratic movements. We then examine several important post-1960s developments in the interest group system, including but not limited to the expansion of corporate lobbying, the weakening of labor unions, the expansion of social justice organizations, and the growth of the nonprofit sector. We critically analyze the problems each development might pose to today’s democratic movements and consider how organizers and activists have attempted to address these problems.