At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What do we have, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin is reputed to have said, “A republic, if you can keep it?” In these times of intense political chaos, we will explore the questions of democratic backsliding and resilience, both here and globally. We will examine the political and social forces that are contributing to democracy’s corrosion. We will also look at some of the social and psychological engines of our intense domestic partisanship.

Format: Each two-hour session will feature two presentations. Typically, each class member will present a specific topic of 20-30 minutes, based on a selected chapter and/or a related article, followed by class discussion and questions for the remainder of the hour. Should a class presenter wish to present a topic not listed on the syllabus, you are free to do so.

Resources/Expenses: How Democracy Ends by David Runciman is available new on Amazon for $21.15, e-books for $12.00 or used for $7.00 from various online book sellers.

Coordinator: Michael Dumond retired from two career paths, social worker (1st) and public health (2nd) with career experience in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts state government and nonprofit systems. He has participated in several LLC courses and shares our common concern over the fate of our democracy.