OLDEMO - Democracy in America: Volume I of Alexis de Tocqueville's Magnum Opus

Course Description

In this course, we will examine the second part of Volume I of Alexis de Tocqueville’s most-read work, Democracy in America. In the 1830s, the French aristocrat toured the fledgling United States with the intention of studying its prisons. The scope of the work grew into a thorough study of the Antebellum United States as a whole; today, his work is considered to be the most significant study of America that was conducted by a foreigner. He assessed the American character by observing the country’s institutions, literature, art, race, the family, private associations, and other facets of American life. De Tocqueville tried to understand American democracy and its relationship to equality and excellence. Throughout the course, we will arrive at fundamental questions about our character as Americans and the nature of our democracy. This course is a continuation of Democracy in America: Volume I of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Magnum Opus.

Required Supplies: Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, translated and edited by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop

For more information about this course, contact: OLLI at LSU at 225-578-2500 or email OLLI@outreach.lsu.edu