ASSIGNMENT OPTIONS:
You have the following two assignment options to choose from (Only choose one option):
OPTION #1
Listen to the podcast of NPR’s Fresh Air show interviewing the two authors of How Democracies Die.
I have embedded the interview in Canvas for easier access. However, you can also find the interview at
https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=579670528
After you have listened to the interview, type an essay answering the following prompts related to the
radio interview:
a. Summarize the main contention of the authors as it relates to how democracies die. Be sure
to describe their theoretical model in detail.
b. Summarize the historical examples that have fit their theoretical model.
c. Describe how the United States fits, or does not fit, their model.
d. Overall, do you agree with their conclusions? (Try not to use “first person”.)
– If you agree entirely, or in part, explain why.
– If you disagree entirely, or in part, explain why.
e. Regardless of your position, project the political, social and cultural future of the United
States in a post-Trump America. How will government institutions function? How will the
Presidency be transformed, if at all? Will democracy thrive? Has it ever in the U.S.?
Essentially, you will conclude this paper by analyzing the institutions and society of the United
States to determine its overall democratic health.
