Meeting Register Page

Sustaining Democracy

“Sustaining Democracy” is a new book club that provides UT students a space in which to read and discuss key thinkers and texts, both canonical and contemporary, that lay the foundations for democratic and ethical governance. Readings will highlight the specific ways that ethical and democratic governance is undermined by authoritarianism, tribalism, and political corruption. Interested students should email hina.azam@austin.utexas.edu for any questions or to join.

For the Spring 2021 semester, we will complete How Democracies Die, by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, from the previous semester. For the remainder of the semester, we will read Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 classic fictional work, It Can’t Happen Here.

Participants are responsible for acquiring their own copies of the book. Meetings will usually be held on Thursdays at 5 pm; all meetings will be held via Zoom. Please self-enroll in the Canvas group at https://utexas.instructure.com/enroll/H4E8NF , for more up-to-date meeting and reading information.

SPRING 2021 SCHEDULE (updated after February weather crisis):

1) Thu 1/21: Kick-Off Meeting: No readings -- just a chance to meet and greet, as well as share thoughts about the presidential inauguration, the insurrection, and effort to overturn the election.

2) Thu 2/4: How Democracies Die, Ch.8, Trump Against the Guardrails

3) Thu 2/18: How Democracies Die, Ch.9, Saving Democracy CANCELED

3) Thu 3/4: How Democracies Die, Ch.9, Saving Democracy

4) Thu 3/25: It Can’t Happen Here, Chs.1-7

5) Thu 4/8: It Can’t Happen Here, Chs.8-15

6) Thu 4/15: It Can’t Happen Here, Chs.16-23 -- NEWLY ADDED MAKE-UP DATE

7) Thu 4/22: : It Can’t Happen Here, Chs.24-31

8) Thu 5/6: : It Can’t Happen Here, Chs.32-38 (end of book)