NOTE: This course is no longer connected to Duke Immerse.  Enrollment in this course is open to all Duke students.

This course will explore normative and historical notions of the public sphere and how it factors into the
democratic process. In exploring both historical and contemporary versions of the public sphere, this
course will also explore related concepts such as public deliberation, public opinion, the public forum,
and the marketplace of ideas; how they have been conceptualized, defined, and measured over time;
and how they affect – and are affected by – public policymaking. Finally, this course will spend a
substantial amount of time exploring the dynamics of the contemporary digital public sphere, how it has
evolved, how it is structured, and its implications for civil discourse and the democratic process. The
course will also consider legal and policy interventions directed at preserving and enhancing the public
sphere.