A minimal concept of democracy includes the realistic expectation by everyone in and near politics that an unbroken series of open national elections will stretch into the future. These events will provide the basic means of selecting governments. In 2024 democrats in the U.S. can hope that American politics goes down this path without taking it for granted. What political, economic, and cultural tendencies generate large and explosive challenges to democracy? What are the origins and meanings of these tendencies? This course does not presume that students already have an extensive familiarity with politics in the United States. However, our account of American political institutions and practices will be imbedded in our study of challenges to democracy, rather than a separate large section of the course. Through consultation with the instructor, students will define and carry out term projects focused on significant political forces engaged in one of the many ongoing battles in American politics in 2024.