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topics & readings( 1st term)
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political
science 210 (section C3) The History of (Western) Political Thought MWF 1-2 pm – 2003-04 Office: 11‑28 Tory Phone: (780) - 492‑5390 Email: Don.Carmichael@ualberta.ca Course Outline
This course is an introduction to political philosophy, conducted as a
critical examination of some of the major classical writings in the history
of western political thought.
Although some effort will be made to relate these writings to their
historical contexts, they will be used primarily as important and still
relevant reflections on central questions of political life, and students
will be encouraged to use these writings to develop their own understandings
of these questions. This section of the course will be discussion-oriented. As part of this focus on discussion,
the course will include instruction in the skills of effective expression and
argument. Students are invited to propose special projects and to suggest ways
in which the course might be improved over the year. The Work
Students in this course are
not expected to have any background in philosophy or theoretical work. On the contrary, the course is an
introduction to the subject; and a major priority of the course is to teach students
how to do political theory -- and enjoy it. The material covered in this
course must be studied in a particular way: it calls for careful, critical
reading and reflection, rather than research. Students will not be asked to read a lot, even for essays;
but they will be expected: (1)
to read the assigned material carefully, (2)
to do so before the class for which it is assigned, and (3)
to come to class prepared to discuss it. As the course schedule
indicates, readings are assigned each week (and sometimes for specific
classes). These readings are not heavy and an effort has been made to
distribute them evenly throughout the year. But students will be expected to read the assigned
material carefully, before the class for which it is assigned, and to come to
class prepared to discuss it.
Pop quizzes will be used to test and reward preparation In an effort to
reduce students’ costs, all primary readings (except Plato) will be drawn
from a coursepack, using copyright-free public domain sources. There will also be a coursepack of
supplementary secondary readings and an inexpensive guide to critical
thinking (Epstein). These are
all available in SUB Bookstore: . Readings in The
History of Western Political Thought (Coursepack). Supplementary
Readings for Political Science 210 (section C3) (Coursepack). Plato,
Republic (Penguin, Lee translation). Richard
Epstein, The Pocket Guide to Critical Thinking, 2nd ed. There will be two
examinations: a mid‑term at Christmas and a final. The pop quizzes and class participation will be worth 10%. However, students will have
a choice of being evaluated primarily through essays or instead through
exams. Essay writing is an
essential part of the learning in this course, but it seems that some
students prefer exams (or are more successful on them) while others prefer
essays. This year, as an
experiment, students will be
invited to decide for themselves whether to be graded primarily by
essays or by exams. The
essay-based format will require four essays, worth twice as much as
the exams. The exam-based
format will require three essays, with the same weight (45%) as the
exams. exam-format quiz/oral 10% mid term 15% final exam 30% essays (3) 45% (3 x 15%) essay-format quiz/oral 10% mid term 10% final exam 20% essays 60% (4 x 15%) You don’t have to
do anything to indicate which format you want. Your grade will be calculated in both formats, and you’ll
get whichever grade is better.
If you’ve done three essays then this will obviously mean the exam
format. If you’ve done four
essays, your grade will be calculated with the four essays in the essay
format, and also with your three best essays in the exam format, and you’ll
get whichever grade is better. Essay Requirements
Essays in this
course should be brief (1500-2000 words), positional, and critical, arguing a
definite thesis in relation to some aspect of the readings. These essays call for analysis and
critical reflection. They are
not research papers. They will
not require any reading or research beyond the material assigned for the
course. The best way to do well on such essays is by careful reading of the
course material as indicated above. All students must
do one essay on Mill (mid Oct), a second essay on either Plato (late Nov) or
Aristotle (early Jan), and a third essay on Hobbes (late Feb) or Rousseau
(mid-March). Students writing
the optional fourth essay may do so on any theorist on wjom they haven’t
already written or on Marx (late March). Choices of topics will be offered on all essays. Due dates
and specific topics will be announced early in each term. Topics & Readings
(First term) This schedule is provisional
and will be revised as the course progresses. INTRODUCTION:
J.S. Mill: On Liberty and Utilitarianism Sept. 3-5 Introduction Wed: introduction to the course Fri: On Liberty, ch 1 (On Liberty, pp 1-8) Sept. 8‑12 J.S.
Mill, On Liberty, chs 2-3 Mon: On Liberty, ch 2 (On Liberty, pp 8-17) Wed: On Liberty, ch 3 (On Liberty, pp 17-22) Fri: test case -- censorship & child pornography: (Supplementary
Readings, pp 20-33,
decisions of the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada) Sept. 15‑19 JS.
Mill, On Liberty, chs 4-5 Mon: On Liberty, ch 4 (On Liberty, pp 22-27) Wed: On Liberty, ch 5 (On Liberty, pp 27-33) Fri: critique: Kendall, “The Open Society and Its
Fallacies” (Supplementary Readings) Sept. 22‑26 J.S.
Mill, Utilitarianism Mon: Utilitarianism, chs 2-3 (Utilitarianism, pp 1-10) Wed: Utilitarianism, chs 4-5 (Utilitarianism, pp 10-17). Fri: test
case: Carmichael, “Terrorism” (Supplementary Readings) PLATO:
Apology, Crito & The Problem
of Political Obligation Sept 29 - Oct 3 Apology
and Crito Mon: Plato: Biographical Note +
Apology (Apology, pp 1-18) Wed: Crito (Crito, pp 1-12): is
Socrates obligated to obey the law?
Fri: read the Crito again: does Socrates’ argument apply to
everyone? PLATO: Republic Oct. 6-10 Republic, Introduction Mon: Readings:
Republic, pp 1-8: Cephalus, Polemarchus – (*essay intro’s due) Wed: Readings: Republic, pp 8-22: Thrasymachus Fri: Penguin
text, pp 40 - 52: restatement
(357a-367e) – (* essay # 1 due) Oct. 15-17 Republic: Foundations
of The State Mon: Thanksgiving holiday Wed: Penguin, pp. 53-76,
96-100: social needs, education (368a-383b, 400d-403c) Fri: Penguin, pp. 112-39: social classes (412a-434d) Oct. 20-24 Republic, Justice Mon: Penguin:
pp.139-49 (the psyche) (434d-441c) Wed: Penguin: pp. 149-56
(virtue in the individual) (441c-449a) Fri: Penguin:
pp. 157 - 73 (women as guardians, the family) (449a-461e) Oct. 27-31 Philosophy &
Power Mon: Penguin: pp.
226-35 (sun analogy) (502d-509c) Wed: Penguin: pp.
235-48 (line and cave
analogies) (509c-521b) Fri: Penguin:
pp. 267-74 (education of philosophers) (535a-541a) Nov. 3-7 Politics,
Critical Issues: (readings for this week may be revised) Mon: Penguin: pp.
275-78, 290-98 (dem’y) (543a-545c,555b-562a) *rewrites) Wed: Penguin: pp.
298-314 (tyranny) (562a-576b) Fri: comparison:
Mill, Representative Government ch 3 (Readings) Nov. 12-14 Republic: Conclusion Mon: no class: fall term
class break Wed: Penguin: pp. 314-19,
320-34 (justice benefits) (576c-580c, 588b-592b) Fri: critique: Crossman, “Plato & The Perfect State” (Supplement.
Readings) ARISTOTLE:
Politics Nov. 17-21 The
"Nature" of Political Association Mon: Politics, Book 1 (Politics
pp 1-5) Wed: Book 2 (Politics pp
6-12): Plato re: property & families – (*Plato essays due) Fri: readings tba Nov. 24-28 Constitutions Mon: Book 3 (Politics pp 12-20) : citizenship & constitutions Wed: Book 4 (Politics pp 20-27) : types of constitution Fri: Aristotle’s discussion of slavery (Politics
pp 37-39) Dec. 1-3 Review:
Political Life and Human Happiness Mon: Bks 7-8 (Politics pp 27-36): Aristotle's ideal Wed Nicomachean Ethics
(Readings: Ethics, pp 1-8):
happiness Mid Term; Tuesday, December 9th, 2-4 pm (classroom) Post-Holiday:
Medieval Period Jan. 10-14 Medieval
Period: Aquinas and Machiavelli Mon: Machiavelli, (The Prince, pp 1-17) (*Aristotle essays due) Wed: Aquinas, Summa Theologica,
selections (Aquinas, pp
1-7) Fri: introduction
to Hobbes: Leviathan, pp.
1-2, 21-24 (Introd’n + ch
13) |
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TOPICS &
READINGS: Second Term
Medieval Period
Jan. 5-9 Medieval
Period
Mon: no class
Wed: Machiavelli, The Prince
Fri: Hobbes: Biographical Note, + Leviathan, ch 13 (pp 21-24)
Rights & Authority: Hobbes and Locke
Jan 12-16 Hobbes,
Leviathan Part One – (* Aristotle essays due Monday)
Mon: foundations: Leviathan, Introduction, chs 1-5
Wed: human
nature: Leviathan, chs 6-10
Fri: man & society: Leviathan,
chs 11‑13
Jan 19-23 The
Argument for Authority: Leviathan, Part Two
Mon: natural
right & morality: Leviathan, chs. 14‑16
Wed: authority: Leviathan, chs.
17-19
Fri: assessment of the argument for authority
Jan 26-30 Authority,
Liberty & Law
Mon: liberty
& law : Leviathan, chs 20-21
Wed: law: Leviathan, chs 26-28
Fri: law & statecraft: Leviathan,
chs 29-31
Feb 2-6 Locke,
The Second Treatise
Mon: human
nature: Second Treatise, chs 1-4*, 6-7
(*
note that ch 5 on property is deferred to Friday)
Wed: authority:
Second Treatise, chs 8, 9,
11, 19 (pp 21-33)
Fri: property: Second Treatise, ch 5
Feb 9-13 Hobbes
vs Locke: contrasts
– (* Hobbes/Locke
essays due Friday)
Mon: rights:
Hobbesian vs Lockean
Wed: the
problem of natural rights (Supp Readings: Pocklington, “Against Inflating”)
Fri: the underlying justifications: human nature
Feb 16-20 Reading
Week.
....../ over
Rousseau
Feb 23-27 Discourse
on The Origin of Inequality
Mon: Biographical
Note, Discourse Part 1 (pp
1-14).
Wed: Part 2 (pp 14-28).
Fri: critical evaluation (no readings).
Mar 1-5 The
Social Contract: political issues
Mon: Book 1
Wed: Book 2
Fri: can people be “forced to
be free”?
Mar 8-12 Rousseau:
questions of interpretation.
Mon: Book 3
Wed: Book
4
Fri: critical evaluation (no readings)
Marx & Marxism (nb: please number all the pages in the Marx section of the reader, beginning
with the biographical note as p 1 and ending at p. 72)
Mar 15-19 Hegel
and the “Young Marx”
Mon: Hegel, “The Master-Servant Dialectic”
Wed: pp
1-2, 5-6, 7-18: Biographical Note
+ “Contribution to the Critique of
Hegel” + Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, ms 1 “Alienated
Labour” (pp 7-18)
Fri: pp 19-32 -- Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts,
cont’d (“Private Property and
Communism”, “Power of Money in Bourgeois Society”)
Mar 22-26 Socialism
& Class Struggle – (* Rousseau essays due Mon)
Mon: pp 3-4, 19-32 ( “Preface to Critique of
Political Economy” + “Theses on Feuerbach” + "German Ideology" )
Wed: pp
39-48 (Communist Manifesto, pt 1)
Fri: pp 19-32 (Communist Manifesto pts 2 & 4)
Mar29-Apr2 Communism
Mon: pp 59-64 (Gotha Programme)
Wed: pp 65-72 (Capital, v 1)
Fri: evaluation: Marx vs
Rousseau.
Review: Contemporary Political Theory
Apr 5-7 Contemporary
Issues and Theorists (selection) – (* optional essay # 4 due Monday)
Mon: Justice:
Rawls, A Theory of Justice
(Supplementary Readings)
Wed: Citizenship: Nussbaum, “Patriotism &
Cosmopolitanism” (Supplementary Reads)
Final Exam: Wed.,
April 21st at 2 pm in the classroom.