political science 515
Graduate Course On Aristotle’s Practical Philosophy (Nicomachean Ethics & Politics)
Fridays, 5
- 7:30 pm , winter term, 2006-07
Don
Carmichael
e-mail:
Don.Carmichael@ualberta.ca
NB: First Class (Friday, Jan 12th)
The first class
(Friday, Jan 12th) will be an important working session. It is crucial that you
attend this session (or contact me if you can't). It will be a working session on the Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1:
please prepare by reading this. In
addition, a schedule of topics and deadlines will be established, and
participants will be asked to choose dates and topics for seminar
presentations. Anyone unable to attend
this session should contact me before the seminar to discuss possible
assignments.
Course Outline
This
course will be a seminar on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics. The Ethics will be reviewed briefly in three
sessions, with emphasis on the sections which are most relevant to the
Politics. Thereafter, we will work through the Politics one book each week,
aided by Peter Simpson’s commentary.
The course
will not require any background in Aristotle.
As noted, the first three sessions will cover particular sections of the
Nicomachean Ethics with a view to bringing all students up to speed on those
parts of the Ethics which are important for an understanding of the Politics.
However
the course will be taught as an advanced (graduate) level) seminar and
participation is limited to students who have already done advanced work in
political theory. It is not necessary
to be a graduate student (the seminar is open to fourth year honours students
with the appropriate background).
The course
will be conducted as a seminar. Students
will be expected to contribute actively in discussions and the seminar will be
organized around the presentation of student papers.
Two short
papers (5‑7 pp) will be required during the term, plus a somewhat longer
paper (7-10 pp) at the end of the term. One or both of the short papers will be
distributed and discussed as a seminar paper in the class– preferably on a
topic covered in the readings for the current week or the week before. There will be considerable choice of topics
for all three papers. Students will
also be expected (1) to open the discussion on one of the student seminar
papers with a brief oral commentary and also (2) to prepare brief digests (1‑2
pp) of the readings each week as an aid to critical reading and mastery of the
text. These will be due each week
before the class; (though everyone will get 2 weeks off of their own choosing)
Auditors
(students doing the course but not for credit) will be expected to do the
digests each week and to participate fully in the seminar discussions.
Essay Requirements
All essays
should be terse, analytical, and "positional" ‑‑ arguing
a definite thesis in relation to some aspect of the readings. Students are encouraged to develop their own
views in these essays ‑‑ eg, by contesting a specific claim made by
Aristotle, or by arguing a rival thesis on the topic, or (in certain cases) by
writing a critical response to a fellow student in the seminar. The only requirement is that the essay argue
a specific and explicitly stated thesis
("In this essay I will argue that... ").
Grades* Essays:
(3 @ equal weight)** 80%
Commentary 10%
contributions
to the seminar*** 10%
‑‑‑‑‑
100%
* The reading digests ‑‑ which
must be done each week before the seminar ‑‑ will be graded
only as satisfactory/ unsatisfactory.
But they are a strict requirement and marks will be deducted from the
final grade (up to two letter grades) for missing digests (note again that
everyone gets two weeks off, at dates of their own choosing).
** As noted above, one of the essays will be
discussed in the class as a seminar paper. Students will be asked to make
copies of their seminar papers available one or two days in advance, by some
date/time and in a format agreed by members of the class. It is an essential course requirement
that seminar papers be available by the agreed time.
***
Seminar contributions will ordinarily be evaluated by the quality of
oral contributions, including questions. It is possible, however, to contribute
to the seminar (and meet this requirement) in non-oral ways; students who are
uncomfortable about speaking in the seminar are invited to explore these with
me.
Texts:
1. All students will
need the Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics.
I don't care which editions you use -- so long as your texts clearly
mark the Becker pages ( eg "1126a5"). I recommend the Ross edition of the Ethics (which is being used
in Pol S 406) and either the Lord or Simpson editions of the Politics.
2. You
will also need Peter Simpson’s “A Philosophical Commentary on The Politics of
Aristotle”. Please order this for your
self.
3. Students
with no background in Aristotle should read Barnes, Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction (ordered
for Pol S 406) or one of the other works listed under preliminary
readings.
TOPICS &
READINGS
All
readings in this section are required (suggestions for further readings are
listed in a separate section below). ACourse
pack@ indicates
that the work is in the undergraduate (Pol S 406) course pack. All other articles are available on line
through the university’s e-journal collections.
As noted,
students in this seminar are not expected to have any background in Aristotle.
In such cases, students are urged to read one or two of the
works below. There are several copies of each work in the library.
Barnes, Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction (ordered
for Pol S 406);
D.S. Hutchinson's chapter on
Aristotle's Ethics in the Cambridge Companion to Aristotle;
Carnes Lord's introduction to his edition
of the Politics;
Ackrill, Aristotle
The Philosopher
Taylor, Aristotle.
Ross, Aristotle
is also recommended but a bit more difficult.
Jan 12 Introduction
Nicomachean Ethics, 1
Jan 19 B Character and the Virtues
John Wallach, Contemporary Aristotelianism” (just sections I-II, pp 613-27) Political Theory 20:4, 1992
read/review: Nicomachean Ethics, 2, 3 (1-5) and 5; Skim 3 (6-12) and 4
for discussion: Nicomachean Ethics, 2 (1-5), 3 (2-5), 5
(1-2, 6-7, 10)
Recommended:
Everson, APsychology@ (course pack)
Burnyeat, AAristotle
on Learning to be Good@ (course
pack)
Bernard
Yack “Natural Right and Aristotle's Understanding of Justice” Political
Theory, Vol. 18, No. 2. (May, 1990), pp. 216-237.
Jan 26 B Intellectual
Virtues, Pleasure, and the Best Life
read/review: Nicomachean Ethics, 6, 8 (1-3, 5),
9 (4, 8-9) and 10 (4-5, 6-9).
Skim Book 7
for discussion: Nicomachean Ethics, 6 (1-2, 5-9, 11, 13), and 10 (6-9)
Recommended:
C.D.C. Reeve,
“Aristotle on the Virtues of Thought”
(course pack)
Nussbaum, AThe Discernment
of Perception@ (course pack)
Aristotle,
Metaphysics 12 (6-10) (webpage)
Wilkes,
AThe Good Man and the
Good for Man in Aristotle=s
Ethics@, Mind 87 (1978),
553-571
Nagel, AAristotle on Eudaimionia@, Phronesis 17 (1972), 252-59
pp 1-23 of Lawrence, “Aristotle and
The Ideal Life”, Philosophical Review 102:1 1993
Note: the required readings
for each session include the relevant book from Aristotle’s Politics and the
corresponding chapter from Simpson’s commentary.
Recommended:
Jill Frank, “ Citizens,
Slaves, and Foreigners: Aristotle on Human Nature”, American Political Science
Review; Feb2004, Vol. 98 Issue 1, p91-104, 14p
Feb 9 B Politics 2
Recommended:
R.F. Stalley, "Aristotle's Criticism
of Plato's Republic", in D. Keyt and F.D. Miller (eds), A Companion to
Aristotle's Politics
Feb 16 B Politics 3
Recommended:
Susan
Collins, “Citizenship and the Dispute over Rule in Aristotle's Politics.” --
Southern Political Science Association; 2005 Conference Papers
Mar 2
B Politics 4 (7): The Best
Regime
Recommended:
A. W. H. Adkins , “The Connection between Aristotle's Ethics and Politics”
Political Theory, Vol. 12, No. 1. (Feb., 1984), pp. 29-49.
Mar 9 B Politics
5 (8): Education in The Best Regime
Carnes Lord, “The Character and Composition
of Aristotle's Politics”, Political Theory, Vol. 9, No. 4. (Nov., 1981),
pp. 459-478.
Recommended:
D.J. Depew, "Politics, Contemplation
and Music in Aristotle's Ideal State", in D. Keyt and F.D. Miller
(eds), A Companion to Aristotle's
Politics
Mar 16 B Politics 6
Mar 23 B Politics 7
Mar 30
B Politics 8
Apr 6
B no class: university closed
Apr
10 B Final Seminar: topics
and readings tba
Richard Arneson,
“Perfectionism and Politics”, Ethics 111:1
2000, 27 pp
Richard
Mulgan, “Debate: Aristotle, Ethical Diversity
and Political Argument”, Journal of Political Philosophy; Jun 99, Vol. 7 Issue
2, p191, 17p