political science
515
Graduate Seminar on Aristotle’s Politics
Tuesdays,
6-9 pm. Winter term, 2007-08
Don
Carmichael
e-mail:
Don.Carmichael@ualberta.ca
NB: First Class
(Tues, Jan 8th)
The first class
(Tues, Jan 8th) 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.
Provisional Course
Outline (Jan
2, 2008)
Please
note that this outline is provisional and may be revised somewhat before the
first session.
This
course will be a seminar on Aristotle's Politics. The Nicomachean
Ethics will be reviewed briefly in the first two sessions, with emphasis on
the sections which are most relevant to the Politics. Thereafter, we will work
through the Politics -- doing one book every week or two weeks --
aided by Peter Simpson’s commentary.
The course
will not require any background in Aristotle.
As noted, the first two 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.
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 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. But you are invited to use other editions,
so long as they clearly mark the Becker pages ( eg "1126a5"). The Ross edition of the Ethics is in the
bookstore; but it is also available (public domain) at: http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/aristotle/Ethics.pdf
2. You will also need Peter Simpson’s A
Philosophical Commentary on The Politics of Aristotle. Please order this for yourself.
3. Students with no background in
Aristotle should read Barnes, Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction
(ordered for Pol S 404) 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 8 Introduction
Nicomachean Ethics, 1 available on line at: http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/aristotle/Ethics.pdf
Jan 15 B Overview of the Nicomachean Ethics
read/review: Nicomachean Ethics, Books 2 (1-6), 5 (1-3), 6 (1-3) and 10 (6-9). Available at: http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/aristotle/Ethics.pdf
Burnyeat, AAristotle on Learning to be Good@ .
(copies will be distributed)
pp
1-23 of
John Wallach, Contemporary Aristotelianism” (just sections I-II, pp 613-27) Political Theory 20:4, 1992
Recommended: Wilkes, AThe Good Man and the Good for Man in
Aristotle=s Ehics@, Mind 87 (1978), 553-571
Recommended: Nagel, AAristotle on Eudaimionia@, Phronesis 17 (1972) 252-59
Note: for each session from now on, the
relevant book/chapters from the Politics
are required, plus the corresponding chapter/sections from Simpson’s commentary plus any articles that
are not listed as merely recommended.
As a planning guide, the amount of readings
is estimated as: (Aristotle + Simpson +
req’d other).
Jan
22 B Politics 1 (20 + 58)
Recommended: A. W. H. Adkins , “The Connection between Aristotle's
Ethics and Politics” Political
Theory, 12:1. (Feb.,
1984), pp. 29-49.
Recommended: Jill Frank, “ Citizens, Slaves, and
Foreigners: Aristotle on Human Nature”, American Political Science Review 98:1,
14p (Feb2004)
Jan 29 B
Politics 2 (30 +
60)
Recommended: Plato, Laws
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 5 B
Politics 3 (1-9) (12 + 32 + 19)
Carnes Lord, “The Character
and Composition of Aristotle's Politics”, Political Theory, Vol. 9, No.
4. (Nov.,
1981), pp. 459-478.
Recommended:
Barker, “The Life of Aristotle
and the Composition and Structure of the Politics”, The
Classical Review, Vol. 45, No. 5. (Nov., 1931), pp.
162-172.
Feb 12 B Politics 3 (10-18) (17 + 30 +9)
Barker, “The Life of Aristotle
and the Composition and Structure of the Politics”, The
Classical Review, Vol. 45, No. 5. (Nov., 1931), pp.
162-172.
Recommended: Waldron, “The Wisdom
of The Multitude” (reflections on 3.11), Political Theory,
Vol. 23, No. 4. (Nov., 1995), pp. 563-584.
Feb 26 B Politics
7 (1-12): The Best Regime – ie Simpson’s Book 4 (19 + 35 +13 )
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 10 (7-8)
Samaras,
“Aristotle’s Politics:
The City Of Book Seven And The Question Of Ideology”,
Classical Quarterly 57.1 77–89 (2007)
Recommended:
William T. Bluhm, “The Place of
the "Polity" in Aristotle's Theory of the
Mar 4 B
Politics 7 (13-17) and 8 (25 + 51+ 21) *caution
– reading length*
Jill Frank, A Democracy of Distinction, pp 138-42 & 163-80.
Recommended: Plato, Laws
Recommended: D.J. Depew, "Politics, Contemplation and
Music in Aristotle's
Mar 11 B
Politics 4 (1-6) (20 + 30 +38 )
Mary P. Nichols, Citizens and Statesmen, ch 3.
(copies will be distributed)
Mar 18 B
Politics 4 (7-16) (19 + 45)
Recommended: Susan D. Collins, Aristotle and the Rediscovery of Citizenship, ch 1 (e-book)
Mar 25 B Politics 5 (1-9) (20 + 40)
Apr
1 B Politics
5 (10-16) and 6 (30 + 50 )
(selection of concluding topic & readings)
Apr
8 B Final
Seminar: topics
and readings to be chosen by seminar participants.
this concluding topic will be
chosen by the seminar participants. Topics might include the proper ordering or
the books, or the nature of Aristotle’s ideal constitution or the ‘social
democracy’ issue below; but participants are urged to propose others.
Possible topic:
“Was Aristotle an “Aristotelean Social Democrat?”, as raised by Martha Nussbaum
in “Aristotelean Social Democracy”, in
Liberalism and The Good, ed R. B. Douglass et al (New York, 1990).
See also Richard Mulgan’s critique of this article (“Was Aristotle an "Aristotelian Social Democrat"?) in Ethics, Vol. 111, No. 1. (Oct., 2000), pp. 79-101, and Nussbaum’s reply at pp 1- 9 of “Aristotle, Politics, and and Human Capabilities: A Response” in the same issue.