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Table of Contents
Course
Description
Texts
Course
Objectives
Class
Schedule
Course
Requirements
Grading
Attendance
Policy
Honor
Code
Class
Discussion
Critical
Thinking Writing Exercises
Taking
Exams
Bibliography
Course Description:
Survey of modern political theories and philosophies, including the
contributions of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, and Marx.
Texts:
Niccolo Machiavelli, Selected
Political Writings
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
John Locke,
Treatise of Civil Government & A Letter Concerning Toleration
Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Essential Rousseau. (Collection of major
works)
Isaac Kramnick. Editor. The Portable Enlightenment
Reader
Paul Schumaker, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas W. Heilke. Editors.
Ideological Voices: An Anthology of Modern Political Ideas.
Leslie
Thiele, Thinking Politics: Perspectives in Ancient, Modern, and Postmodern
Political Theory
On Reserve: Dante Germino, Modern Western Political Thought: Machiavelli
to Marx
James Wiser, Political Philosophy: A History of the
Search for Order
(There will be a few assigned chapters from the above
two volumes. Other selections will also be placed on reserve for either required
reading or optional background material.)
The On-line Study Guide for this
class may be found at: bh332g.html
Click
HERE for the
on-line Study Guide for this course. It includes questions to help reading
and reflecting upon the weekly and daily assignment as well as useful links to
various web sources on the thinkers and issues being addressed in those
assignemnts.
Course Objectives:
Upon
completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a capacity for critical and analytical thought about issues central to political philosophy.
2. Demonstrate an ability to communicate their knowledge and beliefs about the principal thinkers and central themes found in the Western tradition of political philosophy both orally and in writing.
3. Discuss the ideas which constitute essential features of the Western political tradition.
4. Identify those values found in Western political thought which have helped to define the various notions of useful and responsible citizenship.
5. Discuss important philosophical and ethical issues associated with the political dimension of the human experience.
6. Interpret the meaning and significance of the symbols which influence political thought and action today.
7. Discuss the major ways in which political philosophy has influenced how political scientists try to understand politics.
8. Discuss how the theories and ideas articulated in Western political thought have shaped and been shaped by the dynamic social forces found in Western societies.
9. Identify the main themes and issues addressed by postmodern political theory.
This course satisfies Goal 13 (The Ethics Goal) of the new General Education requirements adopted by the University for students entering Longwood beginning in 2002-2003 as well as Goal 10 (The Ethics Goal) of the general education system existing for current students already in attendance prior to that time.
Goal 13: The ability to make informed, ethical choices and decisions and to
weigh the consequences of those
choices (junior or senior course, may be
departmentally designated or developed; three credits).
Outcomes: Students will
Identify the ethical
issues implicit in personal behavior and in the operation of political, social,
and economic
institutions.
Understand various approaches to making informed and principled choices
Consider how these
approaches might be applied to conflicts in their personal and public lives
Understand the impact
of individual and collective choices in society
General Education courses will have at least nine characteristics in common,
reflected in the nine General Education course
criteria. Together, they
define what a General Education course is at Longwood. Courses satisfying
all goals except Goals 12
and 15 will:
1. teach a disciplinary mode of inquiry (e.g., literary analysis, statistical
analysis, historical interpretation, philosophical
reasoning, aesthetic
judgment, the scientific method) and provide students with practice in applying
their disciplinary mode of
inquiry, critical thinking, or problem solving
strategies.
2. provide examples of how disciplinary knowledge changes through creative applications of the chosen mode of inquiry.
3. consider questions of ethical values.
4. explore past, current, and future implications (e.g., social, political,
economic, psychological or philosophical) of disciplinary
knowledge.
5. encourage consideration of course content from diverse perspectives.
6. provide opportunities for students to increase information literacy
through contemporary techniques of gathering,
manipulating, and analyzing
information and data.
7. require at least one substantive written paper, oral report, or course
journal and also require students to articulate information
or ideas in
their own words on tests and exams.
8. foster awareness of the common elements among disciplines and the interconnectedness of disciplines.
9. provide a rationale as to why knowledge of this discipline is important to
the development of an educated citizen.
Class Schedule:
Click HERE for the on-line
Study Guide for this course. It includes questions to help reading and
reflecting upon the weekly and daily assignment as well as useful links to
various web sources on the thinkers and issues being addressed in those
assignments.
Week 1 Introduction to modern political thought; Machiavelli
Jan. 12-16.
Read: Machiavelli,
The Prince; Thiele, Thinking Politics, Introduction and Chpt. 1;
Schumaker,
Ideological
Voices, Chpt. 1
Optional
Background Material: Germino, Chpts. 1 and 2; Wiser, Chpt. 6
Norton Critical Edition on
Machiavelli (especially articles by Strauss and Wolin)
Special Topics:
M: What is political philosophy? What sets modern political thought
apart from the earlier Western tradition?
W: What does Leslie Thiele say about the
nature of political theory and the various ways of theorizing? How does
Judith Shklar explain the central characteristics of political theories and
political ideologies?
F:
What “lessons” did Machiavelli advance about how a prince is to achieve and
maintain power?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 1
After
reading Thiele and Shklar's views on what political philosophy attempts to do,
write a three page essay in which you explain what questions political
philosophers address and the methods they try to employ in dealing with basic
social and political issues. In this essay you need to demonstrate an
understanding of how political philosophers undertake their inquiries.
Week 2 Machiavelli
Jan. 19-23.
Read: Machiavelli, The Prince and
The Discourses
Optional
Background Material: Germino, Chpts. 1 and 2; Wiser, Chpt. 6
Norton Critical Edition on Machiavelli
(especially articles by Strauss and Wolin)
Special
Topics:
M: What are the ethical and political
implications of Machiavelli’s advice that the prince should “learn how not to be
good?”
W: What does Machiavelli admire about the ancient
Roman republic?
F: How do the ideas
advanced in The Prince relate to the ideas advanced in The
Discourse? What are his contributions
to modern
political thought?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 2
After
reading the Prince, write a three page essay in which you explain and evaluate
the ethical implications of Machiavelli's assertion that in politics "one must
learn how not to be good." Develop your own position as to whether or not
the central claims of what is called "political realism" are ethically
defensible.
Week 3 Wellsprings of modern political thought; Hobbes
Jan. 26-30.
Read: Hobbes,
Leviathan; Thiele, Chpt. 2
Optional Background Material:
Germino,
Chpts. 1, 2, 3, 4; Wiser, Chpt. 6, 7, 8, 9
Special
Topics:
M: What were some of the basic elements of
Reformation political thought?
W: From the
standpoint of political theory, what were the implications of what Wiser calls
the intellectual revolution of the
Seventeenth century?
F: How does Hobbes view human nature? What
does Hobbes believe to be the most important laws of nature?
Critical
Thinking Writing Exercise No. 3
After reading Hobbes theory about the
"laws of nature," write a three page essay in which you explain his argument
that these laws constitute the true moral philosophy. In this essay you
should evaluate the claims advanced by Hobbes and develop your own position as
to whether or not ethics should rest upon self interest.
Week 4 Hobbes
Feb. 2-6
Read: Hobbes, Leviathan
Optional Background Material:
Germino, Chpt. 4; Wiser, chpt. 9
Special
Topics:
M: How does Hobbes explain the
origin and justification for the existence and legitimate authority of the
state?
W: What powers does Hobbes believe
should belong to any legitimate government? How does Hobbes try to explain
what
causes the dissolution of governments?
F: NOTE: Your first test will be given on Friday, Feb.6. It will
count for 1/6 of your semester grade.
Week 5 Locke
Feb. 9-13
Read: Locke, The Second Treatise
and A Letter Concerning Toleration
Optional Background
Material: Germino Chpt. 5 and Wiser, Chpt. 10
Special Topics:
M: What does Locke say about
toleration?
W: What does Locke say about
human nature and the origins of government?
F: What does Locke say about freedom, property, and the basis of
legitimate authority in society?
Are there
natural rights?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 4
After
reading Locke's work on toleration, write a three page essay in which you
explain his main arguments for toleration and apply those arguments to important
issues in your own life regarding toleration. In this essay you should
also demonstrate how those arguments relate to contemporary issues regarding our
political, social, and economic institutions.
Week 6 Locke and the Enlightenment
Feb. 16-20
Read: Locke, The Second
Treatise; Kramnick, The Portable Enlightenment Reader
Optional Background Material: Germino,
Chpt. 6; Wiser, Chpt. 11
Special Topics:
M: What is Locke’s vision of a good
society? What are the purposes of government? What are the rightful
powers of
government? What are the limits on the authority of government?
W: The Emergence of Feminist Thought
During the Enlightenment
F: How
did the Enlightenment challenge traditional patterns of thought?
Critical
Thinking Writing Exercise No. 5
After reading the works of some
important 18th century feminists, write a three page essay in which you explain
the critique they advance regarding the ideas of other Enlightenment thinkers
and their society. In this essay you should also develop your own position
as to the merits of their critique and the alternative ideas they advanced.
Week 7 The Enlightenment and Modern Liberalism
Feb.
23-27
Read: Kramnick, The Portable
Enlightenment Reader
Schumaker, Ideological Voices, Chpt. 2
Also read: Dr. Peale’s
Essay on Ethics On-line
Optional Background Material: Germino, Chpts. 6 and 9; Wiser, Chpts. 11 and 14
Special Topics:
M: What are some of the most important political implications of
Enlightenment thinking?
What
claims were advanced by 18th century materialism and sensationalism?
W: What ideas about justice and the nature of
the good society were advanced by utilitarian thinkers such as Bentham
and
Mill? What ideas about ethics were advanced by these thinkers?
F: What were the most important
economic ideas advanced during the Enlightenment?
Critical Thinking
Writing Exercise No. 6
After reading Bentham and Mill, write a three
page essay in which you explain the how utilitarianism suggests we should go
about making ethical decisions in own personal lives and in our social,
economic, and political systems. In this essay you should clearly state
the criteria used by the utilitarian approach and develop you own position as to
whether or not you think this theory is justifiable as a way to resolve ethical
conflicts in our personal and public lives.
Week 8 Modern Liberalism and Contemporary Liberalism
March 1-5
Read: Kramnick, The
Portable Enlightenment Reader
Schumaker, Ideological Voices, Chpt. 8; Thiele, Chpt. 5 pp. 100-118
Also read: Dr. Peale’s
Essay on Ethics On-line
Optional Background Material: Germino, Chpt. 10
Special Topics:
M: What contributions did
Kant make to the discussion of ethics? What were his contributions to
modern liberalism?
How does
the Kantian approach to ethical and political issues differ from the utilitarian
approach to those issues?
W: What
contributions did John Dewey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Rawls make to
contemporary
liberalism?
F: NOTE: Your second
test will be given on Friday, March 5. It will count for 1/8 of your
semester grade.
SPRING BREAK MARCH 6-14
Week 9 Rousseau
March 15-19
Read: The Essential Rousseau
Optional Background Material:
Germino, Chpt. 7 and Wiser, Chpt. 12
Special
Topics:
M: What does Rousseau have to say
about human nature? How does he explain the origin of inequality?
Are some
inequalities justifiable?
W: What is he
trying to prove in his use of the social contract theory? What is his
picture of the good society and the
best form
of government?
F: What kind of critique
does Rousseau offer of existing societies and forms of government?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 7
After reading Rousseau's
account of the origins of inequality and injustice in the world, write a three
page essay in which you explain Rousseau's view that evil in the world is caused
by faulty social, economic, and political structures. In this essay you
must also develop your own position on his account of injustice. Basically
you need to engage in the debate as to whether evil in society is caused by bad
people or by bad social systems. Do bad choices by individuals cause social
evils or do unjust social structures create bad people?
Week 10 Utopian Socialism, Marx, Marxism, Nineteen Century
Radicalism, Communism, and Social Democracy
March 22-26
Read: Schumaker, Ideological Voices,
Chpts. 5, 6, 9; Thiele, Chpt. 5 pp. 139-154
Optional Background Material: Germino, Chpt. 14; Wiser, Chpt. 16, Wiser, Chpt.
17, pp. 400-406
Special Topics:
M: What were the main claims of utopian
socialism and nineteenth century radicalism?
How does Marx
understand society? What is his method of analysis? What are the
central elements of historical
materialism? How does Marx go about developing his critique of capitalism?
What is the vision of the good society put
forth by Marx?
W: How have some later thinkers modified the
theory advanced by Marx? What did Lenin contribute to the Marxist
tradition? What are the main claims of Communism?
F: What are the principal ideas
advanced by social democratic theorists? How does the social democratic
tradition
differ from revolutionary socialism?
Extra
topic for the entire week: What did various nineteenth and twentieth
century radicals say about social and economic
inequalities,
the nature of justice, and the best form of government? How do these
political theorists link together
fundamental
concerns of many different social sciences and provide insights that reveal the
connections between
thinkers in all
the social sciences and humanities?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise
No. 8
After reading Marx, write a three page essay in which you explain
his method (historical materialism) of analyzing society and how that method has
influenced different disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. How does
his mode of inquiry add to our understanding of social, economic, and political
developments? In this essay you must also demonstrate an understanding of
what his theory suggests about our moral and political beliefs.
Week 11 Burkean Conservatism, Contemporary Conservatism, and
Fundamentalism
March 29-April 2
Read: Schumaker, Ideological Voices, Chpts. 3, 10, 11
Do additional web-based research on contemporary conservative ideologies
Optional Background Material: Germino, Chpt. 8; Wiser, Chpt. 13; Harbour volume
Special Topics:
M: How did Burke critique the Enlightenment and the French
Revolution? What was Burke’s vision of the good society?
W: How has conservative thought
evolved? What are the principal ideas advanced by contemporary schools of
conservative
thought?
F: What are the main
criticisms of existing societies advanced by rival versions of religious
fundamentalism?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 9
After
reading the selections by Burke and some contemporary conservatives, and doing
additional web-based research on contemporary conservative ideologies, write a
three page essay on the place of Burkean ideas among conservatives today.
Explain the extent to which his ideas are still important to conservatives and
the extent to which some on the political right today have abandoned his ideas.
Week 12 Fascism and Anarchism
April 5-9
Read: Schumaker, Ideological Voices, Chpts.
4, 7
Special Topics:
M: What ideas about society were put forth by fascism and nazism?
W: How did anarchists critique existing
societies?
F: NOTE: You will have
your third test on Friday, April 9. It will count for 1/6 of your semester
grade.
Week 13 Feminism, Environmentalism, and Beyond Ideology
April 12-16
Read: Schumaker,
Ideological Voices, Chpts. 12, 13, 14; Thiele, Chpt. 5 pp. 118-139
Special Topics:
M: What are the most important ideas advanced by modern feminism?
W: How do environmentalist theories challenge
modern society?
F: How do "beyond
ideology" theorists challenge all modern ideologies?
Week 14 Postmodern Political Theory
April 19-23
Read: Thiele, Thinking Politics,
Chpts. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Special Topics:
M: What does Thiele say about politics,
power, and the public good? How does Thiele distinguish modern from
postmodern political theory?
W: What does
postmodern political theory say about identity and difference? What is the
role of feminist theory in
debates
over identity and difference?
F:
What does Thiele mean by terms like “statecraft” and “soulcraft?" What does
postmodern theory say about
irony and ideology?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 10
After spending the entire semester studying modern political philosophy and
reading this week's material on postmodernist ideas regarding identify and the
power of social institutions to shape our lives, write a three page essay on the
importance of what political philosophy offers to a person who wants to be an
educated and effective citizen.
April 23 Last day of Classes
April 24
Reading Day
April 26-30 Final Exam Period
Your final exam will count for 1/6 of your semester grade. It will be a
comprehensive essay examination. Your exam will be given at 11:30
a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April
28.
May 8 Commencement
Course Requirements:
Three Tests
Total scores on ten critical thinking writing exercise
Contribution to class discussion
Final comprehensive exam
Grading:
Your grade will be based upon
three tests given during the course of the semester, your total score on ten
three page critical thinking writing exercises, your contribution to class
discussion, and a final exam. Each of these will count for 1/6 of your
grade. Each of the exams will involve an essay format. The final
examination will be comprehensive.
Attendance Policy:
The
attendance policy for this course is the University policy found in the
University Catalog and Student Handbook.
Honor Code:
Students are expected
to live by the Longwood University Honor Code. All work done for the class must
be pledged. Your instructor will not tolerate any form of cheating.
Class Discussion:
Students
are expected to make contributions to class discussion. Your grade in this
regard will be based upon participation during the semester.
Ten Critical
Thinking Writing Exercises: You will write ten 3 page essays during the
course of the semester. The topics for these short essays are listed in the
course outline. Each paper is worth 10 points and is due at the begining
of class on the Friday of each week for which a paper is due. Late papers will
lose points.
The papers will follow the Turabian format.
A
shorter version of that style manual can be found on the History style manual at
the following web address: <http://www.longwood.edu/history/HDPTSTS2.htm>
There will be more help on developing these papers found in the Study Guide
for the course. Click HERE for the online
Study Guide for this course.
Taking Exams:
Exams must be
taken on time. You are expected to provide proof for any legitimate reason
(illness, participation in a University-sponsored activity, or recognizable
emergency) you have for missing an exam. Having another test on the dame
day or having problems with the person you are dating are not valid reasons for
missing a test.
Bibliography:
Required
Reading:
Machiavelli, Selected Political Writings
Hobbes, Leviathan
Locke, Treatise of Civil Government & A Letter Concerning
Toleration
Rousseau, The Essential Rousseau
Kramnick, The
Portable Enlightenment Reader
Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in
France
Marx, Selected Writings in Sociology & Social
Philosophy
Thiele, Thinking Politics: Perspectives in Ancient,
Modern, and Postmodern Political Theory
On Reserve:
Dante Germino, Modern Western
Political Thought: Machiavelli to Marx
James
Wiser, Political Philosophy: A History of the Search for Order
(There will be a few assigned chapters from the
above two volumes. Other selections will also be placed on
reserve for either required reading or
optional background material.)
Suggested Reading or Reference:
Hannah Arendt. The Human Condition
Cesare Beccaria.
On Crimes and Punishments
Eduard Bernstein. Evolutionary
Socialism
Edmund Burke. Reflections on the Revolution in
France
Jeremy Bentham. Fragment on Government; An Introduction
to the Principles of Morals And Legislation
William E. Connolly.
Identity and Difference
Marquis de Condorcet. Sketch of a
Historical Portrait of the Human Mind
Simone de Beauvoir. The
Second Sex
Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique
Georg
Hegel. Philosophy of Right
Thomas Hobbes.
Leviathan
Immanuel Kant. Foundations of the Metaphysics of
Morals; The Metaphysical Elements of Justice
John Locke.
Essay Concerning Human Understanding; Letter Concerning
Toleration; Second Treatise of Government
James Lovelock.
Gaia: A New Look At Life On Earth
Jean-Francois Lyotard. The
Postmodern Condition
Niccolo Machiavelli. The Discourse;
The Prince
Herbert Marcuse. One-Dimentional Man
Karl
Marx. The Communist Manifesto
John Stuart Mill. On
Liberty; Utilitarianism
Baron De Montesquieu. The Spirit
of the Laws
Thomas More. Utopia
Friedrich Nietzsche.
On the Genealogy of Morals
Lenin. What Is To Be Done?
John Rawls. A Theory of Justice
Jean Jacques Rousseau. A
Discourse on the Origin of InequalityAmong Men; The Social Contract
Adam Smith. The Wealth of Nations
Herbert Spencer.
Man Versus The State
Eric Voegelin. The New Science of
Politics
Mary Wollstonecraft. A Vindication of the Rights of
Women
Some Secondary Sources and Collections of Readings of Primary Sources:
Robert Audi. General Editor. The Cambridge Dictionary of
Philosophy. Second Edition. New York: Cambridge U
University Press, 1999.
Lawrence Cahaoone. Editor. From Modernism
to Postmodernism An Anthology. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell
Publishers, Ltd., 1996.
Steven M. Cahn. Editor. Classics
of Political and Moral Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press,
2002.
Robert C. Cummins, Thomas D. Christiano. Editors. Modern Moral and
Political Philosophy. Mountain View,
California: Mayfield
Publishing Company, 1999.
Dante Germino. Modern Western Political
Thought: Machiavelli to Marx
Steven Luper. Editor. Social
Ideals and Policies: Readings in Social and Political Philosophy. London:
Mayfield
Publishing Company, 1999.
Louis P. Pojman, Robert T.
Westmorland. Editors. Equality: Selected Readings. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1997.
George H. Sabine. A History of Political
Theory. Revised Edition. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1958.
James Wiser. Political Philosophy: A History of the Search for Order
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