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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 210-2"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Political Theory"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2017
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tom Bailey
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 11:30 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS: Tues. and Thurs., 8-10 a.m. and 1.30-3 p.m., or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to the history of political thought, from Ancient Greece to the 19th century. Through a close reading of selected canonical texts, students will examine the evolution of ideas about democracy, liberty, equality, justice, political authority, the social contract, different conceptions of human nature and the role of the individual in society. The theorists examined may include Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will introduce you to the fundamental ideas and debates of modern and contemporary political theory, show you how they can be used to understand and engage with contemporary political issues, and help you to develop your own views and arguments about them. Our focus will be on the different ways that crucial political ideas – like ‘freedom’, ‘authority’, ‘rights’, ‘equality’, ‘human nature’, ‘community’, and ‘democracy’ – can be conceived of and argued over, and how these debates illuminate, and are illuminated by, contemporary issues like prostitution, religion, healthcare reform, climate change, and terrorism. By reading extracts from important theorists’ writings, supported by secondary materials, and by discussing them extensively in class, online, and in written assignments, we will develop your understanding of the ideas and arguments involved as well as your ability to discuss, reflect on, and defend your own views.

The course is divided into three parts. In the first part, we will study the opposing ways in which Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau conceive of and argue for a ‘social contract’ over government responsibilities, and the different ideas of freedom, property, equality, and human nature they use. Then, in the second part, we will examine the liberal democratic ideals of individual freedom, social equality, and representative government as they are defended by Mill, and then evaluate the criticisms and alternatives offered by Marx and by Nietzsche. Finally, in the third part of the course, we will consider the contemporary political issues of economic equality, multiculturalism, the environment, and war, by studying the challenging contemporary views of John Rawls, Charles Taylor, and others, along with some current issues and cases. You will prepare a written assignment after each of the first two parts of the course, and there will be a final exam at the end.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• glean meaning from canonical texts in modern and contemporary political theory;
• explain and discuss the theoretical positions and arguments involved;
• analyze relevant political issues in the light of these positions and arguments;
• develop your own reasoned views of the theoretical and political issues raised;
• make appropriate use of secondary academic resources;
• do all this in appropriately academic oral and written forms and in individual and group contexts.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Class participationClasses will involve a mixture of lectures, seminar discussions, group presentations, and other activities. The emphasis will be on helping you to develop your own and others’ opinions and arguments and your ability to discuss them with others, as well as your understanding of the readings and other materials and the positions and arguments presented in them. Your active involvement in discussions and other class activities, based on adequate preparation outside class, is therefore essential. 25%
Forum contributionsSince the class forum is intended to allow for free discussion, I will not assess the content of your posts. Your grade for this assessment will be simply the percentage of times that you post on time, out of the possible total posts. You may also miss up to two posts unexcused without this affecting your grade. 10%
Two written assignmentsYou will prepare a written assignment after each of the first two parts of the course. Each will be ‘take-home’ assignment of 1800-2000 words. I will give you a set of questions from which to choose on the last Thursday of the relevant part of the course, although you may also agree an alternative question with me. The assignment will be due a week later, after the review and writing classes. 25% for the best one, and 20% for the other one
Final examinationThe final, cumulative examination will consist of an essay written over an hour and a half under examination conditions. The examination questions will be distributed on Thursday of week 13 and at the examination, which will take place in week 15, you will be given a selection of these questions to choose from. 20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cou
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

A maximum of two unexcused absences from class will be accepted. Beyond this, a zero grade will be given for each unexcused absence, bringing your average grade down. It is your responsibility to inform me if you miss or cannot participate fully in a class for a good reason. Good reasons include illness, unavoidable appointments, religious holidays, and transport strikes, but not trips, guests, or malfunctioning alarm clocks. Note that arriving late to class, leaving for lengthy ‘toilet breaks’, and using a laptop or mobile phone in class also count as ‘unexcused absences’.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

 

Week 1:           Thursday: Shipwrecked                                          

Part I. The social contract         

Week 2:           Hobbes on authority                                                           

                        Tuesday: ‘Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’: Life in a state of nature

                        Thursday: Absolute authority? Hobbes on government     

Week 3:           Locke and liberalism                                                       

                        Tuesday: Individual freedom and the common good

                        Thursday: Property and toleration

Week 4:           Rousseau’s democratic contract

                        Tuesday: How society corrupts human nature            

                        Thursday: The ‘general will’: Democratic or totalitarian?

Week 5:           Preparation of first written assignment

Part II. Liberal democracy and its critics

Week 6:           Mill on freedom, democracy, and women                                                                     

                        Tuesday: The ‘harm principle’

                        Thursday: Democratic reform and feminism

Week 7:           Marx against capitalism and liberalism

                        Tuesday: False vs. true freedom: Marx’s critique of liberalism

                        Thursday: Capitalism and communism 

Week 8:           Nietzsche and power

                        Tuesday: ‘Masters’ and ‘slaves’

                        Thursday: Politics is history? Nietzsche’s ‘genealogy’ of rights

Week 9:           Preparation of second written assignment

Part III. Contemporary issues

Week 10:         Equality                                                                                           

                        Tuesday: Equality of what? Opportunities and wealth

                        Thursday: Affirmative action and healthcare reform

Week 11:         Multiculturalism

                        Tuesday: For and against group rights

                        Thursday: Religion and migration

Week 12:         Environment

                        Tuesday: Climate politics

                        Thursday: Animal citizenship and human genetic engineering

Week 13:         War and terrorism                                                              

                        Tuesday: Preventive and protective wars

                        Thursday: What is the right response to terrorism?

Week 14:         Preparation for final exam

Basic bibliography 

Below are the primary texts and extracts that we will study, arranged by week. These and supporting materials will be provided on the Moodle site and in class, and full bibliographical details will also be given on the site.

2. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651/1668), ed. Bennett, 2006, pt. 1, ch. 13, and pt. 2, chs. 17, 18, and 21

3. John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1689), ed. Bennett, 2008, §§ 4, 6, 19, 20, 25-37, 95-97, 123-133, 142, and 243

_, Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), ed. Bennett, 2010, §§ 2, 4 and 10

4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1754), trans. Cole, 1920 (extracts)       

_, The Social Contract (1762), trans. Bennett, 2010, bk. 1, chs. 1-8, and bk. 2, ch. 3

6. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859), ed. Bennett, 2008, ch. 1, pp. 6-8

_, Considerations on Representative Government (1861), chs. 3-5, 7-8, and 10 (extracts)  

_, The Subjection of Women (1869), ed. Bennett, 2009, ch. 1, pp. 1-2, 7-10, and 12-14

7. Karl Marx, On the Jewish Question (1843), pt. 1, trans. McLlellan (extracts)

_ and Friedrich Engels, The German Ideology (1846), pt. I, trans. McLlellan (extracts)

8. Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols (1888), trans. J. Norman, ‘Skirmishes’, §§ 38 and 48

_, On the Genealogy of Morality (1887), trans. Diethe, First essay, §§ 10-13, and Second essay, §§ 8-11

_, ‘Homer’s Contest’ (1872), trans. Diethe

10. John Rawls, Justice as Fairness (2001), §§ 13.1-4, 14.3, 18.1-2, 36, and 41.4-42.3

     James P. Sterba, ‘Defending Affirmative Action, Defending Preferences’ (2003)

     Jonathan Oberlander, ‘Obamacare’s Precarious Balancing Act’ (2014)

11. Charles Taylor, ‘The Politics of Recognition’ (1992) (extracts)

     Chandran Kukathas, ‘Anarcho-Multiculturalism’ (2008) (extracts)

     Richard Rorty, ‘Religion as Conversation-Stopper’ (1994)

     Joseph H. Carens, ‘An Overview of the Ethics of Immigration’ (2014)

12. Stephen M. Gardiner, ‘A Perfect Moral Storm’ (2006)

     Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (2011), Summary

     Nick Bostrom and Rebecca Roache, ‘Ethical Issues in Human Enhancement’ (2007) (extract)

13. Douglas Lackey, ‘Nipping Evil in the Bud: The Questionable Ethics of Preventive Force’ (2007)

     Charles R. Beitz, ‘The Justifiability of Humanitarian Intervention’ (2007)

     Virginia Held, ‘Terrorism and War’ (2008)

     Michael Walzer, ‘Terrorism: A Critique of Excuses’ (2004) (extract)