POLITICAL SCIENCE 303.01
POLITICAL THOUGHT
| Dr. Robert Schneider | Spring 2001 | ||
| Office Hours: 2:30-3:30 MW | Office: 243 Dial Humanities Bldg. | ||
|
Required Texts:
Tannenbaum and Schultz, Inventors
Of Ideas: An Introduction to Western Political Philosophy.
Kimmel and Stephen, Social and Political Theory: Classical Readings.
Course Description
This course is described in the UNCP Catalog as "a study
of the historic and conceptual background of political
thought from the classical through contemporary political thinkers." To be more precise, it is the study of
the history and
methodology of western political philosophy.
The history of political philosophy in western civilization has a general continuity from which no single thinker
or local
movement can be quite cut off. There emerge, however, certain widely separated periods within which the continuity
is more
pervasive and intensive. Such periods are those from Democritus and Socrates through Aristotle (Ancient Greek),
from
Abelard through St. Thomas Aquinas and duns Scotus (The Medieval Christian Period), from Bacon to Hume (the British
Modern Tradition), from Descartes through Leibniz on the European Continent at about the same time, and from Kant
through
Hegel in Germany. Contemporary political thought has and will continue to have such "classic" periods
as well. For example,
some scholars believe that the period from just after the Civil War to the eve of the Second World War constitutes
a "classic"
era of American Political Thought.
This course will survey the history of western political thought (Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary)
through the examination of selected thinkers who represent both the different eras and the different varieties
of thought which
have had a profound influence on western political life. For better or worse, and probably without your even being
the least bit
aware of it, they have also influenced your individual political thinking and your personal situations as a member
of modern
society. Thus an introductory exposure to the history of western political thought (philosophy) will undoubtedly
enable you to
be a more thoughtful individual and a more conceptually literate citizen capable of intelligent social and political
participation.
This course will also expose students to the structure and methodology of political thought. Such will not only
sharpen
the analytical edge in each student's "kit," it will also prepare political science majors for the more
professional academic and
analytic work which will comprise their future endeavors in post graduate study or in their careers. The ability
to analyze or
critique thought for structure, internal consistency, and systemic implications will be the logical outgrowth of
mastering the
metaphysical, epistemological, metaethical, and psychological components of political thought.
Toward the achievement of this course's substantive and conceptual objectives, the student should expect to contribute
a great deal of time and an even greater deal of thought. This course will require the development and application
of the full
array of analytical skills and conceptual abilities which constitute your full potential.
Course Outline Jan. 8-10-12 Introduction to Political Philosophy (handout and pp. 1-17 TS) Jan. 17-19 The Ancient Greeks (pp. 32-59 TS) Jan. 22-24-26 Medieval Christian Period (pp. 71-104 TS) Jan. 29-31-Feb. 2 Machiavelli (pp. 105-125 TS) Feb. 5-7-9 Hobbes (pp. 150-165 TS and pp. 6-22 KS) Feb. 12-14 Locke (pp. 166-181 TS and pp. 23-31 KS) Feb. 16 Review Feb. 19 Exam One Feb. 21 Paper Assignment Handed out and Discussed Feb. 23-26 Rousseau (pp. 182-201 TS and pp. 32-41 KS) Feb. 28-Mar. 2 Jefferson and Paine (pp. 42-52 KS and pp. 70-82 KS) Mar. 5-9 SPRING BREAK !!!! Mar. 12-14-16 Wollstonecraft (pp. 203-214 TS and pp. 90-96 KS) Mar. 19-21-23 Hume, Burke, and Kant (pp. 215-227 TS) Mar. 26-28-30 Mill (pp. 228-243 TS and pp. 97-115 KS) April 2-4 Marx (pp. 161-195 KS) April 6 Review April 9 Exam Two April 11 Freud (pp. 289-330 KS) April 23-25-27 DuBois (pp. 375-393 KS) April 30 Concluding Remarks and Review May 9 Final Exam 8:00-10:00
EXAMS
There will be three essay exams given in this class. The date
for each is listed above. There will be no makeup
exams except in cases of rare and genuine emergencies.
PAPER
Each student will prepare a 6-8 page paper on a political philosopher
of his/her choice. The details of this
assignment will be fully discussed in class on February
21st. The final draft of your paper must be handed in on April 11th.
Late papers will not be accepted.
ATTENDANCE
Class attendance is mandatory. This is one course in which a
single missed class can put the student
behind, and catching up on missed material will not be easy. The classes will augment and add much material
additional to the assigned readings. The readings will not be fully understandable in some cases without the class
material.
SEMESTER GRADES
A total of 100 points will be offered throughout the semester.
They will be assigned and translated to letter grades as
indicated below.
EXAM ONE 30 points EXAM TWO 30 points PAPER 10 points FINAL EXAM 30 points
CLASS PARTICIPATION will be factored in as a bonus when adding up semester totals
(Maximum 5 bonus points for perfect attendance and daily participation etc.)
90-100 A- to A 80-90 B- to B+ 70-80 C- to C+ 60-70 D- to D+ Below 60 F
READING ASSIGNMENTS
All reading assignments should be completed before the class period in which they are scheduled to be discussed.
The
reading consists of both standard textbook material and selections from the original works of political thinkers.
You will find
that you will not always be able to comprehend or analyze this material without attending and participating in
class.
This will be especially true early in the semester as you struggle to acquire the rudimentary analytical and methodological
insights necessary to decipher the meaning of words you think you know but do not. This situation will improve
noticeably over
a short period of time. But you must do the reading in advance of class, you must think about what you read, you
must write
about what you read (take good notes), you must talk about what you read (in class), and you must reread as often
as
necessary.
Have a productive semester and may the Force be with you!
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