Syllabus: Classical Political Thought



Washington State University

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:35-11:50 a.m., Webster Physical Science Building Room B8




Professor: Dr. Claudia Leeb                                                TA: Taewoo Kang

Email: claudia.leeb@wsu.edu                                             Email: taewoo.kang@wsu.edu

Phone: 509-335-8701                                                          Office Hours: Tue 2-5 pm

Office Hours:  Tue 4-6 pm & Thr 12-1 pm                     226 Johnson Tower

808 Johnson Tower                                                              




Books:

You need to purchase two books (available at Bookie and online bookstores):

John Morrow, History of Western Political Thought: A Thematic Introduction, 2nd ed. (Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)

Michael L. Morgan (ed.) Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 5th edition (2011,

Indianapolis: Hackett).

All the writings listed in the syllabus that are not available in these two books will be available online (https://lms.wsu.edu/).




Course Schedule:


Tue 08/21; Introduction to the Course (no reading)


Thu 08/23; What is/why Political Theory?

Reading: Terence Ball, Reappraising Political Theory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), chap. 2: Whither Political Theory?, 39-61 (handout). Reading guide: 1.) Please read the chapter carefully and collect all terms in the text you do not understand. 2.) Terence Ball refers to a number of different concepts and topics that are frequently discussed by political theorists. Which are they? What is meant by them? Are they relevant? 3.) Be prepared to discuss the benefits (if you think there are any) of political theory. If you can’t see any use of political theory, please be prepared to defend your position.



The End(s) of Politics


  1. 1)Political Order

Tue 08/28;Political Order in Ancient Times

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 19-25.

Plato, Republic, Book IV, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 130-147 (419a-445e).


Thu 08/30; No class: Dr. Leeb is presenting a paper at the American Political Science Association conference in New Orleans.


Tue 09/04; Political Order in Medieval Times

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 25-29.

St Augustine, City of God, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 445-457 (chapters 1-24).


Thu 09/06; Modern Approaches to Political Order

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 29-49.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On the Social Contract, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, Book I (chapters 6 and 7), 887-889; Book II (chapter 3), 892-893.



2) Virtue

Tue 09/11; Political Virtue in Ancient Political Theory

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 50-61.

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, (Book I, chapters 1-3), 255-256, (Book I, chapter 13), 264-265, and Aristotle, Politics, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, Book I (chapters 1 and 2), 361-362.


Thu 09/13; Early Modern Political Virtues

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 61-69.

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters 15-18, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 534-539.


Tue 09/18; Virtue in Modern Thought

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 69-74.

Immanuel Kant, “Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals,” in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 962-963.


First essay due in class (hardcopy): Respond to the question if virtue is a central component of politics. Consider the arguments of the thinkers we have discussed on this topic.



3) Freedom

Thu 09/20; Premodern Freedom

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 75-78.

Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis, trans. Alan Gewirth, afterword and bibliography Cary J. Nederman (New York: Columbia University Press, 2001), I, xi (37-44) (online)


Tue 09/25; Freedom in Modern Thought

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 78-93

John Stewart Mill, On Liberty, Chap. IV: “On the Limits to the Authority over the Individual,” in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1047-1056.


Thu 09/27; Social Freedom

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 93-95

Karl Marx, Alienated Labor, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1160-1166.


Tue 10/02; Freedom and Anarchism

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, pp. 95-106.

Mikhail Bakunin, The Immorality of the State (online)



4) Happiness

Thu 10/04; Happiness

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, pp. 107-125.

John Stewart Mill, Utilitarianism, Ch. II, “What Utilitarianism Is,” in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1071-1082.



Who Should Rule?: The Location of Political Authority


Tue 10/09; Rule by One?

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, pp. 127-149.

Plato, Republic, Book V, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 147-169 (449a-480a).


Thu 10/11; In-class exams; led by graduate assistant Taewoo Kang.

Dr Leeb is presenting a paper at the Radical Philosophy Conference in Buffalo.


Tue 10/16; Rule by a Few?

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, pp. 150-168.

Aristotle, Politics, Book III, Chap. 10-12 (1281a10-1288b5), in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1071-1082.


Thu 10/18; Rule by Many?

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, pp. 169-197.

Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, selections (online)


Tue 10/23; Absolute Rule?

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 248-272.

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, chap 17-18, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 633-639.


Second essay due in class (hardcopy): Respond to the question whether it is beneficial if one person, a few, or many rule.



Limits of Government


Thu 10/25; Through Law: The Natural Law Tradition

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 201-226.

Thomas Aquinas, “Question 94: The Natural Law,” in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 469-475.


Tue 10/30; Through Constitutions and the Separation of Powers

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 227-247.

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Levy, Book I, Chap. 2, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 558-560.



Challenging Political Authority


Thu 11/01; Resisting Ancient Unjust Rule

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 299-300.

Sophocles, Antigone, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1-30


Tue 11/06; Resisting Unjust Rule in the Middle Ages

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 300-305.

William of Ockham, A Short Discourse on the Tyrannical Government (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), Book I, 5-16 (online). Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis (New York: Columbia University Press, 2001), I, xviii, 87-89 (online).


Thu 11/08; Resistance in the Age of Reformation; Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 305-316. Luther, On the Freedom of a Christian (online), We watch parts of the movie Luther


Tue 11/13; Early Modern Theories of Resistance

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 316-320.

John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, chapter 2 (paragraph 4), 713, chapter 3 (paragraph 19), 717, chapter 19 (paragraph 222).


Thu 11/15; Revolutionary Political Thought I

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 321-338.

Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Chapter I (Bourgeois and Proletarians) and chapter II (Proletarians and Communists) in Morgan, Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 1185-1196


Tue 11/20; Thanksgiving Vacation


Tue 11/27; Revolutionary Political Thought II

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 338-340.

Rosa Luxemburg, selections from Reform or Revolution (online)


Thu 11/29; Anti-Colonial Revolution in the Twentieth Century

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 346-352.

Frantz Fanon, Selections from The Wretched of the Earth (online)


Third essay due in class (hardcopy): Contrast two of the recently discussed approaches to challenging political authority. Try to make an argument in which you highlight the pros and cons of the theories you discuss.


Tue 12/04; Non-Violent Resistance

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 353-363.

Mahatma Gandhi, selections from his Moral and Political Writings (online)


Thu 12/06; Civil Disobedience

Reading: Morrow, History of Western Political Thought, 363-367.

Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” (online)



Fri 12/14; Final Exam (10:10am -12:10pm)




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