Sample Syllabi 1:
Western Political Thought
10:50am-11:50am, MWF
West Hall 210
(taught in Fall 2008 at Dartmouth College, in Fall 2009 and 2011 at Roanoke College)
Professor Claudia Leeb
Office location: West Hall 121
Office phone: 540-375-5256
Office hours: Tuesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm
Course Goals:
This course traces the development of Western political thought from the Ancient Greeks to contemporary political philosophy. The course has three central goals. First, to gain a deeper understanding of key terms in political theory—such as democracy, justice, equality, freedom, political authority, and the good life—by reading classic texts. Second, to trace the historical evolution of these terms in Western political thought. And third, to consider the historical context in which the discussed political philosophers produced their texts. We will examine the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Marx.
Upon conclusion of the course, students should first, be familiar the main arguments of central thinkers of Western political thought; second, describe the theorists’ views on key concepts of political philosophy, such as justice and political authority; and third, be able to write coherent essays on the main arguments of the discussed authors.
Required Reading:
Michael L. Morgan (ed.) Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 4th edition (2005, Indiananpolis: Hackett) (most of the texts we will read can be found in this book)
Cicero, M.T. Griffin and E.M. Atkins (eds.) On Duties (1991, Cambridge University Press)
Kant: Political Writings, H.S. Reiss (ed.) (1991, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
Robert C. Tucker (ed.) The Marx-Engels Reader (2nd ed., 1978, New York/London: W.W. Norton), pp. 302-329.
Required Writing Style Manual:
Scott, Gregory M. & S. M. Garrison, The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual, 6th Ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
Schedule and Readings:
Week 1, Plato’s Republic I
August 26. Introduction
August 28, Plato, Republic, Books I (entire), (Morgan, pp. 75-93)
Week 2, Plato’s Republic II
August 31, Plato, Republic, Books II-III (entire), (Morgan, pp. 93-130)
September 2, Plato, Republic, Books IV-V (entire), (Morgan, pp. 130-169)
September 4, First Test on Plato’s Republic (Books I -V)
Week 3, Plato’s Republic III
September 7, Plato, Republic, Books VI (entire), (Morgan, pp. 169-186)
September 9, Plato, Republic, Books VII-VIII (entire), (Morgan, pp. 186-220)
September 11, Plato, Republic, Books IX-X (entire), (Morgan, pp. 220-251)
Week 4, Aristotle’s Politics
September 14
Aristotle, Politics, Books I (entire)-II (chapters 1-12), 1252a-1283a (Morgan, pp. 361-389)
September 16, Aristotle, Politics, Books II (chapters 13-18)-III (entire),
1283a-1332b (Morgan, pp. 389-416)
September 18, Test on Plato’s Republic (Books VI-X) and Aristotle’s Politics (Books I-III)
Week 5, Cicero’s De Officiis
September 21, Cicero, On Duties, Book I, (entire), (pp. 1-62)
September 23, Cicero, On Duties, Book II (entire), (pp. 63-100)
September 25, Cicero, On Duties, Book III (entire), (pp. 101-147)
Week 6, Niccolo Machiavelli I
September 28, Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters 1-7 (Morgan, pp. 482-495)
September 30, Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters 8-17 (Morgan, pp. 495-511)
October 2, Test on Cicero’s De Officiis and Machiavelli’s The Prince (chapters 1-17)
Week 7, Niccolo Machiavelli II
October 5, Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters 18-26 (Morgan, pp. 511-526)
October 7, Machiavelli, Discourses, Book I (1-2), Book II (1-2, 20, 29) (Morgan pp. 527-547)
October 9, Machiavelli, Discourses, Book III (1,9) (Morgan pp. 527-547)
Week 8, Fall Break
Week 9, Thomas Hobbes
October 19, Hobbes, Leviathan, Part I, Chapters 13-16 (Morgan, 591-606)
October 21, Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II, Chapters 17-20 (Morgan, pp. 606-621
October 23, Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II, Chapters 21-24 (Morgan, pp. 621-636)
Week 10, John Locke
October 26, Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Chapters 1-5 (Morgan, pp. 685-698)
October 28, Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Chapters 6-9 (Morgan, pp. 698-719)
October 30, Test on Machiavelli’s The Prince (chapters 18-26) and the Discourses (Books I-III); the Leviathan,
and Locke’s Second Treatise of Government
Week 11, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
November 2, Rousseau On the Social Contract, Books I (entire)-II (1-7), (Morgan, pp. 831-848)
November 4, Rousseau On the Social Contract, Books II (8-12)-III (1-10), (Morgan, pp. 848-867)
November 6, Rousseau On the Social Contract, Books III (11-18)-IV (entire), (Morgan, pp. 867-890)
Week 12, Immanuel Kant I
November 9, Kant, “Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose,” in H.S. Reiss (ed.) Kant: Political Writings
(1991, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 41-53.
November 11, Kant, “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment,” in Kant: Political Writings, pp. 54-60
November 13, Test on Rousseau’s Social Contract and Kant I
Week 13, Immanuel Kant II
November 16, Kant, “On the Common Saying: This May be True in Theory, but it does not Apply in Practice,”
in Kant: Political Writings, pp. 61-92
November 18, Kant, “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch,” in Kant: Political Writings, pp. 93-115.
November 20, Marx, “Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: in Robert C. Tucker (ed.). The Marx- Engels Reader (Second edition, 1978, New York/London: Norton & Company), pp. 53 – 66
Week 14, Karl Marx I
November 23, Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach,” “Alienation and Social Classes, in Robert C. Tucker (ed.).
The Marx-Engels Reader, pp, 143-145; pp.133-135
Research Paper Due
Thanksgiving Break
Week 15, Karl Marx II
November 30, Marx, “Manifesto of the Communist Party,” in Robert C. Tucker (ed.). The Marx-Engels Reader, pp. 469-500.
December 2, Capital, Volume One, Chapter 1, in Robert C. Tucker (ed.) The Marx-Engels Reader (2nd ed., 1978, New York/London: W.W. Norton), pp. 302-329.
December 4, Summary and Final Discussion
Format and Requirements:
a) Lecture followed by classroom discussions
b) Close and careful reading of assigned texts
c) Presence and active participation in discussions
d) Student presentation: each student prepares a short (maximum 10 minutes) presentation of the main arguments and three questions of the assigned texts for one session. The student also distributes an outline of her presentation including the questions for all members of the class at the time of presentation.
e) Tests: students write in-classroom essays that answer questions that cover a two-week period of assigned readings. You need to write your essays in a clear and precise way, so I will be able to read and grade them.
f) A research paper: does not exceed 12 pages (double-spaced). It is on assigned topics.
g) The final exam covers the entire period of assigned readings.
Grading:
1. Class participation and presentation 20%
2. Tests 10% each (50% total)
3. Research Paper20%
4. Final Exams10%
General: Students are encouraged to consult with the instructor, especially if they are encountering difficulties in the course.
Academic Integrity: Enrollment constitutes acknowledgement of the rules and standards pertaining to academic integrity at Roanoke College. Students are expected to be aware of the principles in the College Academic Integrity Handbook.
Absences: Any absences from any graded exercise without prior permission from the instructor will result in a grade of “0” for the missed exercise.
Tests: No make-up tests will be given; research paper assignments (10 pages, double-spaced) will be used as substitutes for test grades missed due to approved absences.
Late Papers: Late papers will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day that they are late. Extensions will be granted only if you have made arrangements with me at least 24 hours in advance of the due date and only in exceptional circumstances.
Attendance: Each student will be allowed up to two absences (regardless of reason). The class participation grade will be reduced1/3 of a letter grade for each additional absence. After four absences the student will receive a formal warning; continued absences after such warning will cause the instructor, in conformance with College policies, to drop the student from the course with a failing grade (“DF”).
Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Chronic lateness results in the reduction of the class participation grade.
Electronic Devices: No electronic devices may be used in class and during tests.