POLI 212 (TH)
HISTORY OF

WESTERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Fall 2009

MWF 1020-1120am

Eat 209

Prof. Sammy Basu

 

Office: Sml 317

Hours: TTh 9-1100am

or by appointment at x6264

mailto:sbasu@willamette.edu

http://www.willamette.edu/~sbasu/poli212/212OUT09F.htm

 

 

COURSE SUMMARY

 

This course surveys selected texts in the pre-modern history of Western political philosophy.  Attention is paid to the range of responses to some of the fundamental moral and practical themes of political philosophy, such as authority, justice, obligation, liberty, equality, property, revolution, order, progress, and rights.  Both the themes and the responses are evaluated philosophically and viewed historically.

 

 

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PLATO

(428-348BC)

ARISTOTLE
(384-322BC)

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
(1469-1527)

THOMAS HOBBES

(1588-1679)

JOHN

LOCKE

(1632-1704)

JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

(1712-1778)

JOHN STUART MILL

(1806-1873)

 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

Objectives of this course include improving student's abilities to:

 

read:

"Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself,

or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. 

No, read in order to live"

m Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), Letter to Mlle de Chantepie, June 1857.

 

 

speak:

"On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty

to speak one's mind.  It becomes a pleasure."

m Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

 

 

think: 

"I think, therefore I am."

m RenŽ Descartes (1596-1650), Discourse on Method (1637).

 

 

think historically:

"A historian is a prophet in reverse."
m Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829), AthenŠum, I, 'Fragmente.'


COURSE EVALUATION CRITERIA

 

This course is organized around the readings, lectures, and discussions.  Consequently, the student is expected to read, attend, and participate.  The grade is composed of four components:

 

(25%)

Exam 1: on introductory materials, Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli.

 

(25%)

Exam 2: on introductory materials, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

 

(40%)

Exam 3: on Mill, and cumulative and comparative analysis of entire course.

 

(10%)

Participation: attendance, participation in discussion, completion of incidental assignments.

 

The student must receive a passing grade in each component to pass the course.

 

If you believe that you may have a disability requiring accommodation please contact

Disability Services, Baxter Hall, Phone: (503) 370-6471, (TT) (503) 375-5383.

Retroactive accommodation will not be possible.

 

 

 

REQUIRED COURSE READINGS

It is important that the student complete the assigned reading and take the time to reflect on the meaning of the reading, before coming to class.  All required readings are available at the WU Bookstore.  Books can be purchased elsewhere; however, it is important that the same publication edition be obtained.

 

 

Plato. The Republic.

(Trans.) G.M. Grube and C.D.C Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992.

 

 

Aristotle. Politics.

(Trans.) C.D.C Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1998.

 

 

Niccolo Machiavelli. Selected Political Writings.

(Ed. and Trans.) David Wootton.  Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.

 

 

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan.

(Ed.) Richard Tuck. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

 

 

Locke. John. Political Writings.

(Ed. and Trans.) David Wootton.  Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.

 

 

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Basic Political Writings.

(Trans.) David A. Cress. (Intro.) Peter Gay. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1987

 

 

Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and other writings.

(Ed.) Stefan Collini. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

 

 

DATE

CLASS

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

W (2 Sept)

Introduction     Political Philosophy       Assignment 1

F (4 Sept)

History and Historiography       Assignment 2

M (7 Sept)

Author, Text, Context OK OK No CLASS

 

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PLATO
(428-348BC)

Republic

Ancient Athens

 

W (9 Sept)

 Plato, what is justice?: pp.1-93.

F (11 Sept)

ordering the just, and gendered polis: pp.94-111, 119-146.

M (14 Sept)

philosophy and the philosopher-king: pp.146-194, 209-212.

 

Last Day to Add/Drop (15th)

W (16 Sept)

philosophy and the philosopher-king, the cave: pp.146-194, 209-212.

F (18 Sept)

The soul and democratic decadence: pp.213-253, 257-267, 276-292.

 

AppleMark

 

ARISTOTLE
(384-322BC)

 

Politics

 

Empire of Alexander

 

M (21 Sept)

 Aristotle, causation, man is a political animal: pp.1-64.

 

            Aristotle on Plato

W (23 Sept)

the best possible state: pp.114, 191-242.

F (25 Sept)

making the most of real politics: pp.65-91, 95-104, 110-1, 116-120.

M (28 Sept)

preventing worse: pp.134-145, 152-8, 176-184.

 

            Aristotle on Regimes

W (30 Sept)

thinking historically about Plato and Aristotle

 

 

 

 

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

(1469-1527)

The Prince and the Discourses

Renaissance Italy

 

F (2 Oct)

The Middle Ages and Machiavelli and Life and Palazzo Vecchio (NYT)

M (5 Oct)

the art of the state: The Prince, pp.1-80. Cruel to be kind

W (7 Oct)

republican domestic politics: The Discourses, Bk.I, pp.81-158.

F (9 Oct)

republican foreign politics: The Discourses, Bks. II-III, pp.158-217.

  

         Caterina Sforza,

 

         Why learn not to be good?

M (12 Oct)

thinking historically about Machiavelli and review, really, É

 

 

W (14 Oct)

Exam 1

Last Day to choose CR/NC

Grade Dist

 

 

THOMAS HOBBES

(1588-1679)

 

Leviathan

 

Stuart England

 

F (16 Oct)

No Class

M (19 Oct)

Hobbes, context, method, men, madness: pp.3, 491, 9-14, 24-55, 62, 69-86.

W (21 Oct)

natural condition, natural laws, and the birth of Leviathan: 86-145.

F (23 Oct)

No class - Mid-semester Day

M (26 Oct)

liberty, laws & orders: pp.145-54, 164-74, 183-191, 198-207, 221-39, 252-4, 483-91.

W (28 Oct)

        (contÕd) stomach trouble and monsters.      Hobbes Talks

                       

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JOHN LOCKE

(1632-1704)

Two Treatises of Government

England (and America)

 

F (30 Oct)

Locke, Locke talks, patriarchy: pp.242-262.

M (2 Nov)

the state of nature, property, and power: pp.262-299, 210-11, 230-31.

W (4 Nov)

consent, common-wealth, change: pp. 300-316,319-338, 342-347.

F (6 Nov)

conquest, and complaint: pp.349-387.

 

Last Day to Withdraw

M (9 Nov)

thinking historically about Hobbes and Locke.

 

 

JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

(1712-1778)

The Discourses and the Social Contract

France and Switzerland

 

W (11 Nov)

Rousseau, enlightenment and de-moralization: First Discourse, pp.1-21.

F (13 Nov)

natural man, inequality, unhappiness: Second Discourse, pp.25-81, 94-95.

M (16 Nov)

liberty and illiberality: The Social Contract, pp.141-165, 170-205, 219-227.

W (18 Nov)

TBA

F (20 Nov)

TBA

M (23 Nov)

thinking historically about Rousseau and review

 

 

W (25 Nov)

Exam 2,

 

 

F (27 Nov)

No Class - Thanksgiving

 

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JOHN STUART MILL

(1806-1873)

On Liberty and The Subjection of Women

London, England

 

M (30 Nov)

Mill, liberty, and freedom of thought, caveats: On Liberty, pp.5-23, 37-55

W (2 Dec)

individuality, authority, and harm: On Liberty, pp.56-115.

F (4 Dec)

 

women: On Women, pp.119, 122-3, 128-152, 156-169, 184, 195-200, 212-7.

            Ideals of Victorian Womanhood

            A womanÕs right, BEP v AM

M (7 Dec)

thinking historically about Mill

W (9 Dec)

TBA

F (11 Dec)

Review

           

 

F (18 Dec)

8-11am  Exam 3