PS 52
Prof. P. Currah
Modern Political Theory
This survey course covers
fundamental concepts in modern political thought, including freedom,
justice, equality, power, authority,
alienation, ideology, citizenship, the social contract, liberalism,
and democracy. In this course, “modern”
political thought begins with Niccolò Machiavelli,
who
wrote The Prince and the Discourses on
Livy in the early sixteenth century in
nineteenth century. In between, we will read
primary works by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke,
Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. We will also read
contemporary articles written from the
perspectives of those excluded from the political theory
“canon.”
Office Hours and contact information
Wednesday, 4 – 6 p.m.
Fridays,
11- noon
Or by
appointment
Office: 3401 James
Email: pcurrah@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Course Texts:
Available now at Shakespeare & Company on
(The
total cost of the books below, excluding tax, is about $54.)
Machiavelli,
The Prince
Locke,
Second Treatise
Rousseau,
Basic Political Writings
Burke,
Reflections on the Revolution in
Mill, On
Nietzsche,
On the Genealogy of Morality
Additional
readings—consisting of both primary secondary literature, required and
optional readings--will be made available on Blackboard.
You
should also own a copy of a writing stylebook, one that explains how to cite
sources,
common grammar problems, etc. A good one is: Diana Hacker's A
Writer's Reference,
with Writing in the Disciplines. Available in the
basement of Boylan) in the book sections
for English 1 or English 2.
Course goals learning objectives:
After
completing this course, students should be able to:
· identify the key assumptions of classical
liberal discourse;
· understand the assumptions of modern
political theory, and its relationship to the
European Enlightenment;
· understand Nietzsche’s critique of the
traditional notions of morality and justice;
· relate
these writers’ ideas to contemporary political phenomena.
·
write clear comparison and contrast essays on political thinkers’
central ideas about
rights,
freedom, justice, equality, power and other central concepts.
Course Grading and Assessment
participation, and
results of surprise quizzes on the readings. You are expected to attend all
classes, barring illness or emergencies. No one will be penalized for missing a
class because of a religious holiday.
Notes on the grading and
course requirements.
· You must complete the assigned readings
before class.
· There will be surprise quizzes during the
semester to ensure that you are doing the
reading.
These quizzes will not be difficult if you have done the reading.
· You should meet with me during office
hours at least once during the semester to discuss
your
writing and/or other questions you have.
· All assignments and your final grade will
be grade on a scale, not a curve.
· Late response papers will not be
accepted.
· Incompletes: It is my policy, and that of
the Brooklyn College Department of Political
Science, that
incompletes are given only in exceptional circumstances such as illness of
family
emergency.
·
Monday,
February 2: Last day to add a course; Late-Adds and Reinstatements will not be
accepted after the Late-Add period under any circumstances (except for
acknowledged College error).
·
Monday,
February 9: Last day to file Pass/Fail application;
·
Tuesday,
February 17: Last day to drop a course without a grade;
·
Monday,
March 16: Last day to file for Spring 2009 Graduation;
·
Tuesday,
April 7: Last day to apply for withdrawal from a course with a W (non-penalty)
grade;
·
Tuesday,
April 7: Last day to resolve Fall 2008 Incomplete grades
·
Tuesday,
April 7: Last day to resolve Fall 2008 ABS grades
Students with Disabilities
In order to receive disability-related academic
accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student
Disability Services. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they
may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of
the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at
718-951-5538. If you have already registered with the Center for Student
Disability Services please provide your professor with the course accommodation
form and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her.
Academic integrity
“The faculty and administration of
All
students should read carefully and thoroughly the 2007-2010 Brooklyn College
Bulletin, especially pp. 35-51, pp. 52-59, and pp. 74-83, for a complete
listing of academic regulations of the College.
Schedule of classes and readings
Wednesday, January 28: Introduction
to the course: The “modern,” political theory, why we’re reading all these
books
Timothy Garton Ash, “A Liberal Translation,” New York Times,
January 25, 2009. (Distributed in class)
Wednesday, February 4th: Niccolò Machiavelli: Contingency, Agency, Virtù
Wednesday, February 11th: Bare
Sovereignty and Hobbes’s
RESPONSE
PAPER ONE: Two page response paper on Machiavelli due in class.
Selections from Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan. (1651). Note: this reading will be
made available on Blackboard or distributed in class.
Wednesday, February 18th: Hobbes,
continued
Sheldon
Wolin, “Hobbes: Political Society as a System of Rules,” from Politics and Vision:
Continuity and Innovation in Western Political Thought (Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 2004) pp. 214-256, plus notes. BLACKBOARD
Wednesday, February 25th: The
Classical Liberalism of John Locke; Slavery?
RESPONSE
PAPER TWO: Two page response paper on Hobbes due in class.
Locke,
Second Treatise of Government (1689), pp. 5-124
William Uzgalis, “ ‘…The Same Tyrannical Princple’: Locke’s Legacy on Slavery”
Robert Bernasconi and Anika Maaza Mann, “The Contradictions of Racism: Locke, Slavery,
and the Two Treatises”
Optional:
C.B McPherson, “Editor’s Introduction,” pp. vii-xxiv.
Wednesday, March 4th: Everywhere
they are in chains”: Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s critique of classical liberalism
RESPONSE
PAPER THREE: Two page response paper on Locke due in class.
Rousseau,
“Letter to the
Optional:
Peter Gay, “Introduction,” to Rousseau’s Basic Political Writings, pp.
vii-xvii.
Wednesday, March 11th: The other
social contract—Rousseau
Rousseau,
The Social Contract (1762), Books I and II, pp. 141-227.
Wednesday, March 18th: Midterm Exam
Wednesday, March 25th: Declaring
Rights
Three
Declarations: 1776, 1789, 1948 (
Olympe de Gouges, Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the
Female Citizen
James
Madison, Federalist #10
Lynn
Hunt, “‘They Have Set A Great Example’: Declaring Rights,” in Lynn Hunt,
Inventing Human
Rights (
Jacques
Derrida, “Declarations of
Optional:
Wednesday, April 1st: Edmund Burke
and the Conservative Critique of the “new conquering empire of light and
reason” (the Enlightenment)
RESPONSE
PAPER FOUR: Two page response paper on social contract theory due in class
Edmund
Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in
Wednesday, April 22nd: John Stuart
Mill’s Defense of Liberty
RESPONSE
PAPER FIVE: Two page response paper on Burke due in class
John
Stuart Mill, “On
Wednesday, April 29th: Marx’s
critique of political emancipation
RESPONSE
PAPER SIX: Two page response paper on Mill due in class
Marx, “On
the Jewish Question” (1844), pp. 1-26.
Marx and Friedrich Engels, “The German Ideology,” (1846) pp.
103-156.
Marx,
“Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of
Political Economy” (1859), pp. 209-213.
Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto” (1848), pp. 157-186.
Wednesday, May 5th: Nietzsche and
the end of the “modern”
RESPONSE
PAPER SEVEN: Two page response paper on Marx due in class
Nietzsche,
On the Genealogy of Morality (1887), Preface and First Treatise and Second
Treatise
Wednesday, May 13th: The End of
Rights?
RESPONSE
PAPER EIGHT: Two page response paper on Nietzsche due in class
Hannah
Arendt, “The Decline of the Nation-State and the End of the Rights of Man,”
from The Origins of Totalitarianism (New York: Schocken Books, 1948).
Giorgio Agamben, “Biopolitics,” from Homo
Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life (Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press, 1998): 127-135.
Wednesday, May 20th: 6 –
8 p.m. Final Exam: