Political Philosophy of the Renaissance and Enlightenment Course Number: POL 312. instructor

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1 Disclaimer: This is an indicative syllabus only and may be subject to changes. The final and official syllabus will be distributed by the Instructor during the first day of class. The American University of Rome International Relations Program Department or degree program mission statement, student learning objectives, as appropriate Course Title: Political Philosophy of the Renaissance and Enlightenment Course Number: POL 312 Credits & hours: 3 credits 3 hours Pre/Co Requisites: A lower level Political Science course or permission of the instructor Course description A survey of seminal works in the Western tradition that established a decisive break with classical politics and political philosophy in the 16th 17th centuries, thereby founding modern political thought and the origin of our contemporary discipline of Political Science. Themes and issues include: the rejection of classical political philosophy and the rise of a science of politics; the state of nature and the problem of political stability; modern social contract theory and the primacy of free will over virtue; property rights and republicanism; political right. The purpose of the course is to examine the tenets of early modern political philosophy at their point of origin, especially in the radical enterprise of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. Required Textbook (subject to change) Religion and Modern Society. Citizenship, Secularization and the State, by Bryan S. Turner, Cambridge UP, 2011 ISBN: Course Learning Objectives At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. possess a framework of knowledge in the fields of politics, philosophy, history of religion and related social sciences, international relation; with the particular ability to distinguish key issues on the role of religion in political life 2. analyze contemporary issues and case studies on politics and religion by drawing on primary philosophical sources and on available scholarship and developing one s own argument on the matter 3. possess methodological skills relevant to penetrating reading of original sources, gathering information and opinions from secondary sources, formulating clear arguments and coherent communication of findings in oral presentations and written work 4. use the Roman, Italian and multicultural learning experience at AUR in order to enhance the ability to apply the skills in other contexts

2 Course Learning Activities Careful study of course reading, active and thoughtful participation in class discussion, and attention to class lectures will combine to build a framework of knowledge of key concepts in politics & religion issues and the ability to distinguish philosophical concepts and assess their original cultural contexts. 2. Class discussion and a graded oral presentation will offer the opportunity to consider comparative and ethical contexts, as well as how the philosophical principles being studied can be used to understand present issues and controversies. 3. Class discussion will guide students in developing the skills of penetrating reading of original sources, formulating clear arguments and communicating them coherently; and the oral presentation and a graded research paper, with preliminary phases (including an abstract and outline), will offer the opportunity to refine and demonstrate these skills, as well as to explore the effective use of secondary sources. 4. Class discussion, the oral presentation and research paper present occasions for considering ideas and information from new perspectives, showing us how we benefit from the multi cultural experience of learning at AUR, and helping us to see across the invisible but strong barriers of cultural and historical divides. Assessment tools Class participation 10% Oral presentation 15% Independent Research Project 20% Mid term Exam 25% Final Exam 30%

3 COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic Reading Week 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE What is about religion that makes it so important in politics? How Philosophy can help us to develop and analysis on their relationship? What is Politics? What is Philosophy? What is Religion? RELIGION AND MORALITY How the relationship between morality and religion has been presented? Do you think that an atheist is less morally reliable than a religious person? Week 2 RELIGION AND MORALITY (2) THE ROLE(S) OF RELIGION IN POLITICS What roles does religion play in politics? How the authors considered agree and disagree about the role of religion in politics? In what political realms is religion especially likely to play a role? What role should religion play in supporting the state? Week 3 RELIGION AND MORALITY (2) THE ROLE(S) OF RELIGION IN POLITICS What roles does religion play in politics? How the authors considered agree and disagree about the role of religion in politics? In what political realms is religion especially likely to play a role? What role should religion play in supporting the state? Week 4 Week 5 EARLY MODERN EUROPE (Hobbes) EARLY MODERN EUROPE (Locke) What arguments does Locke give for tolerating religious difference? How far does Locke think toleration should extend? Who is not to be tolerated, and why? La Questione Romana CASE STUDY THE UNITY OF ITALY The Papacy and the Risorgimento. Catholics and Politics. Gioberti. The new born Italian state and the the Roman Catholic Church CASE STUDY: THE UNITY OF ITALY (2) Why after 1870 the Popes considered themselves prisoners in the Vatican? Why they did not recognize the legitimacy of the Italian government? Catholics and political participation in liberal Italy. The Lateran Pacts and Fascism. Plato, Euthyphro, Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals; R.J. Bernstein, The Secular Religious Divide: Kant's Legacy, Social Research Vol. 76 No 4, Winter 2009, pp Selection from: Machiavelli, Discourses; R. Beiner, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau on Civil Religion, The Review of Politics, Vol. 55, No. 4 (Autumn, 1993), pp ; V.B. Sullivan, Neither Christian nor Pagan: Machiavelli's Treatment of Religion in the "Discourses", Polity, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Winter, 1993), pp Euthyphro, Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals; R.J. Bernstein, The Secular Religious Divide: Kant's Legacy, Social Research Vol. 76 No 4, Winter 2009, pp Machiavelli, Discourses; R. Beiner, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau on Civil Religion, The Review of Politics, Vol. 55, No. 4 (Autumn, 1993), pp ; V.B. Sullivan, Neither Christian nor Pagan: Machiavelli's Treatment of Religion in the "Discourses", Polity, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Winter, 1993), pp Selection from: Hobbes, Leviathan; J. W. Seaman, Hobbes and the Liberalization of Christianity, Canadian Journal of Pol No. 2 (Jun., 1999), pp ; B. Milner, Hobbes: On Religion, Political Theory, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Aug., 1988), Selection from: Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration; pp G. Kateb, Locke and the Political Origins of Secularism, Social Research Vol. 76 No 4, Winter 2009, pp ; M. Schwartzman, The Relevance of Locke's Religious Arguments for Toleration, Political Theory, Vol. 33, No. 5 (Oct., 2005), Selections from: C. Duggan, A Concise History of Italy; Pope Pius IX, Encyclical Quanta cura ; Syllabus of errors condemned; Marraro, The Religious Problem of the Italian Risorgimento as Seen by Americans, Church History, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Mar., 1956), pp ; W. Halperin, Church and State in Italy during the Last Years of Pius IX Church History, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar., 1936), pp

4 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 RELIGION AND PUBLIC POLICIES THE TEACHING OF SCIENTIFIC THEORIES Film screening: INHERIT THE WIND, Stanley Kramer, 1960 Teacher B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwin's theories. Famous lawyer Henry Drummond defends him; fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady prosecutes. This is a very thinly disguised rendition of the 1925 "Scopes monkey trial" with debates between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan taken largely from the transcripts. The story centers around the issue of evolution vs. creationism, in the prosecution of 24 year old Dayton High School mathematics teacher and sports coach and substitute science teacher John T. Scopes for violating state law (the 1925 Butler Act) by teaching the Darwin's theory of evolution in a state funded school. The film's title was taken from the Biblical book of Proverbs 11:29: "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind." RELIGION AND PUBLIC POLICIES: THE TEACHING OF SCIENTIFIC THEORIES Review for the Mid term exam Mid term Exam SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION. DURKHEIM SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION. MAX WEBER What role did religion play in the emergence of capitalism and the modern rationalized economy according to Weber? What is the relationship between material forces and ideal forces according to Weber? UNDERSTANDING SECULARIZATION What are the component of secularization? How would we know if it is taking place? What are the implications of secularization for the interaction of religion and politics? FROM PHARAOH TO FÜHRER: THE SACRALIZATION OF POLITICS Civil Religions and Political Religion: from Democratic Revolutions to Totalitarian States. The Fascist Religion. Nazi Neo Paganism. Personality Cult WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE: RELIGION IN THE US Are the US exceptional among rich nations in the vitality of its spiritual life or Western Europe is exceptional in its secularization? Why and how did religion come to be influential in American politics? How can we explain the vitality of religion in American life? POLITICS AND ISLAMIC RELIGION Islam and the separation between the Church and the State. Can Muslim minorities be integrated in a mutually satisfactory manner within a secular, liberal environment? C. Areson Clark, Evolution for John Doe: Pictures, the Public, and the Scopes Trial Debate, The Journal of American History, Vol. 87, No. 4 (Mar., 2001), pp ; M. George, And Then God Created Kansas? The Evolution/Creationism Debate in America's Public Schools, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 149, No. 3 (Jan., 2001), pp ; G. Branch, Understanding Creationism after Kitzmiller, BioScience, Vol. 57, No. 3 (March 2007), pp ; R. Moore, Creationism in the United States: I. Banning Evolution from the Classroom, The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 60, No. 7 (Sep., 1998), pp Selections from: Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Religion, the Protestant Ethic and Moral Values, in Sacred and Secular, Religion and Politics Worldwide, P. Norris and R. Inglehart, Cambridge UP, 2004, pp The Secularization debate, in Sacred and Secular, Religion and Politics Worldwide, P. Norris and R. Inglehart, Cambridge UP, 2004;, pp The Puzzle of Secularization in the United States and Western Europe, in Sacred and Secular, Religion and Politics Worldwide, P. Norris and R. Inglehart, Cambridge UP, 2004: pp ; J. A. Morone, Jefferson's Rickety Wall: Sacred and Secular in American Politics, Social Research Vol 76. No 4. Winter 2009 pp ; J.R. Jakobsen and A. Pellegrini Obama's Neo New Deal: Religion, Secularism, and Sex in Political Debates Now, Social Research Vol. 76 No 4, Winter 2009, pp ; W. Fallers Sullivan, We Are All Religious Now. Again., Social Research Vol. 76 No 4, Winter 2009, pp Religion and Politics in the Muslim World, in Sacred and Secular, Religion and Politics Worldwide, P. Norris and R. Inglehart, Cambridge UP, 2004: pp ; K. Barkey, Islam and Toleration:

5 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM Why is religion apparently more important than ever despite an increasingly secular world? What is religious nationalism? What is fundamentalism? How can we explain the similarities between reliogious fundamentalism movements across the globe? How can we tell fundamentalist movements from nonfundamentalist movements? What are the explanations for the rise of religious fundamentalism? CASE STUDY: THE CHURCH AND ITALIAN POLITICS ( ) The debate for the rights of unmarried couples in Italy. Chuch leaders speaks against legal recognition for unmarried couples. (2007) The right to euthanasia? Italy faces constitutional crisis over coma woman. (2009) RELIGION AND DEMOCRACY The clash of civilization debate. Why is religion so often paired with violence in the political realm? Is religion compatible with democracy? What impact has religion on democracies? Is there a reciprocal influence? How should democracies deal with religious movements? With fundamentalist ones? How have the United States, Turkey and Israel dealt with this issue? POST SECULARIZATION? Has the Post secular age begun? Are we living in a post secular society? GENERAL CLASS DISCUSSION Review for the final examination FINAL EXAM Studying the Ottoman Imperial Model, International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 19, No. 1/2, The New Sociological Imagination II (Dec., 2005), pp. 5 19; M. Moaddel, The Study of Islamic Culture and Politics: An Overview and Assessment, Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 28 (2002), pp ; M. Steven Fish, Islam and Authoritarianism, World Politics, Vol. 55, No. 1 (Oct., 2002), pp. 4 37; H. Yilmaz, Islam, Sovereignty, and Democracy: A Turkish View, Middle East Journal, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Summer, 2007), pp ; C. Joppke, State Neutrality and Islamic Headscarf Laws in France and Germany, Theory and Society, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Aug., 2007), pp Selections from: M. Ruthven, Fundamentalism, Oxford UP, 2004; J. Nagata, Beyond Theology: Toward an Anthropology of "Fundamentalism", American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 103, No. 2 (Jun., 2001), pp ; K. Renwick Monroe and L. Haddad Kreidie, The Perspective of Islamic Fundamentalists and the Limits of Rational Choice Theory, Political Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Mar., 1997), pp ; L. R. Iannaccone and E. Berman, Religious Extremism: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly, Public Choice, Vol. 128, No. 1/2, The Political Economy of Terrorism (Jul., 2006), pp S. Bernini, Family politics: political rhetoric and the transformation of family life in the Italian Second Republic, Journal of Modern Italian Studies 13 (3) 2008, pp ; C. Saint Blancat and O. Schmidt Friedberg, Why are Mosques a Problem? Local Politics and Fear of Islam in Northern Italy, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Vol. 31, No. 6, November 2005, pp /1104 A. Black, Religion and Politics in Western and Islamic Political Thought: A Clash of Epistemologies?, The Political Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 1, January March 2010, pp ; V. Bader, Religious Diversity and Democratic Institutional Pluralism, Political Theory, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 2003), pp ; J. Fox, Religion and State Failure: An Examination of the Extent and Magnitude of Religious Conflict from 1950 to 1996, International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique, Vol. 25, No. 1, Religion and Politics. Religion et politique (Jan., 2004), pp Gutting, Should Religion Play a Role in Politics?, New York Times, JULY 27, 2011; J. K. Hadden, Toward Desacralizing Secularization Theory; Social Forces, Vol. 65, No. 3 (Mar., 1987), pp ; selections from B.S. Turner, Religion and Modern Society. Citizenship, Secularization and the State, Cambridge UP, 2011; D. Philpott, Explaining the Political Ambivalence of Religion, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 101, No. 3 (Aug., 2007), pp ; K. D. Wald and C. Wilcox, Getting Religion: Has Political Science Rediscovered the Faith Factor?, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 100, No. 4, (Nov., 2006), pp

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