GOV 312 P: Constitutional Principles: Core Texts Spring 2018 Unique Number: CLA 0128: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:00-3:00 pm

Transcription

1 GOV 312 P: Constitutional Principles: Core Texts Spring 2018 Unique Number: CLA 0128: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:00-3:00 pm Instructor: Mr. Alec Arellano Office Location: Mezes Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 3-4:30 pm *This course fulfills the second half of the legislative requirement for Government* Course Description: The United States of America is unique in that it was founded on the basis of ideas. Prominent among these ideas are democracy, liberty, and equality. The fundamental objective of this course is to identify how people have understood and contested those ideas over the course of American history. We will do so exclusively through a close reading of primary sources from philosophers, statesmen, intellectuals, and activists. The course will begin with the major political writings of John Locke in order to elucidate the theoretical foundations of liberalism. (Thomas Jefferson, who played a major role in drafting the U.S. Declaration of Independence, famously included Locke among his trinity of the three greatest men the world had ever produced ). From there we will move on to the debate concerning the ratification of the United States Constitution, giving consideration to both the document s advocates and its opponents, and their major axes of disagreement. While the Anti- Federalists ultimately lost the debate in the political arena, there is nonetheless much we can learn from how they understood the Constitution and self-government. We will also spend several weeks reading Alexis de Tocqueville s Democracy in America in order to discern the strengths and pathologies this French visitor perceived in the American way of life. Tocqueville illuminated better than anyone else before or since the tension between the two principles of liberty and equality. The ideals that the United States claims to champion have historically not been a reality for many of its citizens. In this course, we will read selections from the writings of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X to see what American principles mean to people who have suffered under slavery, or experienced the indignity of second-class citizenship. In conjunction with this, we will also examine the words of Abraham Lincoln, one of America s greatest statesmen, to identify how he understood American constitutional principles at the time of their greatest crisis. Course Requirements and Grading: The most important requirement of this course is that you come to class everyday having done the reading carefully and prepared to answer questions about it. I encourage you to do the readings more than once and take notes while you read. You should try to come to every class meeting with questions, comments, and interpretations. Much of the material we will be reading will be reading will be difficult, but I promise you that it will be worth the time you need to put 1

2 into it. I will post reading questions in advance of each class meeting in order to guide your studying. You can find summaries for many of our readings on websites like sparknotes.com and gradesaver.com. I would prefer that you not look at those websites. You absolutely should not look at those summaries in place of doing the actual reading assignments you will quickly find that this will not be sufficient to keep up with the class. The actual grade breakdown for the course is as follows: 25% - Midterm Exams: There will be two midterm exams, each worth 25% of your course grade. They will be in-class, closed-note exams with a mix of multiple choice and short essay questions. 30% - Final Exam: A cumulative final exam will be given from 9 am to 12 pm on Saturday, December 16 th. It will include a mix of quotation identification and essay questions. I will distribute possible essay questions in advance to guide your studying. 10% - Quizzes: Since the love of knowledge is not always powerful enough to inspire students to do all of the reading, I will periodically give unannounced quizzes at the start of class. These quizzes will not be particularly difficult for those who have done the reading carefully, though they will likely be quite difficult if you have done the reading hastily or not at all. I will drop everyone s lowest quiz grade. Quizzes missed due to unexcused absences cannot be made up. 10% - Attendance and Participation: Attendance is required at every class meeting. You get two free unexcused absences. After that, for each class you miss, your attendance grade will drop by 10%, meaning your overall course grade will drop by 1%. Having more than 10 unexcused absences will result in automatic failure of the course. Should you provide a valid excuse for your absence (e.g., an illness, a job interview, or a school related-trip), you will not be penalized I am willing to work with you on this, but it is your responsibility to communicate with me about it. Final grades are calculated numerically based on the categories and their weightings indicated above. Your numeric grade will be converted into a letter grade based on the following scale: A: ; A-:90-92; B+: 87-89; B: 83-86; B-: 80-82; C+:77-79; C: C-: 70-72; D+: 67-69; D: 63-66; D-: 60-62; F: Below 60. Scores of 0.5 and higher will be rounded up, and scores of less than 0.5 will be rounded down. Required Texts I would strongly prefer you buy the specific edition indicated of each assigned book. I will be referring to the text frequently in class, and if we all have the same edition, it will be easier for everyone to follow along. I have tried to find versions of the required texts that are inexpensive. It is especially important to have the correct edition of Democracy in America, because some editions number the chapters differently. 2

3 1. Readings available online through a Google search. (Marked with an asterisk in the schedule.) 2. John Locke, Second Treatise of Government. Hackett Publishing Company John Locke, Letter Concerning Toleration. Hackett Publishing Company X 4. Hamilton, Madison, Jay. The Federalist Papers. Introduction by Charles Kesler, edited by Clinton Rossiter. Signet Classics. ISBN The Anti-Federalist: An Abridgement. Edited by Herbert Storing, selected by Murray Dry. The University of Chicago Press. ISBN Alexis de Tocqueville. Democracy in America. Trans. Arthur Goldhammer. The Library of America. ISBN Frederick Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. ISBN Booker T. Washington. Up from Slavery. Dover Thrift Editions W.E.B. DuBois. The Souls of Black Folk. Dover Thrift Editions Makeup Work: If you need to take a makeup exam because of a planned absence (e.g., a job interview or a school-related trip), please contact me at least one week in advance so that I can arrange for accommodations. Technology: Class lecture and discussion require your full attention. Use of laptops is discouraged, and use of cell phones is strictly forbidden. If you absolutely must use a laptop, please sit at the front of the class. Research has shown that students who take notes by hand retain information much better than those who take notes on a laptop. Communication: I will try to answer s sent during ordinary working hours (9 am to 5 pm on weekdays) as soon as possible. Outside of that time frame I will try to answer s within 24 hours. If you have a brief question that you think could be answered in a few sentences, then it is appropriate to ask over . If it is something that requires a more extended explanation, please come to office hours, or me to schedule a time to meet outside my regular office hours. During my office hours, my students are my number-one priority. I am invested in helping all of you perform to your highest capability. Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is unacceptable. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and perhaps for the course. A short guide put together by the University of Texas explaining what plagiarism is and how it can be avoided may be found here: A few additional notes about academic dishonesty: One of the biggest causes of cheating is last-minute desperation. Please give yourself adequate time to prepare for assignments in this course. If you are unsure of whether your work is within the boundaries of academic integrity, check with me. This is a safer bet than asking another student. Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, (512) , Students who 3

4 receive accommodations must notify me and provide the relevant documentation as soon as possible, and no less than one week before the first exam. Accommodations for Religious Holidays: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, exam, or assignment in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Flags Cultural Diversity in the United States This course is designed to carry the flag for Cultural Diversity in the United States. Cultural Diversity courses are designed to increase your familiarity with the variety and richness of the American cultural experience. You should expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the history and political thought of black Americans a group that has experienced persistent marginalization and oppression over the course of our history. Ethics and Leadership This course carries the Ethics and Leadership flag. Ethics and Leadership courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for making ethical decisions in your adult and professional life. You should expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments involving ethical issues and the process of applying ethical reasoning to real-life situations. Schedule of Readings Note that during this course I will assume a basic familiarity with Articles of Confederation and The Constitution of the United States (including its amendments). Each can be found at the back of your copy of the Federalist papers (pp and , respectively). I encourage you to review them before the start of the course and refer back to them throughout the semester, especially during the weeks when we look at the ratification debate. If the reading for a given day is available online, please print it off and bring it to class. Week 1: Course Introduction and Locke s State of Nature January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day no class January 17: Course introduction, John Locke, Second Treatise, Chapters 1-3 January 19: Locke, Second Treatise, Chapter 5 Week 2: Locke on the Origin and Purposes of Government January 22: Locke, Second Treatise, Chapters 8, 9, 10 January 24: Locke, Locke, Second Treatise, 18, 19, The Declaration of Independence (found in the back of your copy of the Federalist Papers, pp ), excerpt from Jefferson s letter to 4

5 William Smith* January 26: Federalist 1, 6, 9 Week 3: The Ratification Debate: The Federalists January 29: Federalist 10, 14 January 31: Federalist 15, 16, 23 February 2: Federalist 47, 48, 49, Jefferson s letter to Samuel Kercheval (posted on Canvas) Week 4: The Ratification Debate: The Federalists February 5: Federalist 51 February 7: Federalist 37, 39 February 9 : Federalist 52-53, Week 5: The Federalists continued February 12: Federalist February 14: Federalist 78 September 16: Federalist 84, James Wilson speech to the Pennsylvania Ratifying Convention, November 28, 1787* Week 6: The Ratification Debate: The Anti-Federalists February 19: Centinel 1, Federal Farmer II-III February 21: Brutus I-III February 23: Brutus XI-XV, XVI (paragraph 169 only) Week 7: Religious Toleration February 26: Midterm 1 February 28: Mid-semester feedback; Locke, Letter concerning Toleration, pp March 2: Locke, Letter concerning Toleration, pp ; Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance ; Jefferson, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, Letter to the Danbury Baptists ; Washington, Letter to the Jews of Newport. Farewell Address * Week 8: Tocqueville Note that Tocqueville readings are formatted [Volume].[Part].[Chapter]. So, for example, Tocqueville, refers to Volume 1, Part 2, Chapters 2-4 March 5: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Introduction March 7: Tocqueville, I March 9: Tocqueville, I.2.1, ( only), 1.2.7, II.2.I SPRING BREAK Week 9: Tocqueville 5

6 March 19: Tocqueville, March 21: Tocqueville, II.1.1-2, 5, II.3.21 (pp only) March 23: Tocqueville, II Week 10: Tocqueville March 26: Tocqueville II March 28: Tocqueville, II.2.20, II March 30: Tocqueville II Week 11: Tocqueville concluded; Lincoln on dangers to the republic; testimony of a slave April 2: Midterm 2 April 4: Abraham Lincoln, Address Before the Young Men s Lyceum * April 6: Frederick Douglass, Narrative (please read the entire book try to get a head start) Week 12: Constitutional principles seen from the perspective of the oppressed April 9: Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? * April 11: William Lloyd Garrison, On the Constitution and the Union, No Compromise with the Evil of Slavery, Frederick Douglass, The Constitution of the United States: Is It Pro- Slavery or Anti-Slavery?, * April 13: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments and Seneca Falls Keynote Address * Week 13: Lincoln April 16: Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, and Second Inaugural Address * April 18: Abraham Lincoln, Peoria Speech and Gettysburg Address ; Frederick Douglass, Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln April 20: Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery, A Slave Among Slaves, The Reconstruction Period, and The Atlanta Exposition Address Week 14: W.E.B Du Bois April 23: W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, Forethought, chapters 1-3 April 25: W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, chapters 4-6 April 27: W.E.B. Du Bois, The Conservation of Races * Week 15: African-American political thought continued; the Civil Rights Movement April 30: Course Instructor Survey; Martin Luther King, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I Have a Dream speech* May 2: Martin Luther King, The American Dream; Malcolm X, Interview with Louis Lomax, The Ballot or the Bullet * May 4: Course review and conclusion *** 6

7 Thursday, May 10: Final exam, 9 am -12:00 pm (the exam will take place in our regular classroom) 7