Scottsdale Community College Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences Fall 2011 Nicholas Damask, Ph.D. POS 210 Office: 139 SB TR 10:30-11:45a hours: 8:00-9:00 MTWR SB 169 Phone: (480)423-6201 email:nicholas.damask@ sccmail.maricopa.edu Political Ideologies Course Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to political ideas through an examination of the major ideologies of the world. The course will examine their historical underpinnings and offer comparative analysis as well. Texts/readings: There is no text required for this course instead students will receive a packet of readings. Course requirements: 1. Four examinations, each worth 15%. Examinations are "objective" (i.e. will be multiple choice) and are noncomprehensive. There will be NO makeup examinations given. Students having an acceptable excuse for missing an examination will simply have the others comprise his total examination grade. Students not having an acceptable excuse will receive a zero for that exam, amounting to a 1½ letter grade penalty. The only acceptable excuses are: 1.) medical/health/death issues relating to the student or the student's family member; 2.) school-approved activities; 3.) court appearance or jury duty. Written evidence will be required of the absence. Specifics concerning the College s excused absence rules may be found on page 43-44 of the SCC Student Handbook or at the following link: http://www.scottsdalecc.edu/sites/default/files/2011-12_scc_collegecatalogrev3.pdf 2. A final exam, worth 30% of the student s grade: take-home, passed out Thursday, December 8 and due by Tuesday, December 13 at 10:30am. 3. Class attendance, worth 10%. Students will receive their full grade if they less than three absences. On the 3 rd absence, the student's final grade will be reduced 10% (a full letter). 1
Students are encouraged to see the instructor during office hours or to contact him at home by phone or email should he/she have any questions or problems relating to exams, homework assignments, classroom lectures, or any other matter. Students shall participate in class with propriety and decorum. The use of personal electronic devices during class is completely unacceptable after one warning the student will be withdrawn from the course. The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus. Date/Topic Class Schedule August 30,September 1 Introduction The Concept of Ideology Robert Higgs, On Ideology as an Analytical Concept, excerpt from his Crisis and Leviathan Joseph Roucek, excerpt from his A History of the Concept of Ideology Frederic Bastiat, Government Hannah Arendt, Ideology and Terror from her The Origins of Totalitarianism September 6,8,13 Liberalism Readings Classical Liberalism John Locke, excerpts from his The Second Treatise of Government Modern liberalism John Rawls, The Original Position from his Political Liberalism September 15,20,22 Conservatism Classical Conservatism 2
Edmund Burke, excerpts from his Reflections on the Revolution in France Economic conservatism Barry Goldwater, Taxes and Spending and The Welfare State from his Conscience of a Conservative Religious/social conservatism Russell Kirk, Ten Conservative Principles excerpted from his The Politics of Prudence Neo-conservatism Irving Kristol, The Neoconservative Persuasion ** September 27 ** ** Examination #1 ** September 27,29,October 4,6,11,13,18 Socialism Karl Marx Karl Marx, excerpts from his The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx, Preface to his Das Kapital Variants of Socialism Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( Lenin ), Division of the World Among the Great Powers, from his Imperialism Leszek Kolakowski, The First Phase of Soviet Marxism: The Beginnings of Stalinism, from his Main Currents of Marxism Eugene Debs, Unionism and Socialism Collapse Stephane Courtois, et al, The Crimes of Communism, introduction to their The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression R.J Rummel, Communist Democide: 1900-1987, chart from his Power Kills Ludwig von Mises, The Impossibility of Economic Calculation Under Socialism, from his Human Action ** October 20 ** ** Examination #2 ** 3
October 20,25,27,November 1,3,8,10 Fascism Nazism Adolf Hitler, Nation and Race, from his Mein Kampf Peter Viereck, The German Problem from his Meta- Politics: The Roots of the Nazi Mind Nora Levin, The Final Solution, from her The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry, 1933-1945 Abraham Miller, Party Voting in Germany 1928-1933, table from his Who Did Vote for Hitler? Nationalism Ernest Renan, The Meaning of Nationality Benedict Anderson, Cultural Roots, from his Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism Religious Fundamentalism Gabriel Almond, et al, The Properties of Fundamentalism from their Strong Religion ** November 15 ** ** Examination #3 ** November 25 No Class Thanksgiving November 15,17,22,29,December 1,6 Islamic Fundamentalism Political and Legal Concepts Patricia Crone, The Origins of Government, from her God s Rule: Government and Islam David Cook, The Greater Jihad and the Lesser Jihad, from his Understanding Jihad Majid Khadduri, excerpts from his Introduction to The Islamic Law of Nations: Shaybani s Siyar Bat Ye or Aspects of the Dhimmi Condition, from her The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam Islamic Fundamentalism: Ascendancy and Decline Bat Ye or, The Era of Conquests, from her The Decline of 4
Eastern Christianity Under Islam Efraim Karsh, The Last Great Islamic Empire, from his Islamic Imperialism Bernard Lewis, Introduction and A Failure of Modernity from his The Crisis of Islam Islamic Fundamentalism: Approaches to Decline Bernard Lewis, The Ottoman Empire and Its Aftermath, from his Islam in History David Pryce-Jones, The Impact of Nazism, from his The Closed Circle Sayyid Qutb, Jihad in the Cause of God, excerpt from his Milestones World Islamic Front, Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders Assaf Moghadam, Salafi Jihad and the Veneration of Martrydom, from his The Globalization of Martyrdom ** December 8 ** ** Examination #4 ** Final exam due by Tuesday, December 13 at 10:30am You must turn in your turn in your final examination via email at: nicholas.damask@sccmail.maricopa.edu Please note that if you do not receive an acknowledgement reply from me then I have not received your email. 5