Topics in Political Theory: Ancient and Medieval Political Thought POLS 370 / MWF 2:00-2:50pm DAV 307 Instructor: Professor Russell Arben Fox Office and Office Hours: Davis 313; MTRF 3:00-5:00pm and by appointment Office Phone and E-mail: 295-5827; foxr@friends.edu The Topic: This is an upper-level political science course, focusing on the political ideas of ancient and medieval thinkers from the Western tradition. Ancient and Medieval are primarily academic distinctions: they help teachers such as myself to organize the intellectual history of Western civilization into handy categories. Specifically, when we professional philosophers talk about ancient or medieval concepts, we mean, in the first case, the political, philosophical, and moral legacy of the ancient Greek world, and in the second case, the heritage of European Christendom, from its formation after the fall of the Roman Empire to its dissolution with the changes wrought by the Renaissance and the Reformation over a thousand years later. Of course, there is something intuitively wrong with attempting to package so many events and ideas which emerged over a period of so many centuries together into a single class. But at the same time, from our perspective there is a certain sense to it: ever since the arrival of the modernity (with the great wars, revolutions, and transformations of the 16 th and 17 th centuries), the connections between the premodern and modern Western world have become quite thin; our ancient and medieval intellectual ancestors were profoundly different from us, and we can only enter into their world and learn from them in a limited way. Still, the fact that basic matters of our political, philosophical, and moral lives questions of authority, virtue, truth, justice, community and so forth are but continuations of longstanding, even ancient debates, means that we must try to reconsider these distant ideas somehow. Debates throughout the history of political theory regularly make use of hypotheticals and suppositions in order to explore political definitions. That is, the picture of society given by most political theorists is not a real or literal one. So do not be put off if the way in which any of these thinkers set up or analyze the problems of politics strike you as unrealistic or beside the point. Philosophers do this because they believe that fancy, exaggeration, even extravagance, sometimes permits us to see things that are not otherwise apparent... like the rest of mankind, [political thinkers] are prevented from seeing all political things first hand. The impossibility of direct observation compels the theorist to epitomize a society by abstracting certain phenomena and providing interconnections where none can be seen. Imagination is the theorist s means for understanding a world he can never know in an intimate way. (Sheldon Wolin, Politics and Vision [1960], 18-19) The reading for this course will be at a fairly high level: often abstract, and making reference to political, moral, and philosophical arguments which go far beyond what one would typically encounter in a news report or a politician s speech. Similarly, the lectures in this class, and the discussions those lectures should prompt, will be demanding and challenging. While any student who has demonstrated their competence and ability in other political science or similar classes is welcome, this course should not be treated lightly I aim to make this class rewarding, but you ll have to work for those rewards. Finally, successful completion of this class satisfies a requirements for the Political Science/History major. The Instructor: That s me. My name, office hours, and office e-mail are included at the top of this sheet. Please make use of my office hours if you have a question or concern, or send me an e-mail message and set up a meeting.
The Reading: There are six required books for this course: Plato, Republic (Oxford World s Classics, Robin Waterfield, translator) Aristotle, Politics (OWC, Ernest Barker, translator, R.F. Stalley, editor) Augustine, Political Writings (Hackett Publishing, Michael Tkacz and Douglas Kries, translators) Aquinas, On Law, Morality, and Politics (Hackett, William P. Baumgarth and Richard J. Regan, editors) Luther and Calvin, On Secular Authority (Cambridge University Press, Harrod Höpfl, editor) Machiavelli, The Prince (OWC, Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa, translators) These are, of course, classic texts, and widely available in many other versions. So long as you feel confident in being able to keep up with the scheduled reading as laid out in the syllabus (which will be easier in some cases that in others), any translation will be fine. There are also two additional texts which I would recommend to you: Edward Bryan Portis, Reconstructing the Classics (CQ Press) James L. Wiser, The Protestant Reformation (handout) These should only be used as a general reference; I will occasionally refer to them when we are beginning our reading of a different author, and they should help you keep in mind some of the basic positions these different thinkers take, but I will not be testing you directly on any of their content. The Schedule: This is your Bible for this course, so follow it closely. Our discussions may not adhere strictly to the assigned material for any particular day, but don t let that distract you. With the exception of lecture days, every class period has a reading assignment which you should complete before coming to class. The pop quiz questions will always be taken directly from the assigned reading for that day. Wednesday, January 11 first day of class; course introduction Friday, January 13 Portis, chps. 2-3; lecture on Plato, Aristotle, and Greek philosophy Monday, January 16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; no class Wednesday, January 18 Plato, 3-15, 44-56 Friday, January 20 Plato, 57-79 Monday, January 23 Plato, 95-102, 115-132 Wednesday, January 25 Plato, 133-158 Friday, January 27 Plato, 159-189 Monday, January 30 Plato, 190-207, 219-226 Wednesday, February 1 Plato, 227-249 Friday, February 3 professor attending a professional conference; no class Monday, February 6 Plato, 250-276 Wednesday, February 8 Aristotle, 7-37 Friday, February 10 Aristotle, 38-51, 84-97 Monday, February 13 Aristotle, 97-123
Wednesday, February 15 professor attending a student conference; no class Friday, February 17 professor attending a student conference; no class Monday, February 20 Presidents Day; no class Wednesday, February 22 Aristotle, 133-160 Friday, February 24 professor participating in an all-day student activity; no class (rough drafts for first research paper due) Monday, February 27 Aristotle, 251-260, 279-290 Wednesday, February 29 midterm examination Friday, March 2 Portis, chps. 4-5; lecture on Augustine, Aquinas, and Christian political thought Monday, March 5 Augustine, 13-22, 30-47 Wednesday, March 7 Augustine, 58-70, 78-91 Friday, March 9 Augustine, 95-109, 130-139 Monday, March 12 Augustine, 140-163 Wednesday, March 14 Augustine, 164-174, 202-212 Friday, March 16 Augustine, 218-247 (first research paper due) Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23 spring break; no class Monday, March 26 Aquinas, 1-4, 11-28 Wednesday, March 28 Aquinas, 29-55 Friday, March 30 Aquinas, 56-83 Monday, April 2 Aquinas, 114-119, 136-143, 220-228 Wednesday, April 4 Aquinas, 233-246, 249-257, 263-271 (rough drafts of second research paper due) Friday, April 6 Good Friday; no class Monday, April 9 Portis, chp. 6 and Wiser handout; lecture on Luther, Calvin, and Machiavelli Wednesday, April 11 Luther, 3-43 Friday, April 13 professor attending a professional conference; no class Monday, April 16 Calvin, 47-84 Wednesday, April 18 Machiavelli, 5-33 Friday, April 20 Machiavelli, 33-60 Monday, April 23 Machiavelli, 60-88 Wednesday, April 25 last day of class; no class (research papers due) Tuesday, May 1, 1pm final examination
The Grades: Grading in this course will follow a strict 100-point scale: 91-100 = A 81-90 = B 71-80 = C 61-70 = D 60 and below = let s not talk about that, shall we? In calculating the grades, however, I throw in a 10-point margin for error, as the following scale should show: First research paper Second research paper Midterm examination Final examination Total: 20 points 20 points 30 points 40 points 110 points So, while grades will be distributed according to the 100-point scale listed above, there is actually 110 points possible in this class. Therefore, it is theoretically possible to, for example, skip the one of the research papers entirely and still just barely scrape by with an A. I wouldn t recommended that though! This margin exists to provide cover for those inevitable bad days that plague us all. Don t abuse it, for you ll find that 10 points goes quickly. The research papers will be papers of significant length (11-15 pages, typed, double-spaced, at least 7 sources beyond those assigned in class and please note that these sources CANNOT be general information books or websites (encyclopedias, Wikipedia, etc.), but must be substantive works of journalism and scholarship which address the issue you choose to examine) that you will write this semester. In both cases you can choose the topic. The research papers will be worth up to 20 points each, but these points are contingent upon your turning in a rough draft of your paper (at least 5 pages in length, with at least 3 sources beyond those used in class). If you fail to follow through on this requirement, your research papers will still be acceptable, but you will LOSE 10 points from your overall score on each paper. In all of the stages of your research papers, spelling, grammar, organization, and editorial consistency (in your footnotes/endnotes, source cited page, etc.) will count, in addition to the quality of your argument. (I will provide with more guidelines for this for developing arguments and using sources correctly in research paper writing later in the semester.) The rough drafts for the research papers are due on February 24 and April 4; the papers themselves are due on March 16 and April 25. NONE of these deadlines are negotiable, and late papers will be UNACCEPTABLE, the SOLE exception being for hospital stays or other emergencies that you can provide SIGNED DOCUMENTATION for. Also, please note that spelling and grammar will most definitely count. The midterm examination will include fifteen short-answer questions of which you choose to answer ten (the questions will be worth 2 points each, for a total of 20 points possible), and an essay question (worth 10 points, for a total of 30 possible points on the exam). The short-answer questions and the essay question will both test your knowledge of and ask you to consider both of the figures you will have studied up until that point in the course, and will require you to compare and contrast their writings in order to develop an answer. The final examination will include fifteen questions (you will answer ten of them for 20 possible points) and two essay questions (each worth 10 points, for a total of 40 possible points on the exam). The short-answer questions and the first essay question will be like the one from the midterm examination, and
will solely focus on the material covered in the second half of the semester; the second essay question will, however, be comprehensive. Please note that neither the midterm examination nor the final examination can be made up, the SOLE exception being for hospital stays or other emergencies which you can provide SIGNED DOCUMENTATION for, or scheduling conflicts which you work out with me well (MORE THAN A WEEK) in advance. Four Declarations: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations may be made for any student who notifies me of their needs. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to my attention, as I am not allowed to ask about such matters. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations should talk to me in order to work out the most appropriate procedures to follow. I am sympathetic to those who suffer any sort of family emergency and/or tragedy during this semester, and I am frequently open to working out alternative ways of completing assignments when responsibilities prevent you from attending class and so forth. That being said, it must be understood that life goes on, and so does this course. Funerals or prolonged hospital stays for loved ones, while clearly and properly demanding of one s time and energy, are NOT an acceptable excuse for ignoring class expectations, policies, or grading; if it appears you must make a choice between family obligations and class assignments, please inform me as soon as possible, rather than simply assuming that I will be understanding and let things slide out of sympathy after the fact, because I probably won t. I reserves the right, for the sake of maintaining class discipline and making certain an environment conducive to hearing and participating in the lectures and discussion, to take away for the duration of the class any cell phones, Blackberries, pagers, or any other kind of electronic communications device. I REALLY don t want to have to enforce this, because doing so is embarrassing and a hassle, but I will if I have to, for the sake of those students who are trying to get something out of class. Make it easy: simply turn off your cell phones, or turn them to silent, while in the classroom, and if you have an important call you somehow can t wait a half-hour or before returning, just politely excuse yourself. It should go without saying that ANY sort of academic dishonesty is detrimental to both your own education and my ability to fairly and sympathetically administer and grade this class. Hence, any cheating, plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data or communications, or other general malfeasance that I verify will potentially result in an automatic ZERO ( 0 ) for the assignment or test in question, depending on the gravity of the offense. In order to enforce this policy, I reserve the right to take whatever steps I deem appropriate, including banning cell phones and other electronic implements during test-taking, changing the wording or deadlines of assignments (with due notice), and so forth. You re grown-ups by now, so you consider the odds, and the consequences. If you feel you need more guidance or specifications on this polity, see the attached HONOR CODE sheet.