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John H. Hallowell & Jene M. Porter, Political
Philosophy (Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice- Hall Canada Inc.: 1997)
Jene M. Porter (ed.) Classics in Political Philosophy 3rd
Ed. (Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.: 2000)
This
course will introduce students to the fundamental issues of politics as they
emerge from some of the great works of Western thought, written between the
Fifth Century B.C. and the sixteenth century A.D. Selected thinkers are examined with a view to their lasting
contribution to the understanding of political life. The objective of this course is to demonstrate how every
conception of government implies a view of man’s nature and destiny and that no
adequate understanding of politics and its goals is possible without a
systematic consideration of the essence of the human condition. Self, justice, nature, order and freedom are
among some of the issues examined.
1.The student is expected to complete
fully the assigned reading for each class and to be prepared to contribute to
class discussions.
2. Reaction Papers
a.
Two 3 - 5 page response papers
will be required.
b.
You will be asked to summarize and critically evaluate an idea of theory
found in one of the essays in the readings textbook edited by Jene Porter
and/or Aristotle’s Politics.
c.
The topic of your essay will be assigned by the instructor.
d.
The paper will be due during the week in which the reading assignment on
which your paper is based is being discussed in class.
e.
As the class “expert” on the essay assigned to you, you will be called
on in class to elaborate upon or describe some principle of argument made by
the essay’s author. Your responses will
count as part of your class contribution grade. Students assigned essays on Plato will be given an additional
week grace period before their papers must be completed and
turned in.
f. The paper must
be typewritten and double-spaced.
g.
The grade for the paper will be determined by the following criteria:
1. Does
the paper demonstrate that the student has thoroughly read and comprehended the
assigned reading?
2. Is it well organized?
3. Does the paper make an argument, demonstrate insights, synthesize
ideas, show interrelationships, explain cause-and-effect and incorporate
additional library research?
4. Is it well written and free from an inordinate amount of spelling
and grammatical errors? Is it neat and
free from annoying corrections and type-overs?
The final course grade will be based on the
following:
|
Final Examination |
40 points |
|
Mid-term Examination |
30 points |
|
Reaction Papers |
25 points |
|
Contribution to class discussion and
class attendance |
05 points |
Examinations will be entirely of the
essay variety. There will be no
make-ups on the mid-term examination.
If the mid-term is missed, a double grade will then be given on the
final examination.
Every student will be held responsible on
all tests for all material covered in class lectures and discussions. Other than this, there is no formal
attendance requirement.
I.
Introduction
a) A
discussion of the objectives of the course.
What is political theory? Why
study political theory?
1. The
central political institution of ancient Greece
Readings:
H & P, p. 1-5
Web Links: S O L O N: The Lawmaker of Athen (died 559 B.C.) by Plutarch
Plato, The Republic and The Laws
1. The
nature of justice, the role of intelligence, the nature of “good,” the
relationship between the order of the soul and the order of the commonwealth,
ideal regime, Allegory of the Cave, Timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Tyranny,
Myth of Er.
2. Plato,
The Statesman and The Laws - the re-admission of the laws. The Golden Cord of the Law
Readings:
H & P, p. 5-54, Porter, pp 2-100
Web Links: Plato Web Site; The Internet Classics
Archive | The Republic by Plato
1. The
organic state
Readings: H & P, p. 55-95, Porter, pp.101-173
Recommended
Reading: Ernest Barker, The
Politics of Aristotle. Read especially pp xlvii-lxii, and Books I, II, III,
IV, V
Web
Links: Aristotle;The Internet Classics
Archive | Politics by Aristotle
1. Cynicism,
H & P, p. 96-99 Web Links: Cynics
Web Links: Epicureans
MID-TERM
EXAMINATION
Web
Links: Roman
Law: Homepage; Justinian Code
2. Polybius on the mixed constitution and
constitution change, H & P, p. 108-110
Web Links: Selections from
Polybius' "History", Polybius and the
Founding Fathers: the separation of powers, The
Republic Strikes Back - Polybius
3. Cicero,
The Republic and The Offices, H & P, p.
110-117
a. Natural law
b. Cycle of constitutions
c. The Composite State
Web Links: Marcus
Tullius Cicero, The
Internet Classics Archive | Works by Cicero
4. Stoicism -- the idea of
civic virture and individual morality, H & P, p.
102-107
a. Seneca
b. Marcus Aurelius
Web
Links: Stoicism
5) Christian
Obedience
6) Conclusion, H & P, p.
120-121
VI. The Renaissance: Power Politics and the
Development of the Nation-State
Tuesday, September 03,
2002