Reading: “The State of Nature and the Basis of Obligation” excerpt from Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, “Toleration and Government” excerpts from John Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration and Second Treatise on Government Thursday, January 23: Reading: “Government, Rights, and the Freedom of Generations” excerpts from Tom Paine’s Common Sense and The Rights of Man, “Declaration of Independence of the United States,” “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens,” “Private, Profit, Public Good” excerpt from Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, “Freedom and Enlightenment” excerpt from Immanuel Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?,” “Liberty and Individuality” excerpt from J. S. Mill’s On Liberty Part II: Welfare Liberalism Tuesday, January 28: Reading: “Liberalism and Positive Freedom” excerpt from T.H. Green’s “Liberal Legislation and Freedom of Contract,” “New Deal Liberalism: A Defense” excerpt from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “I welcome their hatred speech” (audio available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nuElu-ipTQ), President Barack Obama’s Second Inaugural Address (transcript available here: , video available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zncqb-n3zMo). Thursday, January 30: Reading: “Fundamental Ideas,” from John Rawls’ Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (available on e-learning) Part III: Neoclassical liberalism and libertarianism Tuesday, February 4: Reading: “According to the Fitness of Things” excerpt from William Graham Sumner’s What Social Classes Owe to Each Other, “Paternalism v. Democracy: A Libertarian View,” “Libertarian Anarchism” excerpt from Murray Rothbard’s For A New Liberty, “A Libertarian Utopia” Thursday, February 6: Reading: “What is Captialism?” excerpt from Ayn Rand’s Capitalism: An Unknown Ideal (available on e-learning), Senator Rand Paul’s Tea Party Response to President Barack Obama’s 2013 State of the Union Address (transcript available here: , video available here: First Paper Topic Handed Out Conservatism
Part I: Classical Conservatism Tuesday, February 11: Reading: “Society, Reverence, and the ‘True Natural Aristocracy’” excerpts from Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France and Appeal from the Old to the New Whigs, “Conservatism as Reaction” excepts from Joseph de Maistre’s Considerations on France and Study on Sovereignty Thursday, February 13: Reading: “On Being Conservative” by Michael Oakeshott, “Ten Conservative Principles” from Russell Kirk’s The Politics of Prudence, “Modern Liberalism and Cultural Decline” from Robert Bork’s Slouching Toward Gomorrah Part II: Neoconservatism Tuesday, February 18: Reading: “The Neoconservative Persuasion” by Irving Kristol, “Standing Strong in a Confused Culture” excerpt from James Dobson’s Dr. Dobson’s Newsletter, “The Conservative Crack-Up” by W. James Antle III, Explore website for the Faith and Freedom Coalition: Thursday, February 20: Reading: “The Power of Marriage” (available here: ), “Freedom Loses One” (available here: ), “The Underlying Tragedy” , “The Solitary Leaker” (available here: ), “The Nudge Debate” (available here: ) by David Brooks First Paper Due at Noon! Socialism and Communism Part I: From More to Marx Tuesday, February 25: Reading: “Utopia” excerpt from Thomas More’s Utopia, “Address to the Inhabitants of New Lanark” by Robert Owen, “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “On the Materialist Conception of History” from Karl Marx’s A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Part II: From Marx to Occupy Thursday, February 27: Reading: “Evolutionary Socialism” by Eduard Bernstein, “Revisionism, Imperialism, and Revolution” excerpts from Selected Works by V.I. Lenin, “The Permanent Revolution” by Leon Trotsky, “On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship” by Mao Zedong
--------------------Spring Break-------------------- Tuesday, March 11: Reading: “Anarcho-Communism vs. Marxism” from “Lettre a la Liberte” by Michel Bakunin, “Anarchism: What It Really Stands For” from Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman, “Looking Backward” by Edward Bellamy, “Christian Socialist Movement: A Statement of Aims,” “Can the Working Class Change the World?” by Michael D. Yates Thursday, March 13: Reading: Excerpts from Theory and Event Supplement on Occupy by Jodi Dean, Wendy Brown, and Slovoj Zizek (available on elearning) Liberation Ideologies Part I: Black liberation Tuesday, March 18: Reading: “Where Do We Go From Here?” by Martin Luther King Jr., “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcom X, “Black Consciousness and the Quest for True Humanity” by Steve Biko Part II: Women’s liberation Thursday, March 20: Reading: “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft, “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen” by Olympe de Gouges, “Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions,” “Redstockings Manifesto” (available here: ), “The Combahee River Collective Statement (available here: ), “Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks (available on elearning). Part III: Gay liberation, Native People’s liberation, and Animal liberation Tuesday, March 25: Reading: Selections from Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation (available on elearning), “Homosexuality: The Nature and Harm Arguments” by John Corvino, “Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom” from Taiaiake Alfred’s Wasase: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom, “All Animals are Equal” by Peter Singer Thursday, March 27: Discussion of liberation ideologies Second Paper Topic Handed Out Fascism
Tuesday, April 1: Readings: “Civilization and Race” from Joseph-Arthur de Gobineau’s Essay on the Inequality of Human Races, “The Doctrine of Fascism” from the Enciclopedia Italiana by Benito Mussolini, “The Political Theory of Fascism” from Alfredo Rocco’s The Political Doctrine of Fascism, “Nation and Race” from Hitler’s Mein Kampf Thursday, April 3: Discussion of fascism Radical Islamism Tuesday, April 8: Reading: “Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders: World Islamic Front Statement” by Osama Bin Laden and others, “Signposts Along the Road” from Signposts Along the Road by Sayyid Qutb, “The Necessity for Islamic Government” from Islam and Revolution: Writings and Declarations of Imam Khomeini by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Thursday, April 10: Discussion of Radical Islamism Second Paper Due at Noon! Ecology as Ideology Tuesday, April 15: Lorna is at a dorky political science conference trying desperately to get a job. You’ll be treated to a guest lecture from one of her esteemed colleagues, Saskia Van Wees. Reading: TBD by Saskia Thursday, April 17: Lorna is still at a dorky political science conference. You have the option of gathering to discuss green ideology with one another without me. Attendance will not be taken and this class meeting is not mandatory. Nevertheless, you are still required to post to the blog this week. Conclusion Tuesday, April 22: Final exam questions handed out. Wednesday, April 30, 12:30-2:30pm: FINAL EXAM