GOVT399 - Rousseau & the Critique of the Enlightenment: Music, Politics, Gender & Self

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Academic Year 2001/2002

Rousseau & the Critique of the Enlightenment: Music, Politics, Gender & Self
GOVT 399 SP

Crosslistings:
FRST 228

The most famous figure of the French Enlightenment was also its most famous critic. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's paradoxical relationship to the Enlightenment, which championed reason and progress, is characteristic of this "lover of paradox". He wrote books condemning the writing of books. (His books were burned all across Europe; after his death, his books became the bible of the French revolutionaries). He condemned "progress" and "reason". He was equality's greatest champion, but he also barred w omen from legislation. (He claimed to hold women in greater respect than any other). He began as a friend of the Enlightenment's greatest champions; by the end of his life he had quarreled with Diderot, Voltaire, d'Alembert, and even Hume across the Channel. We will read Rousseau's works and those of his contemporaries in order to better understand both his thought and the nature of the French Enlightenment as a whole. Rousseau's relation to the Enlightenment helps us to think about, among other th ings, whether democracy is at all possible; what the relation between reason, the passions, music, and love might be to politics; whether democracy requires economic equality; and why 18th century egalitarians excluded half of humanity from equality.

MAJOR READINGS

Texts include: selections from Voltaire, Diderot, d'Alembert, and Rousseau (including: DISCOURSES; ESSAY ON LANGUAGE; EMILE; SOCIAL CONTRACT; CONFESSIONS).

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Graded class presentation, major research paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

"Students who wish to be eligible to register for the course during Drop/Add should place themselves on the wait list during on-line registration. Wait list preference rankings will be one factor I will consider in making Drop/Add period registration decisions."

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT Grading Mode: Graded

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Abizadeh,Arash

Times: ...W... 03:30PM-06:30PM; Location: JUDD214

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 14)

SR. major: 4 Jr. major: 4

SR. non-major: 3 Jr. non-major: SO: 3 FR:

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Ethical Reasoning, Writing

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2002