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Academic Year 2002/2003

The Courage of Conviction: Debating the Meaning of America in American Political Thought
GOVT 107 FA

American government was founded on the idea that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this course we will examine some of the key debates about the meaning of those principles as they have developed in the history of American political thought. What is the meaning of our founding principles? How do American political institutions reflect and support those principles? What is the purpose of a principled constitution, and what is the nature of the relationship between constitutional government and democratic self-rule in the U.S.? Are political institutions enough to sustain the American principles, or is the character of citizens also important--and if so, what qualities of character do the American principles call forth? In what ways have the American principles been contested, and to what extent has the meaning of America changed over time? Can the American principles accommodate today's multiculturalism?

MAJOR READINGS

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, THE FEDERALIST PAPERS Herbert Storing, ed., THE ANTI-FEDERALIST Thomas Jefferson, SELECTED WRITINGS Howard Brotz, ed., AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT 1850-1920 Gerda LerneTHE NEW NATIONALISM Louis Hartz, THE LIBERAL TRADITION IN AMERICA Alexis de Tocqueville, DEMOCRACY IN AMERCA Martin Luther King, Jr., A TESTAMENT OF HOPE Additional readings will be placed on reserve.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

To be announced.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office. Several five page papers;One 10-15 page term paper.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-18-2003

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