GOVT159 - The Moral Basis of Politics

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Academic Year 2004/2005

The Moral Basis of Politics
GOVT 159 FA

An introduction to upper-division courses in political theory, the course considers the basic moral issues that hedge government and politics: Under what, if any, circumstances ought one to obey the laws and orders of those in power? Is there ever a duty to resist political authority? By what values and principles can we evaluate political arrangements? What are the meanings of terms like freedom, justice, equality, law, community, interests and rights? How is our vision of the good society to be related to our strategies of political action? What is the role of organization, leadership, violence, etc., in bringing about social change? Readings will include political philosophy, plays, contemporary social criticism, and modern social science.

MAJOR READINGS

Plato, APOLOGY
Sophocles, ANTIGONE
Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience"
Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from Birmingham City Jail"
Wolff, IN DEFENSE OF ANARCHISM
Marx, COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
Locke, ESSAY ON CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Rousseau, DISCOURSE ON INEQUALITY and SOCIAL CONTRACT
Machiavelli, THE PRINCE
Weber, "Politics as a Vocation"
Arendt, EICHMANN IN JERUSALEM
Fanon, WRETCHED OF THE EARTH
Bondurant, CONQUEST OF VIOLENCE

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Bi-weekly short essays, a midterm paper, and a final exam.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Class will meet in lecture twice a week and in discussion session on Fridays.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Schwartz,Nancy L.

Times: .M.W.F. 10:00AM-10:50AM; Location: PAC104;

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 19)

SR. major: X Jr. major: X

SR. non-major: X Jr. non-major: X SO: X FR: 19

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Ethical Reasoning

FYI: FYI Seminar

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005