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Academic Year 2005/2006
Topics in European Political Thought in the Very Long Eighteenth Century
HIST 339 SP
The period 1620-1820 was marked by reform, revolution and restoration. It witnessed the rise and fall of European empires and the transformation of European politics. This tumultuous age produced not only social,
political
and economic upheaval, but monumental shifts in political thought as well. This seminar explores major themes in the history of European political thought during this turbulent two-century span. The class will study
thirteen
seminal texts in order to address topics including: theories of international order, especially empire; natural law; the function and obligation of the state; monarchism and republicanism; (civil) war and peace; civil
society
and sociability; mercantilism; physiocracy; and theories of political, historical and moral progress. While the emphasis is on the analysis of primary sources, students also will become familiar with some of the
techniques
and tendencies of contemporary historians of political thought.
MAJOR READINGS
Primary Sources:
Hugo Grotius, THE RIGHTS OF WAR AND PEACE(1625) (Natural Law and Enlightenment Classics) Ed. Richard Tuck (Liberty Fund, 2005).
Samuel Pufendorf, ON THE DUTY OF MAN AND CITIZEN ACCORDING TO
NATURAL LAW (1673, 1682) (Cambridge
Texts in the History of Political Thought) Ed. James Tully (Cambridge, 1992).
Algernon Sidney, DISCOURSES CONCERNING GOVERNMENT (1680-83, 1698).
Fénelon, TELEMACHUS (1699) (Cambridge Texts in the History of
Political Thought) Ed. P. Riley (Cambridge
, 1994).
Charles de Montesquieu, THE SPIRIT OF THE LAWS (1748) (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) (Cambridge, 1989).
Adam Smith, THE THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS (1759) (Prometheus Books,
2000).
Adam Ferguson, AN ESSAY ON THE
HISTORY OF CIVIL SOCIETY (1767) (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) Ed. Fania Oz-Salzberger (Cambridge, 1996).
Edward Gibbon, THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1776-)
(abridged) Ed. David Womersley (Penguin,
2000).
Henry Clark, ed., COMMERCE, CULTURE, AND LIBERTY: READINGS ON CAPITALISM BEFORE ADAM SMITH (Liberty Fund, 2003).
Immanuel Kant, PERPETUAL PEACE, AND OTHER ESSAYS ON POLITICS, HISTORY, AND MORALS (1795)
(Hackett, 1983).
Condorcet, SKETCH FO
R A HISTORICAL PICTURE OF THE PROGRESS OF THE HUMAN MIND (1795).
Joseph de Maistre, CONSIDERATIONS ON FRANCE (1797) (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought). Ed. R.A. LeBrun (Cambridge, 1994).
Hegel,
ELEMENTS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF RIGHT
(1821).
Secondary sources:
Selections from: Isaiah Berlin, Istvan Hont, Anthony Pagden, Quentin Skinner, JGA Pocock, Richard Tuck, Emma Rothschild, AO Hirschman, and Edward Keene.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Two 5-7 page essays, one 7-10 page final essay, and weekly one page response papers.
COURSE FORMAT:
Seminar
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level:
UGRD
Credit:
1
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST
Grading Mode:
Graded
Prerequisites:
NONE
SECTION 01
- Instructor(s): Paquette,Gabriel
- Times: ....R.. 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: PAC136;
- Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 19)
- SR. major: 6 Jr. major: 4
- SR. non-major: 2 Jr. non-major: 2 SO: 3 FR: 2
Special Attributes:
- Curricular Renewal: Speaking, Writing
Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-30-2006
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