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GOVT107
The Courage of Conviction: Debating the Meaning of America in American Political Thought
GOVT107 FA
| Section | Class Size | *Available | Times | POI | Prereq |
|---|
| 1 | 19 | 1 | Times: .T.T... 10:00AM-11:20AM; | No | No |
*The number of spaces listed as available is based on class seats open for
the Blue Add phase of registration. Some seats may be taken in previous
phases while others may be held out for subsequent phases of registration.
(Last Updated on Tue Aug 10 05:00:30 EDT 1999
)
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
lexander 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 Lerner, ed., THE FEMALE EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA
John C. Calhoun, DISQUISITION ON GOVERNMENT
Abraham Lincoln, selected speeches
Henry David Thoreau, POLITICAL WRITINGS
Jane Addams, TWENTY YEARS AT HULL HOUSE
Theodore Roosevelt, THE 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: Seminar
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS GOVT
Prerequisites:
None
- Section 01
- Krause, S
- Times: .T.T... 10:00AM-11:20AM;
- Grading Mode: A/F
- Registration Preference (1 high to 6 low, 0=Excluded) Sr: 0, Jr: 0, So: 0, Fr: 1
- No Major Preference Given
Last Updated on MAR-22-1999
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Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459