POLS 326, Recent Political Thought

 

The Last Week.  Tuesday is another paper consulting day—as of this writing, still slots available at 1:40, 2:20, and 2:40.  Thursday we will have our paper turn in ritual at the start of the class period, and a discussion that revisits WolinÕs and NussbaumÕs introductory chapters. 

 

Reminder:  The due date for the first four pages of your paper is now April 28, with a firm intention to return them to you on May 3.  The due date for the entire paper is May 19.

 

Tuesday, May 3: Working with basic categories.  Read Nussbaum, Chapter 10.  Bring written answers to the questions: What does it mean to have a cognitive view of emotion? (section II); Is this an argument about politics?  How so? (p. 265); and,  So? What, in particular, does this mean for liberals? (section IV). 

 

Thursday, May 5:  Democratic possibilities.  Wolin, Chapter Seventeen.  Please bring to class answers to questions 4, 5, and 9. 

 

Tuesday, April 26— The case of lesbian and gay rights.  Nussbaum, Chapter Seven.  Please bring to class written responses to the numbered questions 4 & 5. 

           

Thursday, April 28— Judging the Other.  Nussbaum, Chapter Four.  This is a brief chapter.  Bring your notes on the reading guide questions to class.  We should also discuss issues that emerged in writing your papers, so far.

 

Apr 19— Further on Wolin.  Read Chapter Sixteen and bring written answers to class for questions 2, 4 and 11. 

           

Apr 21— Economic Considerations (II & III).  Nussbaum, Chapter Eleven.  Bring to class answers to reading questions 4 and 5.  Also, Samual Freeman, ÒA New Theory of Justice,Ó The New York Review of Books, October 14, 2010, in the course Sakai site.  (A review of A. SenÕs The Idea of Justice)  Please evaluate it using either Nussbaum or Wolin. 

 

Welcome back from Spring Break.

Tuesday, April 12.  Contemporary complications (IV).  Wolin, Chapter Fourteen. (Liberalism and Rationalism).  Please prepare written answers to reading questions 4, 10, and 12, and bring them on paper to class. 

 

Thursday, April 14.  Limiting the (democratic) state: Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom, condensed version; Wolin, Chapter Fifteen.  For Hayek, see Wolin, note 5, on p. 715; and note the last 30 pages is a Ôgraphic novelÕ version of the book.  Hayek objected to a condensed version of his book but, I read, admitted the editors did a good job of it.  For Wolin Chapter Fifteen, please prepare written answers to reading questions 4, 7, and 11, and bring them on paper to class. 

 

Here is your Second Short Paper Assignment, due March 29. 

 

Tuesday, Mar 29.  Papers are due, and syllabus revision:  Bring both Nussbaum and Wolin to class.  After your papers are turned in, we will discuss where we are with the material so far. 

 

Thursday, Mar 31.  Wolin, Chapter 13.  This chapter focuses on Nietzsche, but provides important grounds for later parts of the book.  Bring written responses to questions 3, 7, and 8. 

Also today, you need to declare your term paper intentions.  As the syllabus says:

[All students will complete a term paper (about 12 pages in length) that will follow a schedule for development.  30% The schedule is:

o    Paper declaration due—March 31

o    1st version of abstract, description of concepts due—April 14

o    1st 4 pages (minimum) of paper due—April 21

o    Final Version of Paper—May 12

For today, please declare your intentions from among the following three topics:

1.    Wolin claims that most contemporary political theory does an insufficient job of analyzing power, particularly in the way its present forms have reduced the political content of citizenship to little more than the act of voting.  Do you agree?  Demonstrate why someone should accept your judgment. 

2.    Using NussbaumÕs concepts, it is not difficult to show that women are systematically treated as lesser beings in modern India.  Does your use of her concepts convincingly demonstrate that women are systematically treated as lesser beings in the United States?

3.    Wolin criticizes contemporary liberalism for its failures to understand concrete developments in power.  Does NussbaumÕs advice on how to address various problems meet WolinÕs standards for analyzing power? 

 

 

 

Tuesday Mar 22—Postmodern power.  Wolin, Chapter 11.  Please bring to class written answers to questions 1 and 2.  Also, we will discuss approaches to the second short paper.  Please prepare a plan, so that you can discuss it in class. 

 

Thursday Mar 24—Marx.  Wolin, Chapter 12.  Please bring to class written answers to questions 3, 6, 8, 12, and 15.

 

 

Mar 15—  Still looking at religion & political theory.  Wolin, Chapter Six. Write out answers to questions 4 & 6, and bring them to class on a piece of paper you can show to others. 

           

Mar 17— Further into values, community, and politics.  Wolin, Chapter Ten. Write out answers to questions 2, 3 & 5, and bring them to class on a piece of paper you can show to others.

 

Tuesday Mar 8— Considering Religion.  Nussbaum, Chapter Three.  Bring answers to the reading questions to class, in a form you can show them to your peers. 

           

Thursday Mar 10— Looking back at religion in Western political theory: Wolin, Chapters Four and Five.  Again, bring answers to the reading questions to class, in a form you can show them to your peers.

 

Tuesday, March 1—  Linda Barclay, ÒWhat kind of liberal is Martha Nussbaum?Ó, SATS-Nordic Journal of Philosophy Vol. 4, No. 2, 2003, pp. 5-24.  (See the link to the article in the Sakai Resources section.)  In writing, compare the argument her about the contents of liberalism with the one offered in Nussbaum, Chapter Two. 

           

Mar 3— Wolin, Chapter Nine.  ÒLiberalism and the Decline of Political Philosophy.Ó  Bring answers to the questions on the Wolin reading guide to class, to show to others and discuss. 

 

This week, February 22 and 24, we are reading Nussbaum chapters 1 and 2.  For each chapter, keep notes on the reading questions and bring to class.  This will support our course discussion.  Bring any other questions or comments you have about the chapters.  Also, on Tuesday the 22nd you will receive your first short paper assignment, as noted on the syllabus.  

 

Feb 15— What is political theory?  Wolin, Chapter One.  See the reading guide to Wolin.  Write out answers to question 3 and any one of the other questions for this chapter, and bring them to class. 

           

Feb 17— What is political theory?  Selections from E.J. Meehan, Reasoned Argument in Social Science, available in the course Sakai site resources section.  Please read pages ix-29, 124-9, 156-75, 177-203.  Also see the file in Sakai, Meehan_chart.pdf, an attempt to graphically depict his argument.  Write an abstract of the Meehan argument and bring it to class.