Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-335
Formerly listed as: POSC-35
Andrew Poe (Section 01)
[PT] This course surveys the development of key political concepts in modern Western thought. These include new conceptions of political rationality and affect (how we think and feel about our politics), as well as reconceptualizations of equality and liberty in a world of rapidly changing economic conditions and social mobility. The course begins with recent and contrasting views (Hannah Arendt, Leo Strauss) on what constitutes the basis for political action in the modern world: whether tradition is the only legitimate measure of political action, or if there are preferable standards by which to justify politics. Then, as a means to explain this problematic, the course will examine critical philosophical engagements on the historical appearance of modern political concepts. We will trace these paradigmatic shifts as they begin to surface in late 18th- and 19th-century European thought (evidenced in the writings of Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche amongst others), on through to the consequent political outcomes of such transformations in 20th-century politics. Through close textual readings and contextual analysis we will engage in a systematic comparison of our assumptions about politics with those expressed in these philosophical debates. And, in so doing, we will attempt to further our understanding of contemporary politics and the political problems requisite to our own political practices.
Limited to 35 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor Poe.
If Overenrolled: Priority will be given to majors, balanced after.
Cost: $10.00 ?
Section 01
M 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM WEBS 217
W 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM WEBS 217
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Political Writings | Hackett | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Beyond Good and Evil | Vintage Books | Friedrich Nietzsche | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Candide and Related Texts | Hackett | David Wootton | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Political Writings | Hackett | John Locke | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Leviathon: With Selected Variants from the Latin Edition of 1668 | Hackett | Thomas Hobbes | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Phenomenology of Spirit | Oxford University Press | G.W.F. Hegel | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Selected Writings | Hackett | Karl Marx | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Leviathan in the State Theory of Thomas Hobbes: Meaning and Failure of a Political Symbol | University of Chicago Press | Carl Schmitt | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Vocation Lectures: Science As a Vocation, Politics As a Vocation | Hackett | Max Weber, David Owen, Tracy Strong, Rodney Livingstone | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Political Writings | Cambridge University Press | Immanuel Kant | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.