Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-335
Formerly listed as: POSC-35
Andrew Poe (Section 01)
[PT] [PT - starting with the Class of 2015] 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.
Requisite: One course in political or social theory. Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Professor Poe.
If Overenrolled: Priority will be given to majors, balanced after.
Cost: $10.00 ?
Section 01
M 12:00 PM - 01:20 PM MERR 315
W 12:00 PM - 01:20 PM MERR 315
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leviathan : with selected variants from the Latin edition of 1668 | Hackett | Thomas Hobbes | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Leviathan in the state theory of Thomas Hobbes : meaning and failure of a political symbol | Chicago | Carl Schmitt | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Second Treatise of Government | Hackett | John Locke | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The Basic Political writings | Hackett | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Selected Writings | Hackett | Karl Marx | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Beyond good and evil : prelude to a philosophy of the future | Vintage | Friedrich Nietzsche | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| The vocation lectures | Hackett | Max Weber | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.