Syllabus: Modern Political Theory (POLS 3341 at UTRGV)

Modern Political Theory University of Texas Rio Grande Valley POLS 3341–01, Spring 2019 10:40am-1:10pm Fridays BMSLC 3.125 BMSLC 3.214, Brownsville Campus Office Hours: After class and by appointment E-mail: [email protected] About the course The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the major themes in political theory from the 17th through the 19th century. It is not unreasonable to ask what relevance ideas or debates from hundreds of years ago might have for us in the mass media-driven, hyper-polarized world in which we live. In fact, many of the questions these authors grappled with are on subjects we argue about today, and they can provide important insight in current debates. Not only that, but they are at the very foundations of American politics, affecting our own ideas about how and why government is formed; the relationship of a government to its people; the character of our economic institutions and the role of government with respect to the welfare of the people; and the very political nature of our society. Many of the arguments that people have today about politics are extensions of these arguments—the particulars have changed, but the essential questions remain: What does it mean to have a government, and what is its essential purpose? What is liberty, and what is the role of government (which both limits and enables liberty) with respect to it? What is the relationship between liberty and equality? How much liberty is too much? How much equality is too much? What social factors limit liberty, and which of these limit equality? What is the role of government with respect to these factors, and what is the role of individuals themselves? And, most important, on what basis do we make judgments about these questions? The course is organized around four particular ideas, which can themselves be grouped into two categories: First are two very different approaches to the question of the purpose of government: social contract theory and utilitarianism. The second set turns our attention to what might be called the politics of society: political economy. But it should be made clear from the outset: While there are clear differences, there are no bright lines here, no absolute divisions between these categories. Rather, each draws on the others even while finding fault with them. So, while the distinctions between these are important to us, their connections also deserve consideration. The distinction between social contract theory and utilitarianism is considered by many to be fundamental. The notion of the social contract is founded on the idea that individuals enjoy certain natural rights, in particular those of liberty and property, and that government (specifically, government based on the consent or will of the people) is formed as the best means of protecting those rights. Utilitarianism is founded on the idea that government is formed not to protect the rights of individuals, but to ensure the best possible quality of life for all members of society. Advocates of social contract theory argue that utilitarianism leads to authoritarianism. By the same token, utilitarians argue that natural rights are at worst dangerous fictions that serve to obscure or excuse deep social problems, and at best more simply understood as a means by which to achieve the best quality of life. Both, however, may be considered “liberal” in the value they attach to the notion of liberty. The term “liberal” here is being used in its philosophical sense—that is, it is an ideology that places a high value on liberty, which is something that most people in the U.S., on both the left and the right, share (although they have different perspectives on its form and its value). However, in the U.S., “liberal” is most often used to describe a political ideology on the left side of the spectrum. But in much of the rest of the world “liberal” is more like a conservative version of what we call “libertarian” and those on the left are often called “social democrats” or “socialists.” For the sake of comparison, Barack Obama would be considered a strongly pro-capitalist conservative in Europe; American Republicans would be extreme conservatives. Political economics requires that we extend our ideas about politics beyond the narrow confines of government. However, they generally adopt the conceptual frameworks of social contract theory and utilitarianism. On its surface political economy is concerned with how a nation’s economic system functions, but it goes much deeper than this. Really, political economy is concerned with the welfare of the people and the responsibility of the government with respect to it—and on these questions the two authors we will be reading, Adam Smith and Karl Marx, have very different answers. This is a reading-and-writing course, with a fairly heavy reading load (expect 50 pages or more per week, although not all weeks will have that much), an expectation that you will write every week, and several papers of varying length. Expect to do at least two to three hours of work outside of class for every hour we spend in class (so, 5–10 hours per week). I will post a kind of study guide for each reading that consists of some background information and questions to consider while doing the reading. Discussion will be an important part of the course, and I expect everyone to be prepared for class by doing the reading and to participate. Note that political theory texts can be quite dense and complicated, so allow yourself plenty of time to complete and fully process the reading before class meets. You are encouraged to question and critique all that we read and discuss, and expected to be respectful of the views of your fellow classmates. Course objectives and learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this class, students will: Be able to identify some of the most important themes in modern Western political theory and connect these to important contemporary political issues Have greater capacity for reading philosophical works that involve complex concepts and analysis Be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of arguments in political theory, and articulate these both verbally and in writing Be able to organize an essay in order to present an effective argument Be able to write analytical essays of up to 10 pages presenting arguments about major themes in modern Western political theory Course requirements and grading 5%—Occasional pop quizzes on the reading 15%—Participation (see below) 15%—Discussion questions (see below) 20%—Short essays (see below) 20%—Midterm exam/essay 25%—One final paper, 8–10 pages in length Participation grade: As much as possible, this class will be conducted in the seminar style, which means that it will be based around class discussion. Although each class will involve elements of lecture, for the most part I will pose questions to the class, drawn from the reading, in order to prompt thinking and discussion. Your participation grade is based on your active attendance in class, which means that, when you come to class, you will have prepared for class by (at the least) doing the assigned reading. Even better, come with notes on the reading and questions. Discussion questions: By 5:00pm each Thursday (the day before class), post at least two discussion questions on the reading for that week on the discussion board on Blackboard. These should be analytical questions, questions that will help us think about and discuss the reading—not simple factual or interpretive questions. I will select some of those questions for discussions we will have in each class, so be prepared to elaborate on your question(s) in case I call on you. You can submit the questions as a single post or use two posts if you prefer. Your questions will be graded on a 10-point scale, based the degree to which your questions reflect a good understanding of the material, your ability to think analytically about the text, and the quality of your writing. Points will be deducted if it is apparent that you didn't really read the text or only read some of it. Students can miss three weeks without it hurting their grade, so the total possible number of points for this assignment is 110. Short essays: Write a 2-3 page essay on the readings for any five of the weeks, in response to study questions posted in advance (at least of the five must be done before Week 8). The essays should be uploaded on Blackboard prior to class. Each one is worth ten points, for a total point value of 50 points. I will post comments with your grade. Points will be deducted for poor writing skills or if the essay reflects a lack of serious engagement with the material (for example, if it is clear that you only read a small portion of the assignment). Students whose writing skills are substandard will be required to work with the Writing Center On the Brownsville campus, the Writing Center is in the Library building on the third floor, room 3.206. Its hours are from 9:00 am – 6:30 pm, Monday through Thursday; and 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Friday. to improve their writing skills. The final grade will be determined using the weights given above to produce a final score between 0 and 100, which will be used to assign the final letter grade for the course. Grades will be assigned as follows: A (90%–100%), B (80%–89.99%), C (70%–79.99%), D (60%–69.99%) and F (below 59.99%). You are likely to get an A if you do the reading before class, put some thought into your weekly questions, participate in frequently class in a way that shows that you prepared yourself, and demonstrate a solid grasp of the material in your written assignments. You are likely to get a B if you do at least most of the reading before class, submit the required weekly questions, participate some in class, and demonstrate a decent grasp of the material in your written assignments. You are likely to get a C if you only do some of the reading, only submit some of the required weekly questions, rarely participate, and turn in written work that demonstrates some but not a lot of understanding of the material. But you should also think about what your objectives for college are if you would be satisfied with a C. To get a D: You really should be asking yourself why you are in college if you think a D is an acceptable grade. See the requirements for As and Bs and aim higher. A note on grading for papers: This is an upper division course, and you are expected to be able to write at an appropriate level. Approximately 60% of the grade for each paper will be based on your grasp of the material, 30% on the quality of the argument, and 10% on quality of writing. If you are not getting the grades you want or expect, I am happy to talk with you about how to improve. If your writing skills are an issue, I strongly encourage you to make use of the Writing Center. As with any skill, writing requires practice and feedback. This course provides you with opportunities to practice; the Writing Center can really help with feedback and training. Grade disputes: If you believe that a grade does not reflect the quality of your work, you must use the following procedure to request a re-evaluation. NOTE: If you request a re-evaluation, your grade may go up, stay the same, or go down. All re-evaluation requests must be in the form of a written memo, with your paper and my comments attached, no less than one week and no more than two weeks after the graded work has been returned. In your memo, identify the points for which you believe you should have received credit. I will e-mail a reply to you within seven days of receiving your request. If you still believe that your grade does not reflect the quality of your work, you may request a meeting with me to discuss it further. I will make a final determination of your grade and e-mail you with my decision. At this point my decision will be final. Note: I take the rules of academic conduct very seriously. Violations of academic integrity such as plagiarism will result in significant penalties and reporting to the Dean of Students per university policy. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, visit www.plagiarism.org. See also “Scholastic Integrity,” below. Email policy: It is very important that you set up your UTRGV email account because, per UTRGV policy, I send all email to your UTRGV email address, usually through Blackboard. If you don't use or check that email address regularly, be sure to set up email forwarding so any email I send out gets forwarded to your regular email account. If you are not sure how to do this, go to the help desk in the Main building (in Brownsville; I’m not sure where it is in Edinburg). If you send me an email, please allow up to 24 hours for a response. I’m usually much faster than that, but not always. Required texts The required books are available at the bookstore. Good, cheap used editions should also be available on-line. However, because we will need to literally be on the same page, if you get them from somewhere else, please be sure to get the same edition. Because both you and I will always want to refer to the texts in class, be sure to bring your book (or print-out of the reading posted online) to class. I discourage the use of e-readers and electronic versions of the texts. They often don’t include page numbers, which you will need, and you will want to be able to mark up the text, at least somewhat. Go ahead—kill a few trees. It’s a time-honored tradition in political theory. Required books available in the bookstore: John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, edited by C.B. Macpherson. Hackett Publishing Co., 1980 John Stuart Mill, On Liberty and other essays, edited by John Gray. Oxford World’s Classics, 2008 Adam Smith, The Essential Adam Smith, edited by Robert L. Heilbroner. W.W. Norton, 1986. Karl Marx, Selected Writings, edited by Lawrence H. Simon. Hackett Publishing Co., Inc., 1994. Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, edited by Miriam Brody. Penguin Classics, 1992. Readings from the following books have been assigned but the pages to be read will be available on the course website. However, used copies of the full works are widely available and are recommended. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, edited by C. B. Macpherson. Penguin Books. John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, edited by Alexander Campbell Fraser. Dover Press. Jeremy Bentham, Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Dover Press, 2007 (1907) Assigned readings from the following works will be available on the course website or can be downloaded from the web sites listed: Jeremy Bentham, Principles of the Civil Code, from Volume 1 of his Works, edited by John Bowring. Available on-line from the Online Library of Liberty (http://oll.libertyfund.org/). Also recommended: Strunk, Jr., William and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th edition. Longman, 1999 (available at the UTRGV bookstore), or any other book on writing, such as The Bedford Handbook or The Little, Brown Book Schedule of classes and reading assignments (Note: Any changes to the readings or paper due dates will be posted on-line and announced via e-mail. Reading is expected to be completed prior to the class day given.) Week Date Reading Week 1 Introductory: On Political Theory, the State of Nature, and an Introduction to the Social Contract 1 Jan 18 Selection from Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan The Social Contract Weeks 2–4 John Locke: Natural rights and consent 2 Jan 25 An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Bk II, Ch XX–XXI 3 Feb 1 Second Treatise, Ch. I–VIII 4 Feb 8 Second Treatise, Ch. IX–XIX Utilitarianism Week 5 Jeremy Bentham: Utility; and Security, Subsistence, Abundance and Equality 5 Feb 15 Selections from Fragment on Government, Nonsense Upon Stilts, and Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Principles of the Civil Code, Part I, Ch. I–XIII Week 6–7 John Stuart Mill: Utility and Liberty 6 Feb 22 Utilitarianism, Ch. I and II On Liberty: Ch. I and II 7 Mar 1 On Liberty: Ch. III–V Political Economy Weeks 8–10 Adam Smith: Liberty and Commerce 8 Mar 8 Theory of Moral Sentiments: Part I (all; pp. 65-88); Part III, Ch I (pp. 100-103); Part IV (all; pp. 118-123); Part VI, sec. II & III (pp. 135-145) Midterm paper/exam assigned, due March 22 March 11–16: Spring Break 9 Mar 22 Wealth of Nations: Introduction through Book I, Chapter VI (pages 159-186) Book I Chapter VIII (pages 194-208) Book I Chapter XI "Conclusion to the chapter" (pages 225-227) Midterm paper/exam due 10 Mar 29 Wealth of Nations: Book II, Chapter V (pages 243-247) Book III, Chapter IV (pages 252-258) Book IV, Chapter II (pages 264-269) Book IV, the stub of Chapter VIII (page 284) Book V, Chapter I (pages 290-312) Weeks 11–14 Marx: Alienation, Exploitation and Emancipation 11 Apr 5 Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts: Alienated Labor, Private Property and Communism (pp. 58–79) Theses on Feuerbach (pp. 99–101) 12 Apr 12 The German Ideology (pp 103–122 only) Communist Manifesto: Parts I and II (pp. 158–176) 13 Apr 19 No class: professor attending a conference The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (pp. 187–208) Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Capital, vol. I: Ch. 1, 26 & 32 (pp. 220–43, 294–300) Final paper assigned 14 Apr 26 Discussion of Marx and wrap-up (some additional reading may be assigned) Week 16 Finals Week May 10 Final paper due at 1:00pm Mandated Text STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability (physical, psychological, learning, or other disability which affects your academic performance) and would like to receive academic accommodations, please inform your instructor and contact Student Accessibility Services to schedule an appointment to initiate services. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with Student Accessibility Services before classes start. However, accommodations can be provided at any time. Brownsville Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in Cortez Hall Room 129 and can be contacted by phone at (956) 882-7374 (Voice) or via email at [email protected]. Edinburg Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in 108 University Center and can be contacted by phone at (956) 665-7005 (Voice), (956) 665-3840 (Fax), or via email at [email protected]. MANDATORY COURSE EVALUATION PERIOD: Students are required to complete an ONLINE evaluation of this course, accessed through your UTRGV account (https://my.utrgv.edu/home); you will be contacted through email with further instructions. Students who complete their evaluations will have priority access to their grades. Online evaluations will be available Apr 12 – May 3. ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and may be dropped from the course for excessive absences. UTRGV’s attendance policy excuses students from attending class if they are participating in officially sponsored university activities, such as athletics; for observance of religious holy days; or for military service. Students should contact the instructor in advance of the excused absence and arrange to make up missed work or examinations. SCHOLASTIC INTEGRITY: As members of a community dedicated to Honesty, Integrity and Respect, students are reminded that those who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, and collusion; submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person; taking an examination for another person; any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student; or the attempt to commit such acts. Since scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced (Board of Regents Rules and Regulations and UTRGV Academic Integrity Guidelines). All scholastic dishonesty incidents will be reported to the Dean of Students. SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION, and VIOLENCE: In accordance with UT System regulations, your instructor is a “responsible employee” for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and so must report any instance, occurring during a student’s time in college, of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, or sexual harassment about which she/he becomes aware during this course through writing, discussion, or personal disclosure. More information can be found at www.utrgv.edu/equity, including confidential resources available on campus. The faculty and staff of UTRGV actively strive to provide a learning, working, and living environment that promotes personal integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination.  COURSE DROPS: According to UTRGV policy, students may drop any class without penalty earning a grade of DR until the official drop date. Following that date, students must be assigned a letter grade and can no longer drop the class. Students considering dropping the class should be aware of the “3-peat rule” and the “6-drop” rule so they can recognize how dropped classes may affect their academic success. The 6-drop rule refers to Texas law that dictates that undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their undergraduate career. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions will count toward the six-course drop limit. The 3-peat rule refers to additional fees charged to students who take the same class for the third time. 8