POL-405:
Contemporary
Political
Theory
This course
surveys the great ideas in Western
political
philosophy since 1900. We discuss issues related to
legitimacy, equality, democracy, justice and freedom, among
others. We also apply all of these ideas
to
contemporary controversies, proving that while humans don't live
forever,
ideas can!
During the course,
students learn to analyze
philosophical arguments by identifying the thesis, as well as the
premises and evidence used to support it. These skills are
applied in a research paper closely analyzing one philosopher's
original work.
Contemporary
Political Theory is offered every two years. It fulfills the
Political Theory requirement for
Political
Science majors and minors. It
is a Writing Emphasis course.
Political
Philosophy Links
Comprehensive
set of links from Peter Suber of Earlham
College
Information,
links and commentary from Garth
Kemerling of Newberry
College (and an Iowa Ph.D. to boot)
Journal
of
the History of Philosophy
(available through Stewart Memorial
Library
subscription to Project Muse--if you're not at Coe this link probably
won't
work)
Stanford
Encyclopedia
of Philosophy
is a work in progress, but has entries
on
Foucault and Maritain among others
The
Constitution Society has a virtual "Liberty Library"
with many classics in the public domain
Home page of Benjamin Barber
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter
from
a Birmingham Jail" (1963)
Martin
Luther King Jr Research and Education
Institute
Interview
with Tony
Judt on NPR's "Fresh Air"
Course Outline (Fall 2010)
The role of the
state in capitalism: John
Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), "The End
of Laissez-Faire" (1926)
Opposition to economic planning: Friedrich A. Hayek (1899-1992),
The Road to Serfdom
(1944), excerpts
Political violence: Frantz
Fanon (1925-1961), The Wretched of the Earth
(1961), pp. 1-38
Spontaneous uprisings: Fanon, Wretched,
ch. 2
Nationalist uprisings: Fanon, Wretched,
ch. 3
Patricia Rhone, "Elephant in
the Room"
Evolutionary aspects of human ethics: Larry
Arnhart (b. 1949), Darwinian
Natural Right: The Biological Ethics of Human Nature (1998), ch.
1
Biology and politics: Arnhart, Darwinian, ch. 3
Sex roles: Arnhart, Darwinian,
ch. 6
Psychopaths: Arnhart, Darwinian,
ch. 8
Christianity and political theory: David
T. Koyzis (b. 1955), Political
Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary
Ideologies (2003), ch. 1
Christian critique of liberalism: Koyzis, Political Visions, ch. 2
Christian critique of nationalism: Koyzis, Political Visions, ch. 4
(OR... choose another chapter from among chapters 3-6)
Toward a Christian political theory: Koyzis, Political Visions, chs. 8-9
What ails western societies: Tony Judt (1948-2010), Ill Fares the Land (2010),
ch. 1
Political emptiness: Judt, Ill,
ch. 2
Where political emptiness leads: Judt, Ill, ch. 3
Remedying political emptiness: Judt, Ill, ch. 4
The idea of individual autonomy: Claire
E. Rasmussen (b. 1976), The Autonomous Animal:
Self-Governance and the Modern Subject (2011), intro and ch. 1
Sexuality and autonomy: Rasmussen, Autonomous, ch. 2
Addiction and autonomy: Rasmussen, Autonomous, ch. 3
Humans, animals and autonomy: Rasmussen, Autonomous, ch. 4 and
conclusion (OR... read chapter 5 on physical fitness)
Last course: American
Presidency
Next course: Ancient and
Medieval Political Theory
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Last update: 7/27/12
