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Syllabus for The Internet and Politics
Course Description:
This class will analyze some of the political uses and implications of the
Internet. We will examine the Internet from the standpoint of comparative
technology, the politics of information processes, social movement
organizing, and governing.
Required Books:
Albert H. Teich, ed., Technology and the Future (7th ed., 1997).
Richard A. Spinello, Case Studies in Information and Computer Ethics
(1997).
Assignments and Grading:
1. Maintain a portfolio in which assigned readings, class materials,
lectures/class discussion topics are analytically evaluated and in which
Internet page creation and management are analytically assessed. Each
section of portfolio materials will be graded on a)accuracy, b) analytical
depth, c) comprehensiveness, and d) logical integration of materials.
2. Establish and maintain a home page. Analyses of the choices made on
the creation of the home page are to be included in portfolio materials.
The page will be briefly presented to the class. 20% of final grade.
3. Establish an information management component to the home page.
Analyses of the choices made on the information management page are to be
included in the portfolio materials. Participation in class
analyses/discussion of student pages will be included as a part of the
information management grade. 40% of final grade. Note: The information
management component may be completed as either an individual or group
project (groups of 2 or 3 students); however, the portfolio assessment
must be completed as an individual project.
4. Establish an advocacy page or advocacy component to the information
management page. Analyses of choices/decisions on advocacy are to be
included in the portfolio materials. Participation in class
analyses/discussion of student pages will be included as a part of the
advocacy grade. 40% of final grade. Note: The advocacy component may be
completed as either an individual or group project (groups of 2 or 3
students); however, the portfolio assessment must be completed as an
individual project.
Late assignments are penalized 1 letter grade per day (note: this applies
to the entire group, if group projects are late).
With respect to your home page, you should observe the following
guidelines:
1. Place a disclaimer on your page indicating that the opinions
expressed are not those of UNM and that this page represents partial
fulfillment of the requirements for PS 300.
2. When incorporating information into your page, paraphrase
information unless you obtain permission from the author(s) to quote
directly. Also, notify authors of other pages when you establish links or
use graphics/data in your page.
Key Dates:
Sept. 4 Email to class list psc2601-l from instructor and students
begins
Sept. 9 Student home pages presented to class
Oct. 21 Midterm project: Information management page and portfolio
analysis due at the beginning of class
Oct. 21 and 26 In class analyses/discussions of student information
management pages
Dec. 7 Final project: Political advocacy page and portfolio analysis
due at the beginning of class
Dec. 7 and 9 In class analyses/discussions of student advocacy pages
Course Schedule
I. Week 1 (Aug. 24-28): Introduction to course and home page
construction.
Assignment: Create a home page (see CIRT link from UNM home page
for instructions on creating a home page through UNM; or, create a home
page through a non-UNM source).
Topics: Overview of Course; html and home page information.
Suggested: The 'Home Page' Home Page,
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2090/#HTML; How Do I Create My Own World
Wide Web Page,
http://www.unm.edu/cirt/hdesk/faq/advanced/aanswer.html#how.
II. Weeks 2-4 (Aug. 31-Sept. 16): Comparative Technology, Political
Issues, and the Political Theoretical Context of the Internet
Assignment: Teich, 1, 3, 5, 8, 24, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, and
23. Spinello, pp. 233-259; Internet pages announced in class.
Topics: Political, social, economic implications of new
technologies; changing concepts of self and time; technology feared,
demonized, lauded, and deified; early computers and the beginnings of the
Internet; recent controversies involving the Internet, viewed within the
context of comparative technology (job loss v. progress, virtuality v.
reality, anonymity v. accountability, free speech v. civility, universal
access v. private property).
Suggested: Jonathan Weisman, "Lawmakers Gingerly Step Into the
Information Age," Congressional Quarterly Weekly Reports 29 Nov. 1997;
Frank J. Swetz, Capitalism and Arithmetic: The New Math of the 15th
Century; J. T. Fraser, Time: The Familiar Stranger; Ralph Harrington,
"The Neuroses of the Railway," History Today 44 (July 1994); E. P.
Thompson, "Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism," Past and
Present 38 (Dec. 1967); Paul C. Adams and Barney Warf, "Introduction:
Cyberspace and Geographical Space," Geographic Review 87 (April 1997);
Chris Bright, "Who Owns Indigenous People's DNA?" World Watch 7
(Nov.-Dec. 1994); Richard E. Sclove, "Making Technology Democratic" in
Resisting the Virtual Life: The Culture and Politics of Information, ed.
James Brook and Iain A. Boal; Richard Davis and Diana Owen, New Media and
American Politics; Otto Friedrich, "Machine of the Year: The Computer
Moves in," Time 3 Jan. 1983; Herb Brody, "Net Cerfing," Technology Review
(May/June 1998).
III. Weeks 5-9 (Sept. 21-Oct. 26): The Internet and Information
Processes and Management; Internet pages announced in class.
Assignment: Spinello, pp.22-46, 72-84, 101-118, 127-129, 182-185.
Topics: Ethical models and data/information management issues;
information v. knowledge--identical, complimentary, contradictory?;
information/data and questions of acquisition, access, and stewardship;
data as process as well as facts?; politics of information and knowledge.
Suggested: Antonio R. Damasio, Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason,
and the Human Brain; David Shenk, Data Smog: Surviving the Information
Glut; Iaian A. Boal, "Body, Brain, and Communication (interview with
George Lakoff)," in Resisting the Virtual Life, ed. Brook and Boal; F.
Cairncross, The Death of Distance; Michael L. Dertouzos, "Creating the
People's Computer," Technology Review (April 1997); Robert D. Putnam,
"Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital," Journal of Democracy
(1995); Gregory J. Rawlins, Moths to the Flame: The Seductions of
Computer Technology; John Shotter, "Artificial Intelligence and the
Dialogical," American Behavioral Scientist 40 (May 1997); Anthony G.
Wilhelm, "A Resource Model of Computer-Mediated Politics Life," Policy
Studies Journal 25 (Winter 1997); Stephen Graham and Simon Marvin,
Telecommunications and the City: Electronic Spaces, Urban Places; Phil
Agre, "The Next Internet Hero," Technology Review (Nov./Dec. 1997).
IV. Weeks 10-16 (Oct. 28-Dec. 9): The Internet and Political Advocacy
Assignment: Oliver Froehling, "The Cyberspace 'War of Ink and
Internet' in Chiapas, Mexico," Geographical Review 87 (April 1997); Harry
M. Cleaver, Jr., "The Zapatista Effect: The Internet and the Rise of an
Alternative Political Fabric," Journal of International Affairs 51 (Spring
1998); Gary Rodan, "The Internet and Political Control in Singapore,"
Political Science Quarterly 11 (Spring 1998); Oliver Coeur de Roy, "The
African Challenge: Internet, Networking and Connectivity Activities in a
Developing Environment," Third World Quarterly 18 (Dec. 1997); Internet
pages announced in class.
Topics: Social movement organizing through the Internet;
campaigns, elections, and the Internet; lobbying through the Internet; the
Internet, power, and sovereignty--issues of governing, resistance, and
fragmentation.
Suggested: Gary Chapman and Lodis Rhodes, "Nurturing Neighborhood
Nets," Technology Review (Oct. 1997); Southern Poverty Law Center
Intelligence Report--Winter 1998,
http://www.splcenter.org/klanwatch/kw-4e2.html; Wayne Rash, Jr., Politics
on the Nets; Anthony Corrado and Charles Firestone, eds., Elections in
Cyberspace; Steven E. Miller, Civilizing Cyberspace: Policy, Power, and
the Information Superhighway (chapter 11);Roger W. Stump, "Spatial
Implications of Religious Broadcasting: Stability and Change in Patterns
of Belief," in Collapsing Space and Time, ed. Stanley D. Brunn and Thomas
R. Leinbach; Milton Mueller and Zixiang Tan, China in the Information Age.
Syllabus for Career Preparation in Political
Science
Career Preparation in Political Science
Fall 1999
Course Description
This course is designed to help prepare political science majors to enter
the job market or graduate/professional school. The course will focus on
assisting each student in producing a professional resume and/or personal
statement/letter of intent and application packet for
graduate/professional school. Students will also be given opportunities
to assemble and refine samples of written work to be included with job
and/or graduate/professional applications.
Course Requirements and Grading
1. Portfolio. Each student will create and maintain a portfolio
consisting of copies of exams and papers from political science classes.
These items will be assessed by the student in terms of subject matter,
communication skills, and critical thinking skills acquired over the
semesters. See attached portfolio assessment sheet. 10% of final grade.
2. Resume and Cover Letter or Letter of Intent. Each student will prepare
a professional cover letter and resume, or a letter of intent for
admission to graduate/professional school. These items will be included
in the portfolio. 20% of final grade.
3. Formal Writing Sample. Each student will refine a writing sample from
a previous class in order to produce a work suitable for inclusion with
formal job/graduate school/professional school application materials.
This item will be included in the portfolio. Note: To receive credit for
this assignment, you must document how you refined/improved your writing
sample (e.g., goals you set, revisions you made, writing guides/tips you
used, etc.) 10% of final grade.
4. Video Tape Presentation of Above Materials. Each student will briefly
present the above items to a panel of class members and guests. 10% of
final grade.
5. Class Participation and Portfolio Weekly Assessment Log. Each
student is expected to participate in weekly class discussions of assigned
materials; subscribe to the class list (psc368-l); and attend guest
lectures. A weekly assessment log (i.e., assessment of key points in all
assigned class readings, lectures, etc.) will be included in the
portfolio. 20% of final grade.
6. Individualized Career Preparation Activities and Portfolio Log. Each
student is expected to identify specific ways to enhance his/her career
preparation and to devote two hours per week toward achieving this career
enhancement. For example, students may sign up for an internship,
volunteer to work in a political campaign or for a political/professional
organization, attend career workshops, develop networks, etc. in order to
learn/improve grant writing skills, fundraising skills, interviewing
skills, and/or additional job-/professional-oriented skills. Students may
begin correspondence with graduate schools or law schools in order to
refine admissions strategies. Each student is required to keep a highly
detailed, specific log of progress toward his/her individualized career
preparation goals and the weekly activities carried out in order to meet
these goals. Note: The log must document how your two hours per week of
activity are meeting your identified career enhancement goal. This log is
to be included in the portfolio. Each student should meet briefly or
email with me during the first three weeks of class to discuss specific
individualized career preparation activities. 30% of final grade.
Key Dates
8 Sept. Email to psc2601-l class list begins
15 Sept. Due date for meeting/emailing with instructor about
individualized career prep activities
8 Oct. Midterm Portfolio materials submitted to instructor due at
beginning of class
(late penalty--one letter grade per day).
19 Nov, 3 Dec., 10 Dec. Final presentation of materials; final portfolio
materials submitted to instructor.
All final portfolio materials due at beginning of class 23 April.
Late projects are penalized 1 letter grade per day
Course Schedule
(Subject to some degree of modification of dates in order to accommodate
guest speakers)
27 Aug. Introduction and Overview of Course, Discussion of Course
Requirements, Questions and Answers
3 Sept. No formal class meeting. Work on individualized career goal
-- lining up contacts, interviewing, etc.
10 Sept. Political Science Careers and Skills: What Skills Have You
Developed and What Can You Do With Your Degree?
Assignment: American Political Science Association, Careers and the Study
of Political Science:
A Guide For Undergraduates; John Rutledge, "Preparing For A Career in
Business," Forbes
3 Nov. 1997.
17 Sept. Self- and Peer-Assessment of Writing Samples from Political
Science Classes;
Formal Writing Sample--Identifying Points for Improvement
and
Beginning the Refining Process
24 Sept.--1 Oct. Job Hunting, Cover Letters, Resumes, Portfolios,
Interviews.
Assignment: Christopher Caggiano, "What Were You in For?" And Other
Great Job Interview Questions of Our Time," Inc. Oct. 1998; Paul Taylor,
"Providing Structure to Interviews and Reference Checks," Workforce May
1999; Sabra Chartrand, "Employers Devise New Strategies to Test Job
Applicants," New York Times 14 December 1997,
http://www.nytimes.com/library/jobmarket/121497sabra.html; Purdue
University On-Line Writing Lab Handouts, Application Letters: How to Sell
Yourself http://owl.english.purdue.edu/files/57.html; Resumes and Cover
Letters, http://safetynet.doleta.gov/resume.htm; Purdue University On-Line
Writing Lab Handouts, Your Resume,
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/files/35.html; Federal Resume Writing,
http://www2.ari.net/resume/fedgov.html; Monique R. Brown, "Resume
Slip-Ups," Black Enterprise (June 1998); Good Works, A Guide to Social
Change Careers, http://www.essential.org/goodworks/jobs.
8- 22 Oct. Graduate School--Deciding Where to Apply; How Graduate Study
Differs from Undergraduate Training ; Creating
a Competitive Application Packet.
Assignment: Marie desJardins, How to Be a Good Graduate Student,
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/HTMLit/how.2b/how.2b.html; Jody D. Nyquist et
al., "On the Road to Becoming a Professor," Change May/June 1999;
Resources for Political Science Graduate Students,
http://osiris.colorado.edu/POLSCI/RES/students.html
29 Oct.--12 Nov. Law School: Selecting a School, Preparing for the
LSAT, Writing a Personal Statement, and
Overall Preparation
Assignment: J. Smith, Beyond L.A. Law (selections); A. Briggs, Degrees of
Difference: A How-To-Guide to Choosing a Law School (selections); Rutgers
University, Camden Campus, Political Science, Thinking of Law School?
http://camden-www.rutgers.edu/dept-pages/polisci/law.html; University of
California-Berkeley, Preparation for the Study of Law,
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/admissions/prepare.shtml;
LSAC Online, Law School Rankings May Be Hazardous to Your Health, A
Message to Applicants from Law School Deans,
http://www.lsac.org/dnbroch.htm; Harvard Law School, The Personal
Statement,
http://www.law.harvard.edu/Admissions/JD_Admissions/personal.html;
Stanford University Undergraduate Advising Center, Is Law School For Me?,
http://www-portfolio.stanford.edu/100088.
19 Nov.-- 10 Dec. Final Presentations and Assessments
Syllabus for Political World
Spring 2003
Course Description
This course offers an introductory survey of major analytical concepts,
subfields, and methods of inquiry in the field of political science. We
will explore both global and domestic political issues relating to
comparative politics, political theory, international relations, and US
politics. Emphasis is placed on integrating a variety of methodological
and substantive approaches to the study of politics.
Because we will be talking about current political issues, it is
recommended that students read The New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com), The Washington Post
(http://www.washingtonpost.com), or another national/international
newspaper on a regular basis. You may access such newspapers at no cost
on the Internet.
Required Texts
Ellen Grigsby, Analyzing Politics, 2nd ed.
Michael Rosen & Jonathan Wolff, Political Thought.
Timothy Walter et al., Critical Thinking: Building the Basics.
Key Dates
Email from instructor begins Friday Jan. 31.
First Exam is Monday Feb. 24.
Second Exam is Monday April 7.
Final Exam is given on date scheduled by UNM schedule (included on last
page of this syllabus)
Objectives
This course is designed to help students develop and enhance the following
skills:
· Close, careful analysis of concepts and content relating to
political science;
· Writing, speaking, note-taking, and test-taking skills;
· Information management and information analysis (demonstrated
through note-taking, keeping an analytical binder, and performance on
exams) with attention to specific details and analysis relating
thereto;
· Ability to document-through rigorous exams-mastery of content as
well as analytical assessments;
· Self-assessment of learning process and progress (e.g., through
email questions, in-class exercises, Critical Thinking textbook's
exercises, and participation in enhanced skills and study group).
How the Course Works
1. Attending Each Class and Keeping An Analytical Journal Are Two Ways To
Enhance Your Content/Skill Preparation. Regular attendance and
concentrated, focused class participation are expected of each student.
Informational materials will be handed out in class on a regular basis and
will be used to supplement the texts and lectures. Students are
responsible for making up classroom work missed (and handouts not
obtained) due to absences from class. Copies of handouts are available
(until all have been taken) in a box outside my office. The handouts are
as important as the three assigned books and should be used-along with
class notes and the textbooks-in exam preparation.
I suggest that each student keep an analytical journal. What is an
analytical journal? It is simply a binder with all lecture outlines,
handouts, practice and self-assessment questions (with your answers),
class notes, and your personal notes on all the readings; this binder will
serve as a journal in which you do regular written analysis of the
material so that your performance on the exams is enhanced. If you wish
to come by during office hours and have me examine your analytical
journal, I will be happy to give you feedback and study suggestions. You
can have me read your work and tell you what your grade would be if your
journal entries constituted an exam; in other words, you never have to go
into the exam not knowing what to expect in order to make your target
grade or not knowing exactly how I will grade your work.
2. Three Exams Constitute The Basis For Your Final Grade. The two
mid-term exams will be administered on the dates noted above; the final
exam will be given on the date scheduled by the University. Each of the 3
exams represents 1/3 of the final grade. Approved makeups will be given
on Wed. April 30; each student approved for a makeup exam is responsible
for meeting this schedule. Makeup exams are given only for excused
absences such as documented illnesses or documented emergencies. Please
note there are no exceptions to this make-up policy. No exceptions will
be made regarding the date of the final exam.
3. I Will Email Review Questions (Through Our Class Email List) To Help
You Prepare For All Three Exams. Each student should sign up for an email
account and should subscribe to our class email list. To subscribe, send
an email to listserv@unm.edu and type the following message: subscribe
psc110-L yourfirstname yourlastname. Nothing else should be
typed/included in the message field; if additional text appears, the
request will fail. If you have questions or problems, email or call me, or
email or call my graduate assistant (277-5104), or obtain help at the CIRT
helpdesk. If you do not subscribe successfully to this class list by the
due date, you will miss mailings. Please note that each student is
responsible for information mailed to the email list (e.g., review
questions, but also information such as times/rooms for make up exams; any
changes to assignments, etc.), so if you do not subscribe to the list you
risk missing crucial information which could put you at a disadvantage
compared to other students in the class.
You do not need a UNM email account to subscribe to the list; however, if
you use an outside account (e.g., yahoo, hotmail, etc.), make certain that
the email sent to our list is not diverted away from your inbox (into junk
mail, for example).
4. Enhanced Skills and Study Group (ESSG). ESSG Is An Option For All
Students In This Class. All students in the class are offered the
opportunity to participate in an enhanced skills and study group.
Participation is entirely voluntary-you will not be penalized if you do
not participate-and participation should prove to be both beneficial to
you (in giving yourself the best chance to make an excellent grade in the
class) and an enjoyable way to get to discuss political issues outside of
the regular class. The enhanced skills and study group is a special
service which gives you the opportunity to study PS 110 material with
other students from the class and to improve skills (e.g., note-taking,
writing, exam-preparation, exam-taking) useful for this class, other
classes, and, eventually, for your professional career.
A.J. Lapre will conduct the enhanced skills and study group sessions.
A.J. is a student who took PS 110 during a previous semester; he
understands the course-everything from note-taking and using the class
email list to studying for exams-from a student's perspective. A. J. will
offer the group sessions at different times during the week. We will do
all that we can to choose times that are convenient for all students.
Schedule of Topics and Reading Assignments:
I. Introduction to and Overview of Course, Week 1.
II. Political Science and Scientific Methods in Studying Politics, Weeks
1-4
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 2; Critical Thinking, pp.
1-5 and Exercise 1 on p. 74; Political Thought, chapters 133 and
134.
III. Key Concepts in Political Science, Weeks 4-6
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 3; Political Thought,
chapters 18, 19, 95, 96, 100, 101, and 103; Critical Thinking, pp. 48-49,
51-52, and 57-59.
IV. Political Theory: Examining the Ethical Foundations of Politics,
Weeks 7-9
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 4; Political Thought,
chapters 2, 34, 1, 69, and 53.
V. Political Ideologies I: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Socialism, Weeks
10-11
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 5; Political Thought,
chapters 3, 21, 112, 120, and 122.
VI. Political Ideologies II: Fascism, Week 12
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 6.
VII.Comparative Politics I: Governmental Systems-Democracy and
Nondemocracy, Weeks 13-14.
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapter 8; Political Thought,
chapters 61 and 43
VIII. Comparative Politics II and III: Interest Groups, Political Parties,
Elections, Media, and Governing Democracies, Weeks 15-16.
Assignment: Analyzing Politics, chapters 9 and 10.
Political Ideas, PS 260 Syllabus, Spring
2003
I. Course Description:
This course provides an introductory survey of classical and
modern political theory. Emphasis is placed on textual analysis of
primary documents. We will examine questions pertaining to epistemology
(how do we know what is true?), interpretation (how do we understand what
a work means?), application (how do we make connections between a text and
what is going on in the world outside the text?), and development (how do
ideas of democracy--or liberalism, or conservatism, or socialism,
etc.--change across historical periods?). Aristotle, Pericles, Hobbes,
Locke, Smith, Burke, Oakeshott, Marx, Bellamy, King, and Gutierrez are
among the political theorists we will analyze and discuss.
II. Required Books:
T. Ball and R. Dagger, Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader, 4th
ed.
T. Ball and R. Dagger, Political Ideologies and the Democratic
Ideal, 4th ed.
III. Assignments and Grading:
Two exams (Monday Feb. 24 and Monday April 7 in addition to the
final exam are required of each student; each exam constitutes 1/3 of the
final grade. The final exam will be given on the date assigned in the
UNM Final Exam Schedule (see last page of syllabus for this schedule).
Make-up exams are given only for documented, excused absences and
will be administered on Wed. April 30; students wishing to take make-ups
are responsible for meeting this schedule.
IV. PS 260 Class Email List:
Each student should subscribe to the class email list by Fri. Jan.
31. To subscribe, send an email to listserv@unm.edu with the following
message: subscribe psc2601-L yourfirstname yourlastname. Upon
successfully subscribing to the list, you will receive an email
confirmation message. If you have not received that particular message,
you are not on the list. If you have questions or problems with your
subscription, email or speak to me or to my graduate assistant. If you
receive an error message from listserv@unm.edu, forward that message to my
email address and I will tell you what is problematic with your
subscription request. The list will be used to email review questions,
selected articles, and any updates relating to our class.
V. Course Objectives:
The course will focus on helping students develop and enhance
skills in the following areas:
· close, careful reading and critical analysis of primary texts;
· assessment of the logic informing competing, ambiguous, or
contested meanings/interpretations of texts;
· writing and speaking about textual materials in an
analytically-focused and textually-specific manner;
· self-assessment of skill development and content mastery through
careful attention to the learning process (e.g., in class exercises; email
questions; etc.).
Course Schedule
A. Introduction to Course, Weeks 1-2
Topics: Overview of Class and Class Requirements.
Assignment: Materials provided by instructor.
B. Political Theory: Knowing, Interpreting, Applying, Weeks 2-4
Topics: What is Political Theory; Thinking about Levels of
Meaning; How Do We Make Decisions About Interpretations?
Assignment: De Maistre, Gutierrez, Berry, and King in
Reader.
C. Democratic Theory, Weeks 5-6
Topics: Classical Concepts of Democracy; Extending the Concepts
and Accommodating Democracy and Modernity; Managing Democracy Without
Destroying It; Terrors and Dangers of Democracy; Re-Discovering the People
and Radicalizing Democracy; Scopes and Domains.
Assignment: Reader, part 2; Ideal, ch. 2.
D. Liberal Theory, Weeks 7-8
Topics: Emergence of Liberalism; Classical, Utilitarian,
Neoclassical, and Modern Liberals; Natural Law, Individualism, Rights,
Obligations, Markets; Figuring Out How to Separate Inside/Outside,
Self/Community, Private/Public; Drawing Boundaries to Maintain
Liberalism's Separate Identity Vz. Anarchism, Nihilism, Elitism (and other
dangers, as seen by friends and enemies).
Assignment: Reader, part 3; Ideal, ch. 3.
E. Conservative Theory, Weeks 8-9
Topics: Conservative Critiques of Liberalism; Traditional,
Neoconservative, Individualist, and Religious Conservatives; Critiques of
"mass society"; Civic Life, Civility, Virtue, and Authority; or Maximum
Individualism?
Assignment: Reader, part 4; Ideal, ch. 4.
F. Socialist Theory, Weeks 10-12
Topics: Origins of Socialist Theory; Utopian Socialism; Marx's
Socialism; Post-Marx Socialism; Socialism in the US
Assignment: Reader, parts 5 and 6; Ideal, ch. 5 and 6.
G. Fascist Theory, week 13
Topics: Origins of Fascism; Fascism and Nazism; State, Civil
Society, Conflict, Power.
Assignment: Reader, part 7; Ideal, ch. 7.
H. Liberation Theory, week 14
Topics: More than Toleration: Liberation; Civil Rights; Living
Under Occupation, Living in Exile; What Does Oppression Mean to Those
Benefiting From It; What do the Un-Free Know that the Free Do Not?
Liberation Through Assimilation? Separation? Reconciliation?
Community?
Assignment: Reader, part 8; Ideal, ch. 8.
I. Environmentalist Theory, Week 15
Topics: Origins of Green Politics; Stewardship, Sustainability,
and Ecosystem Integrity; Nature and Ownership: Logic or Illogic;
Environmental Racism; Activism.
Assignment: Reader Part 9; Ideal, ch. 9.
Syllabus for Modern Political Theory, Spring
2003
Modern Political Theory
Spring 2003
Instructor: Ellen Grigsby
University Honors Student Co-Teacher: Lisa Gilmore
Office: 2076 Social Science Complex
Phone: 277-5233
Email: egrigsby@unm.edu
Web Page: http://www.unm.edu/~egrigsby
Office Hours: Wed. 1-5 and Thurs. 12-3
Course Description
This class offers a survey of modern political theory, with a focus on the
works of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Marx, and
Nietzsche. Emphasis is placed upon a close reading of primary texts. We
will also examine debates surrounding the concept of modernity and the
complexities of interpretation. Graduate students taking this class as PS
512 should contact me for a graduate-level syllabus.
The structure of the class will consist of lecture and discussion. As
student co-teacher, Ms. Gilmore will observe the class and will, at
selected times, provide supplementary materials for analysis and
discussion.
Required Books
M. Morgan, ed. Classics of Moral and Political Theory
Machiavelli, Clizia.
Wollstonecraft, Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman
Key Dates
Fri. Jan. 31. Email to psc368-L begins (all students need to be
subscribed prior to this date)
Mon. Feb. 24. First Exam
Mon. April 7. Second Exam
Mon. May 5. Final projects due at beginning of class. Presentations
in class during the week. Late projects are penalized 1 letter grade per
day.
Final Exam. See UNM schedule.
Course Requirements
Two exams (see dates above), a final exam, and a final project are
required. Each represents 1/4 of the final grade. The final project
consists of a) an 8-10 page analytical paper; b) an assessment of a
student paper; and c) participation in a political theory conference
during the week of 5 May. Specific guidelines on the final project will
be provided by the instructor. All approved make up exams will be given
on Wed. 30 April.
Course Objectives
The course is organized to assist students in developing and enhancing the
following skills:
· Close, careful reading and analysis of primary texts of political
philosophy;
· Assessment of the logic informing competing, ambiguous, or contested
meanings/interpretations of texts;
· Writing and speaking about textual materials in an analytically-focused,
textually-specific, and content-oriented manner;
· Self-assessment of skill development and content mastery through careful
attention to the learning process (e.g., in class exercises; email
questions; etc.)
· Professional speaking on and presentation of academic material in a
professional conference-style format.
Course Schedule
I. What is Modern Political Theory (weeks 1-2)
Topics: classical, modern, and postmodern categories; how do we
ever know what a text means?; interpretative debates.
Assignment: materials provided by instructor.
II. Machiavelli (Weeks 2-4)
Topics: politics, technique, and the creation of order; what is
the relationship between ethics and politics; the calculus of control in
political matters; is Machiavelli a philosopher of evil or a veiled
Christian?; how are princes different from republicans?; how do we find
the "real" Machiavelli?
Assignment: Machiavelli, Clizia; The Prince and selections from
Discourses (in Morgan).
III. Hobbes (Weeks 5-6)
Topics: reason, language, knowledge, and being; state of nature,
equality, rights, gain, diffidence, and glory; the consequences of desire;
passion and reason in politics; sovereignty and law; politics and
happiness; who is Hobbes--is he a liberal, an authoritarian, both,
neither?
Assignment: Hobbes, Leviathan (in Morgan)
IV. Locke (Weeks 6-7)
Topics: Locke's relationship to Hobbes and Filmer; Locke and
liberal theory; state of nature, reason, consent, obligation, rights;
categories of authority; who owns the self--suicide, war, slavery, labor,
and property; controlling power; individualism and self-interest in
political affairs; appeals to heaven.
Assignment: Locke, Second Treatise of Government (in
Morgan)
V. Rousseau (Weeks 8-9)
Topics: nature, freedom, equality; how is community formed?;
natural liberty and civil liberty; the general will, participation, and
autonomy; economic dimensions of civic life; what is the authentic self?;
Rousseau has been called "romantic, progressive, totalitarian, neurotic"
-- do any of these descriptions seem compelling?
Assignment: Rousseau, On the Social Contract (in Morgan).
VI. Wollstonecrafft (Weeks 10-11)
Topics: literature and political theory; gender, ontology, and
reason; monsters and citizens; emotions, reason, and power; critique and
political theory.
Assignment: Wollstonecraft, Maria, or the Wrongs of
Woman.
VII. Marx (Weeks 12-14)
Topics: pre-Marx socialism; Marx and classical economics and
theory; Hegel and Marx; praxis, capitalism, alienation, exploitation;
class, state, resistance, revolution; Marx and modernity; ideology,
religion, and consciousness.
Assignment: Marx, "Estranged Labor," "On the Jewish Question;
Marx and Engles, Manifesto of the Communist Party (all in Morgan).
VIII. Nietzsche (Week 15)
Topics: language, belief, and morality; reason and instinct;
democracy and modernity; resentment; autonomy and self-knowledge; is
Nietzsche the antiChrist?
Assignment: Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals (in
Morgan).
