POLITICAL = SCIENCE 251: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

POLITICAL SCIENCE 251-1: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL=20 PHILOSOPHY

Spring, 2011

Instructor: Larry Arnhart

Teaching Assistant: Todd Noelle

Class meetings: TuTh, 2:00 pm=973:15 pm, DuSable = Hall 459

Instructor=92s Office: Zulauf Hall 404

Office hours: =20 Monday & Friday, 1:30 pm=972:30 pm; Tuesday & Thursday, = 3:30=20 pm=974:30 pm, other times by appointment

Instructor=92s email: larnhart@niu.edu

TEXTS

Thomas Aquinas, On=20 Law, Morality, & Politics (Hackett Publishing)

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (Waveland Press)

John Locke, Two=20 Treatises of Government (Cambridge University Press)

John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration = (Hackett=20 Publishing)

Karl Marx, The=20 Communist Manifesto, edited by Phil Gasper (Haymarket Books)

The = Declaration of=20 Independence (available online)

Larry Arnhart, Darwinian Conservatism: A Disputed = Question (Imprint Academic)

Alan Wolfe, The Future of Liberalism (Vintage = Books)

GRADING

The final grade for this course will be based on = the grades=20 for journal writing (30% for journal entries #1-7 and journal responses = #1-6,=20 30% for journal entries #8-14 and journal responses #7-14), the grades = for class=20 participation (15% for the first half of the course, 15% for the second = half),=20 and the grade for a final argumentative essay (10%). Grades for the first half of = the course=20 will be given out on March 10.

Journal Writing

A journal entry will be due every = Tuesday=20 at the beginning of class. = Each=20 journal entry should be at least 600 words long (or roughly 2 = double-spaced=20 typed pages). Each = entry must=20 have your name, the date, and the number of the entry on the top of the = first=20 page. They must be = typed. They must be stapled. All journal writing must = be=20 submitted in class =20 Submissions outside of class will not be accepted. No submissions by e-mail will = be=20 accepted. No late = submissions will=20 be accepted. No = submissions at the=20 end of class will be accepted. = The deadline for journal writing = will be=20 2:02 pm at each class meeting. = No=20 submission after that time will be accepted!

You will be assigned to a journal = group with two=20 other students. At the = middle of=20 the semester, you will be assigned to a new group. You must bring = three=20 copies of your entry or response to class--one copy for the = instructor and=20 two copies for the members of your group. =20 Of course, you should keep the original for=20 yourself.

The journal entry each week should be = a=20 statement of your thoughts about the reading assignment for that = week. The purpose is to show your=20 intellectual struggle with the material. Do you understand what the = author is=20 saying? If so, do you = agree or=20 disagree? Why? If you do not understand what = the author=20 is saying, what is it that you find confusing?

Intellectual struggle requires a = logical=20 analysis of the arguments. = What=20 is the issue? What = position is the=20 author taking on that issue? = What=20 arguments does the author develop to support that position? What are the = strengths and weaknesses in those arguments? Are the arguments = ultimately=20 persuasive or not? Those are the kind of questions you must consider in=20 analyzing the arguments. =20

You=20 should not fill up your journal entry by merely summarizing, = paraphrasing, or=20 quoting from the reading. = Hey,=20 you=92ve got a brain. Use = it!

You are free to introduce whatever you = find=20 pertinent--including ideas from your personal experience and ideas from = other=20 classes you have taken--whatever helps you to make sense of the issues = raised in=20 the readings. Integrating = ideas=20 from our class discussions into your writing is important. Again, the purpose is to write = an=20 informal statement of your thoughts about the reading assignments that = show your=20 intellectual struggle with the material and with the questions = raised by=20 that material.

The reading for each week will suggest = many=20 issues that might deserve comment. =20 But generally it is best = for your=20 journal entry to concentrate on just one issue that you can develop in = two=20 pages.

You will receive two grades for your = journal=20 writing. On March = 10 you=20 will receive your grades for the first half of the semester. Your grades for the second = half of the=20 semester will come at the end of the semester.

To deal with emergencies (illness and = so on),=20 you will be permitted to miss one journal entry and one set of journal = responses=20 without any penalty. But missing more than that = will lower=20 your grade.

Journal responses will be due every = Thursday at the beginning of class. Each response should = have your=20 name, the number of the response, the date, and the name of the person = to whom=20 you are responding. Each = should be=20 typed. Every Thursday, = you will=20 turn in two responses, and each response must be at least = 300=20 words long (or roughly 1 double-spaced typed page). Like the journal entries, you = must bring=20 three copies--one for the instructor and two for the members of your = journal=20 group. If a member of = your journal=20 group does not give you an entry, you should turn in a note indicating = that you=20 cannot write a response because you have not received an=20 entry.

The journal responses will be your = written=20 responses to the journal entries of the two other people in your = group. So each Thursday you will come = to class=20 with two responses of at least one page each for the two members of your = journal=20 group. The purpose of the = journal=20 response is to intellectually engage your fellow students. How does their handling of the = reading=20 assignment compare with yours? = What=20 did they see that you did not see? =20 Sometimes you will disagree. =20 But don't be too negative. =20 Even if you disagree with a journal entry, try to find some way = to help=20 that fellow student think through the issues. You want to sustain a lively=20 intellectual exchange with your fellow students in which everyone learns = something from the exchange. = You=20 want to struggle together in thinking through the=20 issues.

If you do not receive a journal entry = from a=20 member of your journal group, you must turn in a note indicating that = you cannot=20 write a response because you did not receive an entry from that = person. You will not be penalized for = the=20 failure of your journal group member to write a journal entry. Since all journal entries must = be=20 submitted at the beginning of class, you are not required to respond to = any=20 entry given to you or emailed to you outside of = class.

The grading for the journal = writing will=20 be determined by how well you obey Arnhart's Ten=20 Commandments:

1. You must turn in all your = journal writing=20 (of the required length) at the beginning of each class, no later than 2:02=20 pm.

2. You must show some logical = analysis of=20 the texts that goes beyond merely summarizing or quoting from the=20 texts.

3. You must avoid errors in = spelling,=20 diction, punctuation, and grammar.

4. =20 You must write journal responses that seriously engage the = journal=20 entries from the other group members.

5. You must write on one or two major = topics in=20 each journal entry rather than writing superficially about many=20 topics.

6. You must organize your writing = into=20 coherent paragraphs.

7. You must occasionally show how the = readings=20 for one week relate to the readings for previous = weeks.

8. You must develop your own line of = reasoning=20 about politics over the course of the semester in response to the = readings and=20 the class discussions.

9. You must take clear positions on = the=20 controversies in this class and support those positions with evidence = and=20 argumentation.

10. You must regularly probe the = deeper=20 implications of the issues raised in the reading and class discussions = beyond=20 what is clear on the surface.

To earn a grade of C, students must = obey=20 commandments 1-4. To earn = a B,=20 students must obey commandments 1-8. =20 To earn an A, students must obey all 10 commandments. Those students failing to obey = commandments 1-4 will receive a D or F. =20 Anyone who commits plagiarism=97using someone else's words = without putting=20 them within quotation marks=97will automatically receive an F for the=20 course.

Class Participation

You are expected to attend class and = contribute=20 to class discussions. = High grades=20 for class participation will go to those who regularly attend class and = who=20 regularly contribute to class discussions in an instructive way. You may miss two classes = without=20 penalty. Missing more = will be=20 penalized. You are = expected to be=20 in class on time. Those who arrive late to class = more than two=20 times will be severely penalized. =20 Anyone whose cell phone rings in class will be=20 whacked!

A grade of C for class participation = requires=20 regular class attendance (missing no more than two classes). A grade of B for class = participation=20 requires regular class attendance and contributing to class discussions = at least=20 once a week. A grade of A = for class=20 participation requires regular class attendance and contributing to = class=20 discussions at almost every class meeting.

The Argumentative Essay

The argumentative essay should be at least = 1,500-2,000 words=20 long (roughly 6-8 double-spaced pages). =20 The topics for this course are controversial. For this essay, you should = take up one=20 of these controversial topics and defend your position on that = controversy. To do that, there are four=20 requirements. (1) State = the=20 question at issue. (2) = State your=20 answer to the question. = (3) Support=20 your answer with at least three arguments=97three good reasons for = believing your=20 answer is correct. (4) = Reply to at=20 least two of the major objections to your answer. On April 19, = you must=20 submit a one-paragraph typed statement of your topic for this essay. = This final=20 essay is due no later than 12 = noon on May=20 6 at the instructor=92s office (Zulauf Hall 404). If the instructor is not = there, slip the=20 paper under the door.

ASSIGNMENTS

Jan 18: =20 Introduction

Jan 20: = The=20 Declaration of Independence, online at

&n= bsp; =20 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.h= tml

=20 Matt Franck, = =93Incest and=20 the Degradation of Our Vocabulary,=94 online at

&n= bsp; =20 http://www.thepub= licdiscourse.com/2011/01/2316

Thomistic Natural=20 Law

Jan 25: = Aquinas,=20 pages 10-96

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #1

Jan 27: = Journal=20 response #1

Feb =20 1: Aquinas, = pages=20 130-196

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #2

Feb =20 3: Journal = response=20 #2

Machiavellian=20 Realism

Feb =20 8: = Machiavelli,=20 chapters 1-17

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #3

Feb 10: = Journal=20 response #3

Feb 15: =20 Machiavelli, The = Prince,=20 chaps. 18-26

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #4

Feb 17: = Journal=20 response #4

Lockean=20 Liberalism

Feb 22: = Locke,=20 Second Treatise, chapters = 1-6 (pp.=20 267-318)

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #5

Feb 24: = Journal=20 response #5

&n= bsp; =20

Mar =20 1: Locke, = Second Treatise, chaps. 7-13 = (pp.=20 318-374)

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #6

Mar =20 3: Journal = response=20 #6

Mar =20 8: Locke, = Letter on = Toleration

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #7

Mar 10: = Journal=20 response #7

&n= bsp; =20 Grades for the first half of the semester

Spring Break

Marxist=20 Socialism

&n= bsp; =20

Mar 22: = Marx,=20 pages 37-89

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #8

&n= bsp; =20 Start of new group assignments

Mar 24: = Journal=20 response #8

Mar 29: = Marx,=20 pages 93-115, 128-155, 164-183, 190-191

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #9

Mar 31: = Journal=20 response #9

Darwinian=20 Conservatism

Apr =20 5: Arnhart, Darwinian Conservatism: A Disputed = Question, pages 1-92

= Journal=20 entry #10

Apr =20 7: Journal = response #10

Apr =20 12: = Arnhart, Darwinian Conservatism: A Disputed = Question, pages 92-129, 165-

&n= bsp; =20 220

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #11

Apr =20 14: Journal = response=20 #11

Apr =20 19: = Arnhart,=20 =93Darwinian Liberalism,=94 and reaction essays by P.Z. Myers, Lionel =

&n= bsp; =20 Tiger, and Herbert Gintis, at =93Cato Unbound,=94 July, 2010, = online at

&n= bsp; =20 http://www.cato-unbound.org/archives/july-2010-darwin-and-politics/=20

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #12

&n= bsp; =20 A one-paragraph typed statement of your topic for the = argumentative essay=20

Apr =20 21: Journal = response=20 #12

Modern = Liberalism

Apr =20 26: Wolfe, = pages=20 3-92

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #13

Apr 28: = Journal=20 response #13

May =20 3: Wolfe, = pages=20 157-186, 217-288

&n= bsp; =20 Journal entry #14

May =20 5: Journal = response=20 #14

May =20 6: = Argumentative=20 essay due in instructor=92s office, no later than 12 noon