^{POLITICAL
SCIENCE 430/530: Ancient and Medieval Political Theory}

^{Professor Leonard Feldman}

^{DRAFT: SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO CHANGE}

^{Office: PLC 914}

^{Phone: 346-1479}

^{Office Hours:}

^{This class provides an
introduction to some of the main texts of Western political theory from the
ancient and medieval periods. We will
pay particular attention to the conceptions of human nature, justice,
in/equality and the ideal political order; to the theorists’ accounts of the
obligations of citizens to their political community; and to how “ancient”
approaches to politics differ from “modern” ones.}

^{If you have a documented
disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make
arrangements to meet with me soon. Please request that the Counselor for
Students with Disabilities send a letter verifying your disability.}

^{Class Format and General
Expectations}

^{This course will be a mixed
seminar/lecture format. Therefore regular attendance, careful preparation, and
active participation are essential. You
must prepare for every class by doing the reading, reflecting upon the course
texts, and bringing to class issues, questions, and passages for discussion.}

^{When I say “do the reading” I don’t
mean mechanically going through the text and simply making sure your eyes have
scanned the relevant pages. Rather than attempting to read every word, you
should attempt to understand and ponder every idea. You are most likely to do
this if you read with a pen and paper, writing down ideas, questions, quotes,
points of confusion, and points of disagreement.}

Furthermore, reading is a reflective process. You may need to read a section, think about it, then read it again, then write about it, discuss it, and read it again. So when I say do the readings, what I mean is, “engage yourself with the ideas of the text.”

^{I expect that you are learning
the material, not that you know it. Furthermore, learning political theory is like learning a whole new language. Speaking a
new language means taking risks. As much as possible, try not to be shy or
embarrassed about what you don’t yet know.
Ask questions as often as they come up, read sections of the text aloud
in class, talk about the material with others outside of class, try out
tentative criticisms and interpretations of the text, and come see me in office
hours. These are all great ways to practice speaking and writing the language
of political theory.}

^{To get yourself oriented with
each new author, I strongly recommend}^{that you read Peter Steinberger’s very helpful
introductions. They are located at the
beginning of each section (Plato, pp. 136-138, Aristotle, pp. 358-360, etc).}

^{Academic Honesty}

^{All work submitted in
this course must be your own and produced exclusively for this course. The use
of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and
documented. For the consequences of academic dishonesty, refer to the Schedule
of Classes published quarterly. For any specific questions or concerns, please
come talk to me before turning in an
assignment.}

^{Course Readings}

^{Readings in Classical Political Thought}^{, edited by Peter J.
Steinberger, available at the UO Bookstore.}

^{Course Requirements and Grading}

^·^Paper^{(20 percent of grade) Apology and Crito: 3-4
pages}

^·^{A midterm in-class exam}^{(30 percent of grade) covering Apology and
Crito, Antigone, Republic, and the Politics}

^·^{A final take-home exam}^{(35 percent of grade): comprehensive, two
questions, 10-12 pages.}

^·^{Electronic Class
participation}^{(15 percent of grade):
Requires at least 4 posts to the Blackboard discussion board--2 for Plato,
2 for Augustine.}

^{First post on Plato must be made by 5 p.m., 10/15}

^{Follow-up post by 5 p.m., 10/22}

^{First post on Augustine due by 5 p.m., 11/15}

^{Follow-up post by 5 p.m., 11/22}

^{Course Schedule and Readings}

^{9/27 Course Introduction}

^{I. GREEK POLITICAL THOUGHT}

^{Plato (and Socrates)}

^{9/29: “Apology,” pp. 147-159}

^{10/4: “Crito,” pp. 159-165}

^{10/6: Republic}

^{Book I, entire, pp.
166-181}

^{Book II, entire, pp. 181-196.}

^{10/11: Republic}

^{Book III, pp. 210 (“Then, Glaucon, did those who
established…”)-214.}

^{Book IV, entire, pp.
214-229}

^{10/13: Republic}

^{Book V, entire, pp.
229-246}

^{Book VI, pp. 247-250
(“Certainly”); pp. 259 (“We say that there are many beautiful things…”)-262}

^{First
paper due in class}^.

^{10/18: Republic}

^{Book VII pp. 262-265
(second column, “Indeed”)}

^{Book VIII entire, pp.
276-290}

^{Book IX, entire, pp.
290-303}

^{Greek Drama}

^{10/20: Sophocles, Antigone, pp.
117-135.}

^Aristotle

^{10/25: Politics, Books I and II,
pp. 377-389}

^{10/27: Politics, Books III, IV
and V, pp. 394-409, pp. 415-417 plus
handout.}

^{11/1: Politics, Books VII,
except chpt 10. Review}

^{11/3 Mid-term Exam}

^{II. ROMAN POLITICAL THOUGHT}

^Cicero

^{11/8: The Republic pp. 446-460}

^{III. MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THOUGHT}

^Augustine

^{11/10: City of God, pp. 461-474}

^{11/15: City of God, pp. 474-489}

^{11/17: City of God, pp. 489-504}

^Aquinas

^{11/22 Summa Theologica 506-524}

^{11/29 Summa Theologica 524-542
and Statesmanship 542-546}

^{12/1 Review and Conclusions}

^{Take-home Final Exam due:}