^{POLITICAL SCIENCE 432/532: Modern and Contemporary Political Theory}

^{University of Oregon, Spring 2008 Instructor: James Ingram}

^{McKenzie Hall 229, MW 10-11:20 Office: PLC 927}

^{GTF: Dan Andersen Phone: 346-4707}

^{danderse@uoregon.edu jingram@uoregon.edu}

^{Office hours: TBA Office hours: Tues. 1-4}

^{This course surveys some of the central works of modern and contemporary political theory (19th and 20th centuries). Our central questions concern the "modern condition": Does modernity signify an age of progress in terms of knowledge about the world and freedom for human beings? Or do modern technological, political and social developments actually constitute a new kind of prison?}

^{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. Regular attendance, careful preparation, and active participation are essential. Attendance is crucial to doing well in the course as exams will be based on our discussions. Please note that I will not be providing study guides. You should prepare for every class by doing the reading, reflecting on the course texts, and bringing to class issues, questions, and passages for discussion. You should bring the book to every class, since we will be referring to passages in the text constantly.}

^{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 try to understand 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 disagreement. Reading is a reflective process. You may need to read a section, think about it, 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. Learning political theory is like learning a 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.}

^{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}

^{The following books are required and are available at the Duck Store:}

• Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (Hackett)
• J.S. Mill, On Liberty and Other Writings (Cambridge)
• Karl Marx, Selected Writings, ed. Lawrence Simon (Hackett)
• Friedrich Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo (Vintage)
• Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Dover)
• Max Weber, The Vocation Lectures (Hackett)
• Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish (Vintage)

^{Course Requirements and Grading}

• ^{Paper on Tocqueville and Mill (20%), 3-4 pages, due 4/16.}
• ^{Midterm in-class exam (30%), 4/30.}
• ^{Final take-home exam (35%): comprehensive, two questions, 10-12 pages, due 6/11.}
• ^{Electronic class participation (15%): Requires at least 4 posts to the Blackboard discussion board: 2 on Marx (by 4/21 and 4/28), 2 on Foucault (by 5/28 and 6/2).}

^{Course Schedule and Readings}

^{3/31: Introduction}

^TOCQUEVILLE

^{4/2: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, vol. 1, pt. I, Intro., chs. 3-4; pt. II, chs. 9-10.}

^{4/7: Tocqueville, Democracy in America, vol. 2, pt. II, chs. 1-9; pt. IV, chs. 1-8.}

^MILL

^{4/9: Mill, On Liberty, chs. 1 & 2.}

^{4/14: Mill, On Liberty, chs. 3-5.}

^MARX

^{4/16: Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts: Preface, Alienated Labor, pp. 56-68.}

^{FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS}

^{4/21: Marx, “On the Jewish Question,” pp. 1-21; German Ideology, pp. 102-112.}

^{FIRST BLACKBOARD POST BY CLASS}

^{4/23: Marx, German Ideology, pp. 113-126, 129-131; Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, 211-212; Communist Manifesto, 157-176.}

^{4/28: Marx, Capital, pp. 274-294; Critique of the Gotha Program, pp. 315-321.}

^{SECOND BLACKBOARD POST BY CLASS}

^{4/30: MIDTERM EXAM – IN CLASS}

^NIETZSCHE

^{5/5: Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals, preface, essay 1.}

^{5/7: Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals, essay 2.}

^WEBER

^{5/12: Weber, The Protestant Ethic, chs. 1-3.}

^{5/14: Weber, The Protestant Ethic, ch. 5; “Science as a Vocation.”}

^FOUCAULT

^{5/19: Weber, “Politics as a Vocation.”}

^{5/21: Foucault, Discipline and Punish, pp. 3-31, 48-131.}

^{(5/26: MEMORIAL DAY – NO CLASS)}

^{5/28: Foucault, Discipline and Punish, pp. 162-231.}

^{FIRST BLACKBOARD POST BY CLASS}

^{6/2: Foucault, Discipline and Punish, pp. 231-292; 304-308.}

^{SECOND BLACKBOARD POST BY CLASS}

^{6/4: Review}

^{TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAM DUE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11 AT NOON.}