POLI 270: Classical Political Thought
Fall 2011
Joshua Miller
Dept. of Political Science
UNC Chapel Hill
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4-5:15 pm
Hanes Hall 104
Contact Information
Office: Hamilton Hall 451
E-Mail: millerjp@email.unc.edu
Office Hours
Tuesday 9am-12 pm
nd
2 Floor Davis Library
Course: http: //sakai.unc.edu
I. Course Overview
Classical Greek and Roman philosophers are said to have invented Western ethics and
democracy. They are also said to have invented authoritarianism. What are we to make of this
ambiguous legacy? Are we wedded to their vision of political practice, or are modern issues like
immigration and civil rights wholly different from theirs? When we speak of justice or democracy
are we “speaking their language”? What can we learn from them? Over the course of this
semester we will approach these questions from two orientations. The first grapples with
concerns broadly related to political membership and citizenship, the challenges of democratic
political practice, problems of political judgment, and competing conceptions of justice more
generally. The second examines the details of classical social life, political philosophy, and
culture. In so doing we will gain critical perspectives on contemporary politics which can only
be achieved through a careful study of our foundations.
This course will craft students’ abilities to ask creative questions of rich, difficult
material. The Ancients examined social life through a variety of media—including drama, art,
architecture, and discussion—the study of which flexes our interpretive imaginations and
creativity. Paying attention to alternative sources of political thinking will expose students to
different perspectives and ways of reading. Like Socrates in the Athenian agora, we will
ruthlessly interrogate conventional beliefs, exploit analytical weaknesses, and explore the
implications of internal coherence. In addition to learning how to argue and debate before a
sophisticated audience, students will also learn how to listen to arguments and consider
alternatives. Honing these skills not only improves scholarship but, as Socrates so often
implores us, enhances our civic contributions as well.
II. Course Requirements
Participation
Your participation for this course begins before you come to class. In addition to regular
attendance (see description below), you will be required to complete weekly reading
assignments and brief quizzes on that material. I warn you that these texts will be challenging
and time-consuming, as they frequently demand several readings for adequate comprehension.
That said, the reading quizzes are not intended to be so much taxing and helpful: the material on
the quiz is the especially important information you will need for class. You must bring texts to class
in order to receive full participation credit. In addition to completing the reading, I expect everyone to
offer thoughtful contributions to our class discussions. A “thoughtful contribution” can take
many forms: informed questions; problems with the author’s arguments, answers to questions;
or connections between the assigned readings and other texts/problems. I’m pretty liberal
about what counts here, but please consult me if you tend toward the shy side. Classroom
contributions will count for 10% of your participation grade.
We will tackle some difficult questions which have perplexed very smart people for a
very long time. We will each be offering tentative arguments which stake out positions in
controversial debates. As such, I remind everyone that we might emphasize listening over speaking.
A single, thoughtful contribution to the discussion is frequently more valuable than a series of
careless remarks or reactionary rebuttals, and will be assessed accordingly. Along a similar vein,
students may already know that Socrates was renowned for his often hostile elenchus, or method
of questioning. In trying some of this out for ourselves, we will do well to remember that we are
interrogating arguments and not people: dismissive or disrespectful comments are not welcome
here.
Required Texts
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Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 2nd Ed. Trans. Terence Irwin (Indianapolis: Hackett
Publishing, 1999)
Aristotle, Politics, Trans. C.D.C. Reeve (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1998)
Greek Tragedy, Ed. Shomit Dutta (London: Penguin, 2009)
Plato, Republic, Trans. C.D.C. Reeve (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2004)
Plato, Five Dialogues, Trans. G.M.A. Grube (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2002)
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, Trans. Richard Crawley (New York: Random House,
1982)
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Saint Augustine of Hippo, City of God, Trans. Richard Dodd (New York: Hendrickson
Publishing, 2009)
Cicero, The Republic and the Laws, Trans. Niall Rudd (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2009)
(All other required and supplementary texts will be posted under the “Resources” tab on Sakai.
Required Podcasts can be found under the “Podcasts” tab.)
Attendance
Class will begin promptly at 4. If you are running more than 5 minutes late you will be
counted as absent regardless of whether you attend the remainder of the class. Students are
allowed 2 unexcused absences from class. Each subsequent absence will result in a 10%
deduction from the student’s attendance grade, as well as a 0 for the missed day’s
participation.
Reading Quizzes
As noted above, students are required to complete weekly reading quizzes. The quizzes
will be posted under the “Tests & Quizzes” tab on the course Sakai page each Wednesday
and should be completed by midnight on the subsequent Sunday. Quiz performance
accounts for 20% of the participation grade.
Exams
There will be two exams in this course, each worth 15% of your final grade.
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Exam 1: Monday, October 17th
Exam 2: Friday, December 9th
Essays
You will be assigned two (2) 5-6 page analytic essays in this class. Prompts will be
distributed two weeks before each paper. The first essay will constitute 20% of your final
grade and the second essay will account for 20%. Late papers will be penalized by one letter
grade for each day after the deadline. Because your written work will count so heavily toward
your final grade, I encourage you to think carefully about assignment instructions and to give
yourself time to revise your original draft. I will also remind you that all of your work for this
course should reflect original effort on your part and should not have been previously and
simultaneously submitted for credit in another course.
Grading
Assignments will be weighted according to the following:
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Participation = 20%
Attendance = 10%
Exams = 30%
Essay = 40%
All work should accord with the University Honor Code, which can be found here:
honor.unc.edu
University Registrar Procedures Memo No. 8 provides the following (abbreviated) definitions of
undergraduate grades:
A: Highest level of attainment. The A grade states clearly that the student has shown
outstanding promise in the aspect of the discipline under study.
B: Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment. The B grade states that
the student has shown solid promise in the aspect of the discipline under study.
C: A totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment. The
C grade states that, while not yet showing unusual promise, the student may continue to study
in the discipline with reasonable hope of intellectual development.
D: A marginal performance in the required exercises demonstrating a minimal passing
level of attainment.
III. Reading Schedule
Classes begin Tuesday, August 23rd
Wednesday, August 24th
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Reviewing the course and syllabus
Monday, August 29th (last day for late registration)
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Aeschylus, “Agamemnon” in Greek Tragedy
Wednesday, August 31st
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Aeschylus, “Agamemnon” in Greek Tragedy
Monday, September5th-NO CLASSES LABOR DAY
Wednesday, September 7th
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Sophocles, “Oedipus Rex” in Greek Tragedy
Monday, September 12th
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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, pp. 3 (fist paragraph), 11-15, 32-43, 67-71
Donald Kagan, “The Peloponnesian War, Part 1” Podcast
Wednesday, September 14th
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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, pp. 90-108, 142-154, 294-301
Donald Kagan, “The Peloponnesian War, Part 2” Podcast
Monday, September 19th
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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, pp.310-323, 380-386
Wednesday, September 21st
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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, pp. 386-407
Monday, September 26th
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EXAM 1
Wednesday, September 28th
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Plato, Euthyphro and Apology in Five Dialogues
Monday, October 3rd
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Plato, Crito and Phaedo (death scene) in Five Dialogues
Wednesday, October 5th
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Plato, Republic Book 1
Monday, October 10th
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Plato, Republic Book 2
Wednesday, October 12th
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Plato, Republic Books 3-4 (excerpts)
Monday, October 17th
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Plato, Republic Books 5-6 (excerpts)
Wednesday, October 19th FALL BREAK BEGINS AT 5
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Plato, Republic Books 7-9, 10 (excerpts)
Monday, October 24th
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Plato, Republic (finish)
Wednesday, October 26th
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Aristotle, Ethics, Book 1
Monday, October 31st
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Aristotle, Ethics, Book 2 (entire), Book 3, ch. 1-7
Wednesday, November 2nd
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Aristotle, Ethics, Book 9, ch. 9; Book 10, ch. 9
Aristotle, Politics, Book 1 (ch. 1-7 and 12-13)
PAPER 1 DUE
Monday, November 7th
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Aristotle, Politics, Book 3 (ch. 1-13)
Wednesday, November 9th
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Aristotle, Politics, Book 4 (ch. 1, 6-9, 11-13); Book 5 (ch. 102, 7-8)
Monday, November 14th
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Seneca, On Anger, (excerpts) [Sakai]
Cicero, The Republic, Book 1 (sec. 1-12); Books 3-4
Wednesday, November 16th
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Cicero, The Republic, Books 5-6
Aquinas, Political Writings (excerpts) [Sakai]
Monday, November 21st
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Augustine, City of God, Book 1 ch. 1-33
Wednesday, November 23rd
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No Class (Thanksgiving Break)
Monday, November 28th
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Augustine, City of God, Book 2, ch. 1-7, 21; Book11, ch. 1-13, 21, 24-25, 29
Wednesday, November 30th
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Augustine, City of God, Book 15, ch. 1-6; Book 16 ch. 1-10,42
Final Day of Class
PAPER 2 DUE
December 9th
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EXAM 2