790:101: THE NATURE OF POLITICS
Fall 2014: TTh 5:35-6:55, 138 Hickman Hall
Professor Andrew Murphy, armurphy@polisci.rutgers.edu
Department of Political Science
309 Hickman Hall, (848) 932-1813
Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:00-1:30, Weds. 3:00-5:00 p.m., and other times by appointment
“The Nature of Politics” is a foundational course for political science majors as well as those
interested in the study of politics more generally. It introduces students to fundamental issues in
the study of political theory as it has developed from ancient Greece down to the present day.
Political thinkers have offered many different ways of thinking about politics over this broad
expanse of time, and in an introductory course we can only scratch the surface of a few of these.
Most of the authors and readings explored in this course can be studied in greater depth and
detail in upper-level courses in the Political Science Department, and I will point these out as we
approach registration for next semester.
This semester, we will explore competing notions of the aims and goals of politics, the
relationship between politics and economics, and a variety of theories of justice.
The course lecture meets most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:35-6:55 in 138 Hickman Hall.
Discussion sections meet roughly every other week, as indicated below in the schedule.
This course fulfills the following Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes:
II. h. Understand the bases and development of human and societal endeavors
across time and place.
II. m. Understand different theories about human culture, social identity, economic
entities, political systems, and other forms of social organization.
II. n. Apply concepts about human and social behavior to particular questions or
situations.
Teaching Assistants and Section Assignments:
Michael Richards (sections 3, 6, 20)
Minhyuk (Bill) Hwang (sections 8, 15, 22)
Nidia Bautista (sections 9, 10, 21)
NOTE: SECTIONS MEET ONLY ON THE DATES INDICATED ON THE SYLLABUS.
Assigned texts for this course are listed below, with the publisher in parentheses; they are
available at the Rutgers University Bookstore and at NJ Books on Easton Ave. I encourage you
to find the best deal you can on these texts, and to purchase e-books if you want, but please
purchase the editions listed (publisher in parentheses). I have tried to find the least costly
versions of these texts whenever possible. Additional readings will be posted on sakai.
Aristotle, Politics (Oxford)
The Essential Federalist & Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. David Wootton (Hackett)
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (Norton)
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (Penguin)
Justice, ed. Jonathan Westphal (Hackett)
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (Dover)
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto (International)
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (Dover); possibly out of print; if so, will be online.
Grading is determined as follows:
Midterm exam (includes in-class and take-home portions): 30%
Final exam (includes in-class and take-home portions): 40%
Attendance and participation in biweekly discussion/recitation section: 30% (includes
occasional quizzes, brief writing assignments, etc.)
Grading rubric for all written work submitted in this course
A
B
C
Argument/Analysis
Makes clear
Makes clear
Attempts to
and
argument,
offer a
compelling
based on
cogent
argument.
plausible
argument and
Solid
readings. Some analysis, but
reasoning.
effort to sustain argument and
Offers
argument
analysis are
insightful
throughout the based on
analysis
analysis.
faulty
reasoning.
Writing/Grammar
Well-written. Well-written,
Multiple
Appropriate
but may
errors, but
word choices. include a
still clearly
Free of
handful of
intelligible.
grammar and grammar,
spelling
spelling, or
mistakes.
word choice
mistakes.
Organization/Structure Clear, easy to Clear
Some effort
follow
organization
to structure
organization
with some road he paper, but
with intro,
map for reader. organization
body,
is
conclusion.
problematic
Provides
or difficult to
reader with a
follow.
“road map” of
essay.
Use/mastery of
Uses multiple References
Minimal use
readings
readings and
multiple
of readings
demonstrates readings and
and/or failure
mastery of
demonstrates a to
facts and
good degree of demonstrate
arguments
understanding. adequate
made in
mastery of
readings.
readings.
D/F
Failure to make
a cogent
argument or to
offer sound
analysis.
Multiple errors
that interfere
substantially
with
comprehension.
Disorganized
and difficult or
impossible to
follow.
Failure to use
readings
Course policies and information

Attendance and participation in your biweekly discussion section is mandatory, and you
must regularly attend section in order to pass the course. Any student missing more than
two section meetings will not pass the course. Part of your section grade will include
various announced and unannounced quizzes and brief written assignments.

Submission of a complete midterm and final exam is required to pass the course.

Please note the University’s policy on disability accommodations. I will gladly make
accommodations for any student who needs them, though I ask that students work with
the Office of Disability Services (dsoffice@echo.rutgers.edu). Their website is at
http://disabilityservices.rutgers.edu/

Please note the University’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/policy-on-academic-integrity
I encourage you to discuss the course readings, the issues that they raise, and your own
assessments of them with your classmates both in and outside of class. But all work
turned in with your name on it must be your own. You are responsible for familiarizing
yourself with, and abiding by, the University’s academic integrity policy, which is
available online at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/policy-on-academic-integrity.
TAs will discuss issues of academic integrity with their sections. I also suggest that you
visit http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/douglass/sal/plagiarism/intro.html and view the library’s
plagiarism tutorial. Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course, and violations of
academic integrity will be handled personally by the professor and prosecuted through
the Office of Student Conduct. The take-home (essay) portions of both exams will be
submitted via the Sakai system, which processes all student papers through an antiplagiarism database.

Please note also the University’s policy on religious observances:
It is University policy (University Regulation on Attendance, Book 2, 2.47B,
formerly 60.14f) to excuse without penalty students who are absent from class
because of religious observance, and to allow the make-up of work missed
because of such absence. Examinations and special required out-of-class activities
shall ordinarily not be scheduled on those days when religiously observant
students refrain from participating in secular activities. Absences for reasons of
religious obligation shall not be counted for purposes of reporting.
You should consider yourself excused when class falls on a religious holiday that you
observe. You must, however, inform your TA in advance of such an event, and you must
make up any class notes or assignments that you miss.

Laptops in the classroom. Laptops are wonderful things. I use mine every day.
Unfortunately, many students use them to engage in activities that detract from their own
educational experience or that of other students. As a result, I restrict the use of laptops
to the first five rows of the lecture hall. If you wish to use a laptop to take notes
during lecture you must sit in the front four rows and may not browse the Internet
or engage in other non-class-related online activities during class time. Permission
to use laptops in class is a privilege, not a right, and it can be taken away.

Announcements and course information will be posted to the course sakai site and at
times sent via email to the class email list. The system automatically sends email to your
official Rutgers address. If you don’t know this email address, please find out and be
sure to check it regularly. You can set up email forwarding to whichever address you
prefer, but we will send to your Rutgers email address of record.
Tentative schedule of readings
Specific reading assignments will be announced either in lecture or by TAs in sections.
Date
Reading
T 9/2 Introduction to course: Political theory and the study of politics
The Ends and Goals of Politics
Th 9/4
Aristotle, Politics
Book I, chs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 13
Book III, chs. 1, 2, 4-9, 11, 12
Book IV, chs. 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 11
T 9/9
Aristotle, Politics
Book V, chs. 1, 9
Book VII, chs. 1, 2-5, 13-15
NO LECTURE THURSDAY 9/11
SECTIONS MEET TUES 9/9 AND WEDS 9/10
T 9/16
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Dedicatory Letter through ch. 13
Th 9/18
Machiavelli, The Prince, chs. 13-26
T 9/23
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan,
Introduction
Part I: chs. 1-9, 11-16
Part II: chs. 17-19, 21
Th 9/25
Hobbes, Leviathan
Part II: chs. 24, 29-31
Review and Conclusion
T 9/30
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontents, chs. 1-4
SECTIONS MEET TUES 9/30 AND WEDS 10/1
NO LECTURE THURSDAY 10/2
T 10/7
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontents, chs. 5-8
Th 10/9
The Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
Speech of Patrick Henry (pp. 25-41)
Cato 4, 5 (58-65)
Brutus 6, 11 (74-86)
T 10/14
Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalists
Federalist Papers TBA
NO LECTURE THURSDAY 10/16
SECTIONS MEET TUES 10/14 AND WEDS 10/15
T 10/21
In-class portion of midterm exam; take-home/essay portion due to Sakai 12 noon,
Saturday, October 25
Politics and Economics
Th 10/23
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (selections TBA)
T 10/28
Smith, Wealth of Nations
Th 10/30
Karl Marx, Preface to “Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy” (Sakai)
Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Parts I and II
Marx, selections from “The German Ideology” (Sakai)
T 11/4
Marx, “To Each According to his Needs” (Justice reader)
NO LECTURE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
SECTIONS MEET TUESDAY 11/4 AND WEDNESDAY 11/5
Justice (all readings from Hackett Justice reader except where noted)
T 11/11
Plato, Republic (selection, Sakai)
Th 11/13
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Sakai)
T 11/18
John Rawls, “Principles of Justice”
John Hospers, “What Libertarianism Is” (Sakai)
NO LECTURE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
SECTIONS MEET TUESDAY 11/18 AND WEDNESDAY 11/19
T 11/25
Martha Nussbaum, “Beyond the Social Contract: Toward Global Justice” (Sakai)
Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice, selection (Sakai)
NO LECTURE THURSDAY 11/27 – THANKSGIVING BREAK
T 12/2
Iris Marion Young, “Democracy and Justice” (Sakai)
Th 12/4
Mill, “On the Connexion Between Justice and Utility”
T 12/9
Hans Kelsen, “What is Justice?”
Course wrap-up
FINAL EXAM: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 8:00 A.M.
TAKE-HOME PORTION OF FINAL EXAM DUE TO ASSIGNMENTS TAB ON
SAKAI, NO LATER THAN 9:00 P.M., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19. YOU ARE
ENCOURAGED, BUT NOT REQUIRED, TO SUBMIT IT BEFORE THE
DEADLINE.