PLSC 3360
Foundations of Political Thought
St.Thomas instructs the King of Cyprus
This course chronicles human attempts to create, and to analyze, our most striking
artifact: the human community. The course begins with a sustained look at the
Greek attempts to build and to philosophize about their political community, the
polis or city state. The problems created by the transition from city-state to empire
will be noted, as will theory's failure to deal with those problems. The course will
also include the new approach to politics demanded by the advent of Christianity,
and Machiavelli's attempt to disassociate the Church from politics. The course
concludes with Calvin's endeavor to rebuild the tradition of politics and political
discourse in a Europe torn asunder.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Augustine, Political Writings, Hackett
Aquinas, On Kingship, PIMS
Aristotle, The Politics, Hackett
Machiavelli, The Prince and the Discourses, Modern Library
More, Utopia, Hackett
Plato, The Republic, Harlan Davidson
COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
1. PLSC 3361 meets from 11 to 11:50 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You are
expected to be in class at those times. You will be penalized 1.5 points for each
unexcused absence. If you have what you consider a legitimate excuse to miss you
must present that excuse in written form.
2. You are invited to take advantage of office hours: my office is 208 Carr Collins Hall.
Office hours are posted in a notebook in the Department’s entry.
3. In addition to office visits you may call 214.768.2522; voice mails are answered.
4. You may e-mail me at bkcarter@smu.edu.
5. My home page address is http://faculty.smu.edu/bkcarter/ .
6. Contributions to discussion will be noted; worthwhile contribution is remembered
when final grades are set, especially in borderline cases
7. You are expected to keep up with the assignments. Unannounced quizzes will be
given.
8. In addition to those quizzes there will be three other obligations. These requirements
are weighed: 15% quizzes; 20% first essay; 25% for the second essay; 40% for the
final exam.
9. Take-home essays are due in class on the day announced. Late papers can be
turned in only in class and will be penalized one letter grade (10 points) per class day.
10. There will be two parts to the final examination. The first part, a take home essay, will
be worth 30 of the 40 exam points. It will be distributed April 16 and will be due at
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday,7 May. The second part, the objective portion,will be worth
10 of the exam points. It will be administered from 11:30 to 12:30 that same day.
11. The last day to drop this classis Friday, 4 April.
12. If you need academic accommodations for a disability, you must first contact the
Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 214.768.4563 to verify the
disability and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Then you should schedule
an appointment with me to make appropriate arrangements.
13. Please also note the following University policies:
*Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that
require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the
semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work
missed because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9.)
*Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities: Students participating in an
officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the
opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of
their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the
instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making
up the work. (University Undergraduate Catalogue)
14.This syllabus is in the nature of a contract. I will follow it; so should you.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
UNIT ONE: THE NATURE OF POLITICAL THEORY
Week One
January 16
Lecture: Welcome to 3360
January 18
Lecture: What it Means to Do Theory
Assignment: The Republic, pp. xii-xivii
Week Two
January 21 NO CLASS: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY
Monday classes this week will meet on Tuesday
.
January 22
Discussion: Politics, States, and How We Got Here
Assignment: The Republic, Book 1
January 23
Discussion: Thinking About Politics
Assignment: The Republic, Books 2,3
UNIT TWO: THE CLASSICAL TRADITION
January 25
Lecture: Greek Theory- Community & Vocabulary
Assignment: The Republic, Books 4, 5
Week Three
January 28
Lecture: Plato, the Different Drummer
Assignment: The Republic, Books 6, 7
January 30
Lecture: A Polis of Words
Assignment: The Republic, Book 8
February 1
Lecture: Plato & the Theatre of the Absurd
`
Assignment: The Republic, Book 9
Week Four
February 4
Discussion: Testing the Metal of a Man
Assignment: The Republic, Book 10
February 6 cussion: Plato and Elitism
Assignment: the Politics, Introduction, Book I
February 8
Lecture: The Theorist as Insider
Assignment: The Politics, Book II
Week Five
February 11
Lecture: Aristotle & the Nature of Politics
Assignment: The Politics, Book III
(ESSAY TOPIC DISTRIBUTED)
February 13
Discussion: Aristotle & Politics
Assignment: The Politics, Book IV
February 15
Discussion: Aristotle’s Understanding of Reality
Assignment: The Politics, Books V, VI
Week Six
February 18
Discussion: The Heritage of Plato & Aristotle
Assignment: The Politics, Book VII (vii, xii-xv)
February 20
Lecture: The Loss of Community
Assignment: Genesis 12,15, 17
`
UNIT THREE: HEBREW & EARLY CHRISTIAN
POLITICAL THOUGHT
February 22
Lecture: The Prophetic Voice
Assignment: Exodus 19-24, I Samuel 8
Week Seven
February 25
Discussion: The Prophetic Voice- The Cry for Justice
Assignment: Hosea, Amos, Micha
February 27
Lecture: The Counter Kingdom
Assignment: Matthew 5-6, 10, 13, 15-16
February 29
Lecture: The Politics of Agape
Assignment: Mark 7, Romans 12-13
I Corinthians 13, I Peter 2
Week Eight
March 3
Discussion: The Early Church & Politics
(FIRST ESSAY DUE)
UNIT FOUR: THE CATHOLIC TRADITION
March 5
Lecture: St. Augustine-Church & Politics, Vinegar & Oil
Assignment: Political Writings, Introduction, pp. 201212, Books I-V
March 7
Lecture: Augustine & the Saints in Babylon
Assignment: Political Writings, Books X-XV
HAVE A GOOD FALL BREAK
Week Nine
March 17
Discussion: Augustine in Context
Assignment: Political Writings, Books XVI-XIX
March 19
Discussion: Thieves & Other Politicians
Assignment: Political Writings, Book XV, pp. 219-249
(ESSAY TOPIC DISTRIBUTED)
March 21 NO CLASS: GOOD FRIDAY
Week Ten
March 24
Lecture: Aquinas & the Political
Assignment: On Kingship, pp. 1-52
March 26
Lecture: The Moral Purpose of Government
Assignment: On Kingship, pp. 53-80
March 28
Discussion: The Catholic Heritage
Week Eleven
March 31
Discussion: Augustine & Thomas
UNIT FIVE: THE BEGINNING OF THE MODERN TRADITION
April 2
Lecture: Toward Modernity
Assignment: The Prince, Chapters I-XVIII
April 4
Lecture: The Theorist as Dramatist
Assignment: The Prince, Chapters XIX-XXVI
Week Twelve
April 7
Discussion: Machiavelli’s Prince
(SECOND ESSAY DUE)
April 9
Lecture: Machiavelli’s New Science of Politics
Assignment: The Discourses, Book I, chapters I-XXI
April 11
Lecture: The Theorist in a World Without Meaning
Assignment: The Discourses, Book 1, Chapters
XVII-LX
Week Thirteen
April 14
Discussion: Machiavelli’s Uses of History
Assignment: The Discourses, Book II,
Chapters I, X, XV, XVI, XIX, XXII, XXX
April 16
Discussion: Machiavelli’s Rejection of Tradition
Assignment: The Discourses, Book III,
Chapters I, IV, V, VI, XXIX, XXI
(TAKE HOME PORTION OF FINAL EXAM DISTRIBUTED)
April 18
Lecture: Thomas More, Builder of a New World
Assignment: Utopia, pp. 56-107
Week Fourteen
April 21
Discussion: Resurgent Corporatism?
Assignment: Utopia, pp. 107-160
April 23
Discussion: Cities of the Mind
April 25
Lecture: John Calvin’s Paradise in Geneva
Assignment: Calvin Readings
at http://faculty.smu.edu/bkcarter/
Week Fifteen
April 28
Discussion: Calvin, Piety, & Constitutionalism
April 30
Discussion: Review
N.B. Mark Wednesday, 7 May, on your calendar and be sure to be in the
class room by 11:30, take home essay in hand, ready to take the objective
portion of the final examination.