Political Science 111AC, Spring 2012
Nadesan Permaul
Tuesday and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Room 166 Barrows Hall
Date
Tues 1-17-12
Materials
Film Clips
Course problem: Political Authority & American
democracy
What is political authority?
Influence?
Awe?
Power?
Persuasion?
Ethos?
Centralized?
Distributed?
Merit Based?
Fairness?
Equality?
“A Cure for a Sick Country?”, N.Y. Rev. of Books, Oct, 27,
2011
Thurs 1-19-12
End of Rome-Crisis of Political Authority in the
17th century: “Legacy of Cesar Augustus”; (Reader)
“English Bill of Rights and the American Revolution” ;
(Reader); “A Legendary Ruler” (Reader)
“Lucy” and Queen Elizabeth (149) [Amer envy]
“Robin Hood”/Black Cannons (25) (by what authority…)
“Robin Hood”/Men of Sherwood (8) (Concept of “auctoritas”)
“Wizard of Oz” [‘king of the hill’] (38) (common man as king)
“Revenge of the Sith” [Ultimate Power] (threat to legitimate auth)
Jackson: Imperial Presidency (110) (fear of power in Amer history)
“Star Trek-First Contact” Borg Queen (183 or 148, 6)
(emasculates)
“Cleopatra” (238)
“The Queen” [ancient authority] (108) (Rome in modernity)
“Lord of the Rings” (commercial disk, 182 or 148 or 57, 6)
(yearning for heroic authority)
Royal Wedding-02 (255, 251 or 258) national unity
Tues 1-24-12
Separation as Identity: Pauline Maier, From Resistance to
Rev., Chapters 1 and 2; Gordon S. Wood, N.Y. Rev. of Books,
“The Greatest Generation” (reader), Henry Steele Commager,
The Empire of Reason, pp. 133-160 and pp. 175-190
(reader); S.F. Chronicle: “Clinton Candidacy-For Women It’s
about Power” (reader)
“Pride & Prejudice” [Lady Catherine DeBurgh condescends] (92)
“Not for Ourselves Alone” (Chap 7) [3rd Estate-victim’s mentality]
“West Side Story” (Commercial Disk) [“Free in America”]
Thurs 1-26-12
Edmund S. Morgan, The Challenge of the American
Revolution, Chapter 1, “Colonial Ideas of
Parliamentary Power,” (Reader); Pauline Maier,
American Scripture, Chapter 1, “Independence”
(Reader)
“Amer Rev Clip No. 1” (37)
“Amer Rev Clip No. 2” (37)
“Amer Rev Clip No. 3” (37)
“John Adams”-01 [Amer Rev.] (258)
“John Adams”-02 [Amer Rev.] (258)
Tues 1-31-12
Modern Revolution: Hannah Arendt, On Revolution,
Chapter 1, “The Meaning of Revolution” and Chapter 2 “The
Social Question”;
“Mr. Smith Goes to Wash” (commercial disk) [No. 21-22]
“Income Gap in America” Disk No. 260
“My Fair Lady” (commercial disk) [Nos. 3-4]
Thurs 2-02-12
Spirit of the Revolution: Hannah Arendt, On Revolution,
Chapter 3, “The Pursuit of Happiness”; “UC Pensions for Top
Earners” S.F. Chron (Reader), “Republicans for Revolution”,
N.Y. Rev. of Books, Jan. 12, 2012 (Reader)
“My Fair Lady” Ascot (4)
“Pursuit of Happiness” (51 or 104 or 131)
“Pursuit of Happiness” (104)
“Extreme Work” (64)
“Amer Individualism” (213)
“Amer Like Bernie Madoff” (212)
“Purses” [val and conspicuous consumption] (48)
Tues 2-07-12
Paradox of American History: Edmund S. Morgan,
The Challenge of the American Revolution, Chapter 5,
“Slavery and Freedom, the American Paradox”
(reader); “Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity”
Jeffrey Alexander/Neil Smelser
American Debt [news] (104)
“Origins of American Trauma” (128-‘Batman Begins’ or 4)
Thurs 2-09-12
Calculus of Founding: Gary Wills, N.Y. Rev. of Books,
“Jefferson: ‘The Negro President’; “What is an American”
National Review on Line 09-25-01 (reader); (Reader)
Gordon S. Wood, N.Y. Rev. of Books, “Rambunctious
American Democracy” (Reader) Descriptions of 19th Century
“old immigrants” to the U.S. (reader)
“Henry Louis Gates” (212)
“Jefferson’s Blood” (70)
Tues 2-14-12
The Problem of Modernity: Hannah Arendt, On Revolution,
Chapter 4, “Foundation I: Constitutio Liberatis” [only pp. 141154]; Donald Robinson, Slavery in the Structure of the
American Revolution, “Slavery and the Constitutional
Revolution: The Debate Over Representation”(Reader)
“More Perfect Union” No. 2 (41) (Com. Disk)
“Trading Places” (Com. Disk, 167 or 35) the social world turned
upside down
“Law & Order” Black Rage (10)
2
Star Wars-Origins of Darth Vader (8)
“1776” (Slavery) (165)
“Amistad”-Triangular Trade (169) (75)
Thurs 2-16-12
Private Interests vs. Public Good: Donald Robinson,
Slavery in the Structure of the American Revolution, “The
debate Over Federal Powers”; (Reader) “The Collapse of
American Criminal Justice”, N.Y. Rev. of Books, Nov.
10, 2011; “The Shame of America”, N.Y. Rev. of
Books, Jan. 12, 2012. (Reader)
“More Perfect Union” No. 3 ( Com. Disk or 41)
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (Com Disk/23-24) [democratic
Tues 2-21-12
American National Myth: James Fennimore Cooper,
The Pioneers, Chap 1-5, 7-9, 11-12, 13-14, 16-18,
22-24; Westerns, by Lee Clark Mitchell, excerpt
(Reader); Showdown, by John H. Lenihan, excerpt
(reader)
“Hell on Wheels” (Disk No. 261) [scene A1 & A1a]
“Die Hard” (181)
“Shanghai Knghts” [finale] (Commercial Disk & 69)
Thurs 2-23-12
James Fennimore Cooper, The Pioneers, Chap 28-33,
Chap 35, N.Y. Review of Books “No Thanks for the
Memories” Gordon S. Wood, 01-13-11
“Wild, Wild, West” com. disc (extent of the Western myth)
“Terminator II” (1)
“Casablanca” (136)
“Polarized America” (183), “Gridlock” (166)
Tues 2-28-12
James Fennimore Cooper, The Pioneers, Chap 36-41
Star Trek IV [wish fulfillment] (39)
Thurs 3-01-12
Joel Martin, Sacred Revolt pp. 17-69 (Reader)
“Pocahontas” (Disney) scenes 14-15) [wish-fulfillment]
Tues 3-08-10
Lost America: James H. Merrell “Indian-White
Relations in the New Nation”, 1987 (Reader) and Joel
Martin, Sacred Revolt pp. 70-113 (Reader)
“Homeland” (199)
“Lakota” No. 1 (259)
Thurs 3-10-10
Joel Martin, Sacred Revolt continued. “The Racist
Redskins” N.Y. Rev. of Books, Nov. 2011 (Reader)
“Dances with Wolves” Gift Exchange (181 or 32)
“Dances with Wolves” Lost Dream (32)
“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” (112)
dream]
“Lee Atwater 01” (153) [modern reality]
“Rhetoric of Opp in Amer Politics” (139 or 166 or 136)
Parliament/House of Commons (114)
Midterm distributed
“Mulan” (finale) [status quo restored] (178)
Doc “Native America” [Pilgrims 01-02] (239)
3
Paper Assignment
Tues 3-15-10
Comparing Templeton to Muscogee
“Mississippi Masala” (106, 251)
Thurs 3-17-10
Recovering History: Sewell, Chapter 8 “Free Soil”
from Ballots for Freedom, pp. 170-201 (Reader); S.F.
Chronicle, Oct 2, 2005, “The Commercial North shares
in the Shame of Slavery”;
“Unforgivable Blackness” resistance comes in many forms (29)
“Assault at West Point” Part 2 (34)
Theory vs. Practice “Cosby” (106)
“Eyes on the Prize-01” (166, 139)
“Eyes on the Prize-02” (166, 139)
March 21 to
March 25
Have some fun and catch up with your reading
Spring Break
Tues 3-29-10
America’s Biography: Frederick Douglas, My
Bondage, My Freedom, Chap1- 8, 12-13, 15-18;
“Battling with DuBois” N.Y. Rev. of Books, Dec. 22,
2011 (Reader)
“Slave Letters” No. 2 (24)
“Martin Luther King, Jr.” (63)
Thurs 3-31-10
Frederick Douglas, My Bondage, My Freedom, Chap
20-25; N.Y. Times Book Review, May 26, 2002
“Peculiar Institution”
“Malcolm X” [facing Covey] (31)
“Sister Act” [Blacks as Vanguard of Change] (44)
“Do the Right Thing” Race & Rage (Commercial, 32)
Tues 4-05-10
N.Y. Review of Books, May 15, 2003, “The Democratic
Autocrat”; Ellis, The Union at Risk, “The Nullification
Crisis and Jacksonian Democracy” pp. 178-198
(Reader);
“Andrew Jackson” (110)
“Whose Land is it Anyway” (28)
Property: Public vs. Private” (39)
Thurs 4-07-10
“Iceberg dead ahead…”: Herman Melville, Moby
Dick, Chap 1-13, 17-19, 26-29; ‘Barack the Magic
Negro’ Ruben Navarrette, S. F. Chronicle 01-01-09
(Reader); ‘The Gulf Between Hope and Change” 0123-09 (Reader)
Moby Dick [“Loomings”] (182)
“Shawshank Redemption” (12)
“The Green Mile” (117 or 131 or 64)
“Magic Negro” (176)
“Dr. King & LBJ” (8:23)
“New Community” [social reconciliation] (213)
4
Tues 4-12-10
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap 34, 36, 41, 42, 46,
51, 54, 64-66, 71-72, 89, 94
“Moby Dick” [quarterdeck] (182 or 99)
“Ahab’s Quest” [Star Trek-First Contact] (60)
“Captain Ahab & Star Trek” (44)
“Central Authority” (181) [pursuit of power]
“Sixty Minutes” Ken Lay & Exxon (182 or 6)
Abramoff and Atwater (176)
Thurs 4-14-10
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap 115, 123, 126,
128, 129, 131 and Open Discussion: Whale Problems
in America; “Like Socialism” The New Yorker 11-0309 (reader)
“ 60 Minutes: Sub-Prime and Greed” (116)
“Fontline” Micro Econ [social respon-Muscogee] (110)
“Newshour” [Britain vs. Amer] 111
Private Interest vs. Public Good (104)
Nightline: Merit vs. Greed (6:55)
Tues 4-19-10
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap 132-136
“Captain Ahab” [Star Trek] 44
“Star Wars” Episode 1 (34)
“Moby Dick” Finale (182 or 99)
Thurs 4-21-10
Frederickson, "White Nationalism" pp. 130-164
(Reader) and Channing,. Crisis of Fear pp. 17-93
(Reader); S.F. Chronicle 12-10-09; Symbolism and
American Sci-Fi Dec 18, 2008, S.F. Chronicle
“Apocalypse in Amer” (212)
“Forbidden Planet” Monsters from the ID (54) or (104)
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (47)
Flying Saucers” no. 3 (36)
“The Blob” (172)
Tues 4-26-10
Alexis de Tocqueville: Assessing the Revolution;;
“Tocqueville’s Lament” N.Y. Review of Books;
“Tocqueville’s Lesson” N.Y. Review of Books, May 17,
2001
“Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” [Governor’s Dance] (110)
“UFC” (99)
“Oswald” (114)
Thurs 4-28-10
King’s Majesty and the Problem of Modernity
“The Madness of King George” Part 2-Royal Authority (34)
5
Royal Wedding-04 (255)
End of the Revolution?
New Founding?
Tues 5-03-10
“Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”
Distribute Final Exam
Course Review Session
May 09, 2010
Exams from May 9-May 14, 2010
Additional Reading:
1. Pease and Pease ed., “Colored Americans Object to Colonization”, pp. 32-38, “David Walker Proposes Activism and
Revolution”, pp. 298-310, “Hosea Easton Condemns Color Prejudice Against the Negroes”, pp. 330-335 (Reader) Read in
conjunction with Frederick Douglass.
2. “Mr. Smith Flees Washington” by Mitch Albom (Reader); S.F. Chronicle, Oct 10, 2006, “Where Did the Middle Go” Read in
conjunction with Donald Robinson’s Slavery in the Structure of the American Revolution, “The debate Over Federal Powers”;
(Reader)
3. “The ‘CEO of Self’” New York Review of Books, December 22, 1011 Read in conjunction with Frederick Douglass’ My
Bondage, My Freedom, and the article on W.E. Dubois from the N.Y. Rev. of Books.
4. “Debt and Dumb” The Atlantic Monthly, November 2011, “Reviving Social Darwinism” by Robert Reich, “Sunday Insight, S.F.
Chronicle, Dec. 11, 2011, “A Medieval Oligarchy—America’s Real Occupiers” by David Sirota, S.F. Chronicle Friday, Jan. 13,
2011. Read in conjunction with Hannah Arendt, “The Pursuit of Happiness”
6