TEXTS & IDEAS
MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THEORY
MAP-UA.400.050
Michael Stoller
1M13 Bobst Library
(212) 998-2566
michael.stoller@nyu.edu
Office Hours:.
Room:
Days/Times: MW
TAs:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Medieval political thought spanned three great religious traditions: Christianity, Islam and
Judaism. Across all three traditions it was grounded in a deeply religious perspective on the
human condition, one originating in a set of sacred texts that shared a common monotheism and
a similar moral ethic. The political thought of all three groups was equally grounded in a set of
ancient, pagan texts, drawing on the perspective of the Greeks and Romans, on whose shoulders
the medievals believed they stood. Political theorists across all three traditions drew heavily from
one another, but each spoke to the unique concerns of its own community. This course will
explore the commonalities and the contrasts among the three political systems and the
extraordinary minds that shaped them. Readings will include the Bible (Old & New Testaments)
and the Qur'an, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Alfarabi, Alghazali, Aquinas, Avicenna, Bacon,
Giles of Rome, Maimonides, Marsilius of Padua, and Polgar.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are expected to attend all lectures and recitation sessions, read each of the assigned texts
carefully, complete all writing assignments on time, participate actively in class discussions, and
take a mid-term and a final examination.
Class participation…………. 20%
Weekly reflection papers ….. 20%
Large essays………………... 30%
Mid-term examination ……. 15%
Final examination .………… 15%
Weekly reflections: Students will be expected to post a 200-word reflection on each week’s
reading discussing the important issues addressed by the text. All reflection papers must be
posted by midnight on Sunday prior to the week in which the text will be discussed in class. Late
reflections will not be accepted. At semester’s end, any missing reflection will reduce your grade
by 5%.
Large Essays: Students will be expected to write two longer essays (1,000 words each). Each
essay will address a specific topic in one of the course readings, and no outside reading will be
required. Essay topics will be handed out in class early in the semester, and due dates are listed
on the schedule of classes below. Late essays will not be accepted.
Examinations: There will be a one-hour mid-term and a one-hour final examination. Each
examination will be essay-based. Because the 2nd long essay is due prior to our discussion of the
Christian philosophers, there will be a particular stress on those writers in the final examination.
Texts & Ideas: Medieval Political Thought
Pop Quizzes: There will be frequent, short, pass-fail quizzes in the recitation sections. Their sole
purpose is to insure that you attend the recitation and have done the reading. They will consist of
a single quotation from the reading for that week. You will be asked to choose among three
multiple choice responses the one that correctly describes the context of the quotation. A correct
answer will be a pass; an incorrect answer will be a fail. If you fail more than two pop quizzes,
your grade for the course will be reduced by one level – e.g. from a B+ to a B.
Spelling and grammar: Spelling and grammar will be part of the grade for all writing
assignments – weekly reflections and longer essays. The instructor strongly encourages the
purchase and active use of H.W. Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage and Wm. Strunk
& E.B. White’s The Elements of Style. They will serve you well in all the writing you will do in
your life.
Course NYU Classes site: Communication between the instructors and students will take place
via the course NYU Classes site. Reflection papers will be posted here weekly by students, and
email will be exchanged via the site. Any students that do not actively use their NYU email
should make arrangements to have it forwarded to whatever email provider they do use.
Course decorum: All students will be expected to arrive at lectures and recitations on time and
remain for the entire class unless excused by the instructor. Laptops are permitted for note-taking
only in lectures and are not permitted in recitations. Use of other electronic devices, including
cell phones and recording devices, is not allowed in lectures or recitations.
COURSE READINGS:
All course books are available for purchase in the NYU Bookstore and are on Reserve or in the
Reference Department in Bobst Library.
•
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, transl. Robert C. Bartlett & Susan D. Collins (Chicago,
2011). – Bobst Reserves
•
Augustine, The City of God, transl. Marcus Dods (Hendrickston, 2009). – Bobst Reserves
•
The Bible - Any unabridged edition will do. The Bookstore and the Library have copies
of the New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (Oxford, 2010). – Bobst Reference
•
Medieval Political Philosophy, edd. Joshua Parens & Joseph C. Macfarland, 2nd edition
(Cornell University Press, 2011). – Bobst Reserves
•
Plato, The Republic, ed. G.R. F. Ferrari, transl. Tom Griffith. Cambridge Texts in the
History of Political Thought Series. (Cambridge, 2000). – Bobst Reserves
•
The Qur’an – Again, any unabridged edition will do. The Bookstore and the Library have
copies of the Amana edition, The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, ed. Abdullah Yusuf Ali,
11th edition (Amana, 2006). – Bobst Reference
Texts & Ideas: Medieval Political Thought
COURSE OUTLINE:
Sept. 3: Introduction
The Fundamental Texts:
Sept. 8-10: The Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah 40-55, 1 Samuel.
Sept. 15-17: The New Testament – Matthew, John, Romans
Sept. 22-24: The Qur’an, Suras 1, 8-9, 19, 22-23, 25, 40, 47, 55-56, 75, 78
Sept. 29-Oct. 1: Plato, The Republic, Bks. 1-5
Oct. 6-8: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
The Islamic Perspective
Oct. 15*: Al-Farabi, The Book of Religion; The Political Regime – (1st Long Essay Due)
Oct. 20-22: Avicenna, Healing: Metaphysics 10; Al-Ghazali, The Deliverer from Error
Oct. 27-29: Averroes, The Decisive Treatise
Mid-Term Examination
Nov. 3: Mid-Term Examination
The Jewish Perspective
Nov. 5: Saadya Gaon, The Book of Doctrines and Beliefs
Nov. 10-12: Judah Halevi, The Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion
Nov. 17-19: Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed; Eight Chapters - (2nd Long Essay Due)
The Christian Perspective
Nov. 24-26: Augustine, The City of God, Bks. 11-22.
Dec. 1-3: Aquinas, Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics; Aquinas, Commentary on the Politics
Dec. 8-10: Giles of Rome, On Ecclesiastical Power; Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis
*
No class on Oct. 13