RYERSON UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
POG 235: WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
WINTER 2012
POG 235 is a required course for students in the Politics and Governance program.
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
TELEPHONE:
E-MAIL:
OFFICE HOURS:
Dr. Matthew Flisfeder
701 Jorgenson Hall – 7th Floor
416 979-5000, Ext. 6185
mflisfed@politics.ryerson.ca
Mondays, 12pm-1pm, or by appointment
(see note on instructor availability on page 3 of this course outline)
LECTURE:
Room EPH 229. Monday 8:00am to 10:00am
TUTORIAL SECTIONS:
011 – Friday 11:00am-12:00pm
021 – Friday 11:00am-12:00pm
031 – Tuesday 2:00pm-3:00pm
041 – Tuesday 2:00pm-3:00pm
VIC 202
VIC 204
VIC 204
VIC 201
TA:
TA:
TA:
TA:
Ryan Kassian
Atif Nasim
Ryan Kassian
Atif Nasim
POG 235: Western Political Thought. Lecture: 2 hrs / Tutorial: 1 hr.
The central consideration of politics is the attainment of the “good society.” The history of
Western political thought can be seen as an ongoing debate about what we mean by the “good
society” and what kind of political and social institutions are required for its realization. This
course charts the history and contemporary relevance of these debates with a special focus on
the concept of democracy from the ancient to the modern world.
Prerequisite: POL 100 (Introduction to Governance).
Synopsis: This course is designed to explore debates on the subject of what form democracy
should take today, using the ideas of social and political theorists throughout history. We will
situate the debates in the context of the contested history of democracy. Several key historical
moments will provide the focus for our discussions:
1) struggles over the first democracy, that of ancient Greece, which elicited fierce debates
amongst the Sophists, Pericles, Plato and Aristotle.
2) the charged debates over democracy which characterized the era of the modern “democratic
revolutions” of seventeenth and eighteenth century England, America and France.
3) the nineteenth century liberal concept of individual liberty and the socialist critique of
capitalism
In our discussions, we will interrogate concepts such as “society,” “property,” “the people,” and
such common distinctions as those between the private and public spheres, civil society and the
state, and economics and politics.
BA: Politics and Governance
Western Political Thought
2
Teaching Methods:
This course will be taught with a combination of lectures, tutorials, questions, class discussion,
debates, and group work.
Main Texts: All sources below are available in electronic form on the course blackboard page.
Plato. Selections from The Republic. Book 4 (427-445); Book 6, Book 7 (514-521); Book 8 (543569).
Aristotle. The Politics. Book 6; Book 7 (Sections 1-9).
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Part 1: Chs. 13-14; Part 2: Chs. 17,18,21,26.
John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, (Second Treatise only).
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and The Social Contract, Book
Karl Marx,Selected Works, The German Ideology, (Section I: Feurbach); The Communist
Manifesto; Capital, Chapter I
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty.
Evaluation:
Participation
Short (3-4 pages) Written Assignment: Short Paper – Due Feb. 13th
Long (7-8 pages) Written Assignment: Research Paper – Due March 19th
Final Examination – Scheduled During End of Term Exam Period
20 %
20 %
30 %
30 %
NOTE: Assignments are described in detail on a separate document.
ASSIGNMENTS: Written assignments are due in class on the date indicated and are subject to
a 2% per day late penalty. Assignments will not be accepted for grading one week after the due
date, resulting in a grade of “zero.” Only under exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical or family
emergency – see Note on Student Academic Conduct below) will extensions be granted, and
they will not under normal circumstances be given on the day the assignment is due. Except in
rare circumstances, extensions will not be granted by email or telephone.
Students should submit late assignments to the drop box in the Department of Politics and
Public Administration (7th floor JOR). The drop box is to be used ONLY when it is not possible to
submit required material in class. All submissions must include the following information:
instructor name (i.e., Dr. Flisfeder); the name of the course and the course code (i.e., POG 235:
Western Political Thought).
The drop box is emptied at 4pm each day and the assignments are date-stamped with that
day’s date. Submissions received after the deadline will not be removed from the essay box
until the next day, and will be stamped with that day’s date.
The drop box is not accessible 24/7. It is only accessible when the main doors into Jorgensen
Hall are open (i.e. approximately 7am to 11pm, Monday through Friday).
BY TAKING THIS COURSE, STUDENTS AGREE THAT ALL REQUIRED PAPERS MAY BE
SUBJECT TO SUBMISSION FOR TEXTUAL SIMILARITY REVIEW TO turnitin.com FOR THE
DETECTION OF PLAGIARISM. ALL SUBMITTED PAPERS MAY BE INCLUDED AS SOURCE
DOCUMENTS IN THE turnitin.com REFERENCE DATA BASE SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE
OF DETECTING PLAGIARISM OF SUCH PAPERS. USE OF THE turnitin.com SERVICE IS
SUBJECT TO THE TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT POSTED ON THE turnitin.com WEB SITE
(http://www.turnitin.com). Students who do not want their work submitted to this plagiarism
BA: Politics and Governance
Western Political Thought
detection service must, by the end of the second week of class, consult with the instructor to
make alternate arrangements.
GRADE POSTING: Grades for assignments and tests will be given back to the student on the
document that they hand in. For final exams and final grades, grades will be posted on
Blackboard, in the student’s personal accounts following university protocols. If a student
requires a different method of grade delivery please talk to the instructor in person.
E-MAIL POLICY AND INSTRUCTOR AVAILABILITY: If you have any pressing course-related
issues that need to be dealt with come and see me in my office (7th floor, Jorgenson Hall, room
701)—in-person meetings are the best method for discussing course related issues and
concerns. I will endeavour to answer any e-mails during the work week within 48 hours. Due to
the volume of e-mail I get, I cannot guarantee a timely response to e-mails and would prefer
a personal meeting, which can be scheduled in-person preferably or well in advance by e-mail.
The best guaranteed means for contacting me will be in-person, during my office hours, as well
as before and after classes.
REQUIRED READINGS: Each section of this course has specific required readings plus
supplemental recommended references (see the schedule of readings found below). The
majority of required readings are found on the course blackboard site. Those which are not will
be available through Library Reserve.
SCHEDULED READINGS BY WEEK:
January 9th:
1. What is Political Theory and How Should We Study It?
Recommended Reading:

Ellen Meiksins Wood, Citizens to Lords: A Social History of Western Political Thought
From Antiquity to the Middle Ages, Ch. 1. (On Reserve)

Alan Sears and James Cairns, A Good Book, In Theory: Making Sense Through
Inquiry, (Second Edition) Ch. 1. (On Reserve)
January 16th:
The Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece (4th-5th Cen. B.C.)
2.
Required Reading:

M.I. Finley, Democracy Ancient and Modern, Ch. 1 (On Reserve)

Pericles, “Funeral Speech”, in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, pp.
129-134.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/funeral.html
Recommended:

Ellen Meiksins Wood’, “The Demos Versus ‘We, the People’” (1995):
http://www.iefd.org/articles/demos.php
3
BA: Politics and Governance
Western Political Thought
January 23rd:
3.
Plato (428-348 B.C), The Republic.
Required Reading: The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Electronic Edition, Volume II: The
Republic, Book 4 (427-445); Book 6; Book 7 (514-521); Book 8 (543-569).
Recommended Reading:

Plato, Protagoras
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1591
January 30th:
4.
Aristotle (384-322 B.C), The Politics.
Required Reading: Aristotle, The Complete Works, Electronic Edition, Volume II: The
Politics, Book 6; Book 7 (Sections 1-9).
February 6th:
5.
The Roman Republic to the Reformation
Required Reading:

John Ehrenberg, Civil Society: The History of an Idea, Chs. 2 and 3.
February 13th:
6.
“A Multitude of Men is Made One Person”: Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), Leviathan.
Required Reading: The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, Electronic Edition: Leviathan,
Part 1: Chs. 13-14; Part 2: Chs. 17, 18, 21, 26.
Recommended Reading:

Ellen Meiksins Wood, and Neal Wood, A Trumpet of Sedition: Political Theory and
the Rise of Capitalism, 1509-1688, Ch. 5.
February 27th:
7.
Property, Liberty and Government: John Locke, Two Treatises on Government
(Second Treatise Only)
http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/locke/government.pdf
Recommended Reading:

The Putney Debates:
courses.essex.ac.uk/cs/cs101/putney.htm

Gerard Winstanley, A New Years Gift for the Parliament and Armie:
www.bilderberg.org/land/gift.htm

C. B. MacPherson, The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism, Ch.5.

Ellen Meiksins Wood, and Neal Wood, A Trumpet of Sedition: Political Theory and
the Rise of Capitalism, 1509-1688, Ch. 6.
4
BA: Politics and Governance

Western Political Thought
Caryl Churchill, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (Play)
March 5th:
8.
Enlightenment and Democracy in an Age of Revolution (18th Cen.)
Required Reading:
Martin Fitzpatrick, et. al. (eds.) The Enlightenment World (ebook), Chs. 12, 26, 27, 28.
http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/lib/oculryerson/docDetail.action?docID=10093881
C.L.R. James, The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Santo Domingo
Revolution, pp. 1-26, 62-84. (On Reserve)
Recommended Reading and Viewing:
George Rude, Europe in the Eighteenth Century.
Peter Gay, The Enlightenment (2 vols.)
Robin Blackburn, The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery, Ch. 6.
Madison Smart Bell, All Souls Rising; Master at the Crossroads; The Stone That the Builder
Refused: A Novel Trilogy of Haiti (2004).
Queimada (Burn!) Director, Gillo Pontecorvo (Film)
An Account of the insurrection in St. Domingo, Rare Book Manuscript (Course Website)
March 12th:
9.
Inequality and The General Will
Required Reading:

Jean Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins and Foundations of
Inequality and The Social Contract, Book 1 and Book 2, Chs. 1-4.
http://homepage.newschool.edu/het//profiles/rousseau.htm
Recommended Reading:

Lucio Colletti, From Rousseau to Lenin, Part 3.

S. M Okin, Women in Western Political Thought, Part 3.
March 19th:
10.
Poverty, Political Economy and the Socialist Critique
Required Reading:

Richard Brown, Society and Economy in Modern Britain 1700-1850. (ebook)
Chs. 4, 17, 18.
http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/lib/oculryerson/docDetail.action?docID=1
0165024

Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, The Communist Manifesto, Parts 1 and 2
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BA: Politics and Governance
Western Political Thought
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/index.htm
Recommended Reading:

Hal Draper (1977), Karl Marx’s Theory of Revolution, Volume 1, pp. 31-108

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution.

Alex Callinicos, The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx.

E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class.

David Harvey, Introduction to Marx’s Capital
March 26th:
11.
Karl Marx (1818-1883): Historical Materialism and the Critique of Capitalism
Required Reading:

Marx and Engels, The German Ideology, Part 1: Feurbach

Capital, Ch. 1
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/index.htm
Recommended:
 www.davidharvey.org Reading Capital: Class 1 and 2. (video)
April 2nd:
12.
Individual Liberty and Equality
Required Reading:

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), On Liberty
http://www.netlibrary.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/Details.aspx
Recommended Reading:

Isaiah Berlin, “Two Concepts of Liberty”, in Four Essays on Liberty

Alan Ryan, John Stuart Mill
April 9th:
13.
Final Exam Review
6
BA: Politics and Governance
Western Political Thought
7
Suggested Journals
American Journal of Political Science
Canadian Journal of Political Science
Configurations
Constellations
Contemporary Political Theory
Critical Review
Cultural Logic: An Electronic Journal of Marxist Theory & Practice
Economics and Philosophy
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
Ethics
Historical Materialism
History of Political Thought
Journal of Political Philosophy
Journal of Theoretical Politics
JSPOT
Political Theory
Studies in Political Economy
A NOTE ON STUDENT ACADEMIC CONDUCT
Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the University policy on Student Academic Conduct.
See Policy 60 - Student Code of Academic Conduct:
www.ryerson.ca/acadcouncil/current/pol60.pdf
It is essential that students inform faculty well in advance of any potential situations that may
conflict with course work during the semester which may have an adverse effect upon their
academic performance, especially if they must request any necessary considerations (e.g.
medical or compassionate), or accommodations [e.g. religious observance, disability (should be
registered with the Access Center), etc.] according to policies. Failure to do so will jeopardize
any academic appeals. Examples include:
i. Medical Certificates – required for assignment deadlines, tests and exams missed
due to illness (see the policy for the details and www.ryerson.ca/rr/medical.pdf for
the certificate). Such documents should normally be submitted within 3 working
days of a missed assignment, test or exam.
ii. Religious Observance – requests are to be made formally within the first two weeks
of class (see www.ryerson.ca/acadcouncil/current/pol150.pdf ).
iii. Regrading and Recalculation – Must be requested within 10 working days of the
return of the graded assignment to the class. These are not grounds for an appeal,
but are matters for discussion between the student and the instructor.
Faculty of Arts Policy on Plagiarism: http://www.ryerson.ca/ai/students/studentcheating.html
Students are expected to know and adhere to the Faculty of Arts Policy on Plagiarism in this
course—foremost, this policy stipulates that students cannot use the work of others without
proper citations or references to that work. Citations or references must follow an accepted
professional style such as APA or MLA standards. If in doubt about using a professional style,
ask your instructor immediately or seek help at (1) Ryerson’s Library and (2) The Writing Centre.