Western Washington University
College of Humanities & Social Sciences/Dept. of Political Science
Introduction to Political Theory, PLSC 261, Spring 2015
AW 304, MWF 2:30 – 3:50
Dr. C. Hoffman, Arntzen Hall 424
Office Hours: Mondays & Fridays, 4:00-5:00, and by appointment
Teaching Assistants: Hannah Henderson, hendrih2@students.wwu.edu, AH 450
Course Website: http://faculty.wwu.edu/hoffmac4/plsc261.shtml
Course description
This course provides an introduction to political theory & the history of modern Western
political thought. For each political theory that we study, we will read an historical and
contextual overview in the main course textbook, Political Ideologies and the Democratic
Ideal. We will read some essential primary source readings from the main canonical
thinkers in political philosophy, along with select theorists and activists associated with each
theoretical approach in the Ideals and Ideologies anthology. Paying close attention to the
historical and contextual overview in lecture and in the main text will go a long way towards
helping you to understand the primary source readings in the Ideals and Ideologies reader.
The course focuses on the historical traditions of democracy, classical & modern
republicanism, liberalism, conservatism, and socialism. We will chronicle the evolution of
each ideology through the modern period, to better apprehend each ideology’s twenty-first
century application. Throughout, we will analyze the relationship of each philosophy to the
democratic tradition. Just as there are many different "flavors" or types of liberalism &
socialism (& conservatism), there are many different ways to define democracy. We will
conclude the course by contemplating the future of ideology, along with a cautionary note
about the difficulty of accurately predicting the future of any particular political theory or
ideology. Throughout the quarter, we will address the following questions, considered
central to political theory: What is the basis of the political legitimacy of the state? How
does each ideology understand liberty, freedom, and obligation? Why are the notions of
individual rational autonomy and agency so important in Western thought? Why are these
latter notions in such alarming decline today? What is the proper balance between
responsibility and liberty? And lastly, in what ways are equality and liberty mutually
exclusive?
The course will provide you with a broad overview of the main traditions of Western
political thought. It will also provide you with greater familiarization of some essential
tools of a liberal arts education, including critical analysis and informed moral discourse,
and their roles in making more our communities more open and civil. You will also develop
the ability to apply insights from the classics of political thought to the political and
sociological problems of our own time.
1
Class will include both lecture and some class discussion of the readings. We will open up
class discussion when possible. Typically, I will lecture on the material in the main
textbook, and try to allow for discussion when covering the readings in the Ideals &
Ideologies reader. There will be occasional in-class hours devoted to class discussion at
appropriate points throughout the quarter. Careful and civil consideration of others’ ideas
and theoretical positions is of course an essential aspect of the liberal tradition. Our goal in
class discussion will be to go beyond philosophical differences to allow for productive
discourse.
Required Texts
1) Terence Ball and Richard Dagger, editors. Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal,
8th edition.
2) Terence Ball and Richard Dagger, editors. Ideals and Ideologies, A Reader, 8th edition.
3) Readings marked “Library E-Reserves” will be posted on Western’s Main Library site.
Course Requirements
Midterm Exam & Final Exam
There will be a midterm and a final exam. The exams will comprise primarily multiple
choice style questions. We will provide a review sheet, practice questions, and a review
session before both the Midterm & the Final Exam.
Quizzes
There will be three short quizzes throughout the quarter, so it’s important to stay current
with the readings and come to class. Quizzes may be unannounced.
Attendance will comprise approximately 6 % of the course grade. We will take periodic
class attendance throughout the quarter.
NOTE: Make-up examinations and quizzes cannot be given, except for medical or other
excused absences.
Summary of Graded Assignments
1)
2)
3)
5)
Midterm Exam ~40 %
Final Exam ~40 %
Quizzes 14 %
Attendance 6 %
2
Grading Standards:
The point distribution for all graded work will be as follows:
93 - 100
90-92
88-89
83-87
80-82
etc.
A
AB+
B
B-
Course Policies
Academic Ethics: Academic dishonesty is a serious offense, potentially grounds for
dismissal from the university. It is also inimical to the development of good character.
Dishonesty includes plagiarism, cheating on exams, and so forth. Please consult
http://www.library.wwu.edu/ref/plagiarism.html for an explanation of what constitutes
plagiarism. Western’s policy on plagiarism can be found at
http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/senate/acc/ACCplagiarismAppD.htm. Please note that I
must follow university procedures when I identify a case of plagiarism.
Other policies: The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule and assignments at
his discretion. Please note that there are no provisions for make-up exams. You will be
able to drop one quiz. If, due to an excused emergency, you must miss the midterm or final
exam, you must email me (charles.hoffman@wwu.edu) or leave a message at 650-2908, in
advance of the exam. If the absence is excused, your final will count double. If you are sick
or have an emergency situation, please do your best to contact us prior to the exam. We can
only provide an opportunity to re-take a quiz or exam missed due to medical illness.
Special Accommodations: Western Washington’s policy and practice is to make
reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written
notification from disAbilities resources (DRS) is required. If you are eligible to receive an
accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me as
soon as possible. This conversation will be kept strictly confidential. If you have questions
about DRS and filing for an accommodation, please visit disability Resources for Students
in Old Main 110 (650-3083). Their email is drs@wwu.edu.
3
Course Website: http://faculty.wwu.edu/hoffmac4/plsc261.shtml
Tentative Course Schedule
April 1 & 3 Introduction to Modern Ideologies & Democratic Theory (No class on
Fri, April 3)
April 6
Polity, Republic & Democracy from Antiquity to the European
Renaissance
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 1
April 8 & 10 Polity, Republic & Democracy from Antiquity to the European
Renaissance
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 2 – 1st half
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 2.4 (Aristotle)
Apr 13 & 15 Public Sphere from the Greeks to the European Renaissance
The Modern Republic & the 19th Century Public Sphere (1831-1860)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 2.5 (Machiavelli)
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 2 – 2nd half
April 17
Public Sphere from the Greeks to the European Renaissance
The Modern Republic & the 19th Century Public Sphere (1831-1860)
Reading 2.8 (Tocqueville), & Reading 2.9 (Mill)
April 22
Emergence of Classical Liberalism – The First Ideology
The Contract Theorists: Hobbes, Locke, & Rousseau
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 3, (pp. 45-53)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.10/3.11 (Hobbes, Part I only)
April 24
Classical Liberalism in the Age of Democratic Revolutions
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 3, pp. 53-58 (middle)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.11/3.12 (Locke, Second Treatise on Government only)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.12/3.13 (Thomas Paine, Common Sense & Rights of Man)
Mon & Wed, 27/29 France’s Revolutionary Liberalism, 1789-1799
Classical Liberalism & Capitalism
John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarian-Based Classical Liberalism
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 3, pp. 58 (middle) – page 69
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.15/3.16 (Adam Smith, from Wealth of Nations)
4
Fri, May 1
JS Mill’s On Liberty (1859)
Welfare Liberalism after 1870, John Rawls’s Theory of Justice
Libertarianism, Political Liberalism, & Communitarianism
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 3, pp. 69-82
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.17/3.18 (John Stuart Mill, from On Liberty)
Liberalism in the 21st Century: Toleration, Obama’s New “New
Deal” & the Challenge of Inequality
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 3, pp. 82-93
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 3.21 (Donald Allen)
May 4 & May 6
Review for Midterm Exam
Friday, May 8
Midterm Exam
May 11
Socialism from Thomas More to Karl Marx
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 5, pp. 127-141 top
Marxist Critique of Capitalism & Marxist Theory of Revolution
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 5, pp. 141-148
May 13
The Diversity of Socialism: Christian Socialism, Fabian
Socialism, Socialism in America, & Socialism Today
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 6, pp. 177 – 186
May 15
Critical Western Marxism and Consumer Society
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 6, pp. 173 (bottom) – 174 (bottom)
May 18
Conservatism: The Political Philosophy of Imperfection
From Edmund Burke to Tory Democracy in the United
Kingdom
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 4, pp. 93-105
Ideals & Ideologies, Reading 4.24 Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France
excerpt
Reactionary Conservatism (Anti-Enlightenment Conservatism)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 4.25 (de Maistre) (Considerations on France)
May 20
Conservatism in the Twentieth Century
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 4 (con’t), pp. 105-113 (middle)
20th Century Version of Traditional Conservatism, 1962, by Michael Oakeshott
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 4.26 Michael Oakeshott, On Being Conservative excerpt:
Part 1, pp. 145 - 148
5
May 22
Oakeshott’s Version of Traditional Conservatism (con’t)
Ideals and Ideologies, Reading 4.26 Michael Oakeshott, On Being Conservative excerpt:
Parts 2 & 3, pp. 148 - 153
May 25
Memorial Day Holiday
May 27 & 29
The Reagan-Rove Coalition and it’s 1964 Roots: Individualist
Conservatism, Neo-Conservatism
Social Populism, & the Religious Right
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 4 (con’t), pp. 113-121
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 4 (con’t), pp. 113-121
Ideals & Ideologies, Reading 4.31 (Ronald Reagan)
Ideals& Ideologies, Reading 4.32 (Irving Kristol, Father of Neo-Conservatism)
Ideals& Ideologies, Reading 4.33 (W James Antle, The Conservative Crack-Up)
June 1
The Reagan-Rove Coalition and it’s 1964 Roots: Individualist
Conservatism, Neo-Conservatism
Social Populism, & the Religious Right (con’t)
Film: The Conservatives
June 3
Whither Ideology? Ideology Past, Present, & Future
Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Chapter 11
June 5
Review for Final Exam
Wed, June 10
Final Exam, 3:30 – 5:30
6