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Introduction to Political Thought – POLT 201
Department of Politics, Ave Maria University
Fall 2009 4 credit hours
Prerequisites - None
Professor John Colman
Office: Academic Building 2053
Phone #: 239 280-1609
John.colman@avemaria.edu
Office hours – Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-12:00 by appointment
Time and Place: MWF 3:30-4:30, Room 1011
What is politics? Aristotle said that politics was the architectonic art, by which he meant it was concerned
with all aspects of human life. For Aristotle the most pressing political question was how one ought to
live. Aristotle is of course not the only one to have attempted an answer to our question of how we are to
define the political. In this class we will pursue the fullness of this question by way of close reading of
texts drawn from the history of political thought. We will seek to enter into the dialogue between the
greatest thinkers of the tradition of western political thought to understand the perennial questions of
political life.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this class the student will be capable of articulating the major issues that are raised by
the seminal political thinkers in the history of political philosophy. The student will also understand the
debates between ancient and modern political thought that animate the history of political philosophy.
Additionally, students will understand the premises, soundness, and implications of the texts studied.
Finally, students will develop analytical writing skills and critical thinking abilities from the composition
of essays and will develop improved verbal communication skills through active class participation.
Required Texts
Plato, The Republic
Aristotle, Politics
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
John Locke, Second Treatise of Government
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, First and Second Discourse
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
A Few Rules
No Laptops in class.
Cell phones should be turned off and put away. If I see you texting or playing with your phone you will
forfeit your participation grade.
Email Policy – Do not ask for extensions over email. If your questions cannot be answered in a few
sentences do not send them via email. I have office hours for discussions. All email should be treated with
a certain level of formality. All email should, therefore, begin with a proper salutation, and should abide
by the rules of punctuation. If your email does not follow the above it will not be answered. I encourage
all of you to come see me in my office whenever you have a question or a problem.
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Grading
Class Participation -10%
As you can tell from the above list of texts there is a great deal of reading in this class. Success will
require that one come prepared to class having read the assigned reading. As each of the works introduces
rather difficult questions, and no two thinkers are simply of the same mind as to the answers, it is
imperative that as a class we can engage each other and the text in dialogue. It is therefore necessary that
each member come prepared to participate in discussion.
Mid Term and Final Examination – 25% each
The Midterm and Final Examination assess the student’s capacity to articulate the concepts of various
thinkers studied in class. Additionally, the exams will evaluate the student’s grasp of the debates between
thinkers and schools of thought.
Essays – Four 5 page essays – 10% each
Each student will determine which texts and/or portion of text they wish to use as the subject of the
papers. The paper will be evaluated according to the paper’s thesis statement, accurate presentation of the
thought of the thinker analyzed, effective critique of the text, and implications of the text under
discussion. Lastly, the paper will be evaluated according to the student’s ability to write at an
undergraduate level.
All late assignments will be penalized by one full letter grade per day. All assignments are due in
class. No electronic copies will be accepted.
Grading Scheme for Essays: A—excellent. Clearly written, no grammatical or typographical
errors. Mastery of the material and offers significant insight into the subject.
B—good. Clearly written but contains a few grammatical or typographical errors. Relates the
facts, gives sound analysis, and provides some interesting insight.
C—average. Clearly written but some serious grammatical and typographical errors. While
many of the basic facts are offered, it contains no insight or analysis.
D—poor. Organizational problems, and plagued with serious grammatical or typographical
errors. Many factual errors. No analysis or insight.
F—unacceptable. Poorly written with no coherent argument. Serious grammatical and factual
errors. Omits much of the relevant material.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Week 1
Wed. 9/2 – Introduction
Fri. 9/4 – Plato Republic 1-2
Week 2
Mon. 9/7 – Plato Republic 3-4
Wed. 9/9 – Plato Republic 5-6
Fri. 9/11 – Plato Republic 7-8
Week 3
M. 9/14 – Plato Republic 9-10
W. 9/16 – Aristotle Ethics 1-2 1st Paper Due
F. 9/18 – Aristotle Ethics 3-4
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Week 4
M. 9/21 – Aristotle Ethics 5-6
W. 9/23 – Aristotle Ethics 7-8
F. 9/ 25 – Aristotle Ethics 9-10
Week 5
M. 9/29 – Aristotle Politics 1-2
W. 9/30 – Aristotle Politics 3-4
F. 10/2 – Aristotle Politics 5-6
Week 6
M. 10/5 – Aristotle Politics 7-8
W. 10/7 – Machiavelli Prince, Dedicatory Letter – Ch. 7
F. 10/9 – Machiavelli Prince, Ch. 8-16
Week 7
M. 10/12 –Machiavelli Prince, Ch. 17-26 2nd Paper Due
W. 10/14 –Exam
F. 10/16 – Hobbes Leviathan
Week 8
M. 10/19 – Hobbes Leviathan
W. 10/21 – Hobbes Leviathan
F. 10/23 – Hobbes Leviathan
Week 9
M. 10/26 – No Class
W. 10/28 – Hobbes Leviathan
F. 10/30 – Hobbes Leviathan
Week 10
M. 11/2 – Locke Second Treatise of Government Ch. 1-5
W. 11/4 – Locke Second Treatise of Government Ch.6-9
F. 11/6 – Locke Second Treatise of Government Ch.10-14
Week 11
M. 11/9 – Locke Second Treatise of Government Ch. 15-19 3rd Paper Due
st
W. 11/11 - Rousseau First Discourse – Preface and 1 Part
F. 11/13 – Rousseau First Discourse – 2nd Part
Week 12
M. 11/16 – Rousseau Second Discourse – Dedication and Preface
W. 11/18 - Rousseau Second Discourse – 1st Part
F. 11/20 – No Class
Week 13
M. 11/23 - Rousseau Second Discourse – 2nd Part
W. 11/25 – Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Part 1-2
F. 11/27 – No Class
Week 14
M. 11/30 – Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil Part 3-4
W. 12/2 – Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil Part 5-6
F. 12/4 – Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil Part 7-8
Week 15
M. 12/7 – Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil Part 9
W. 12/9 – Review 4th Paper Due
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How to Write a Good Paper
Invention: The thesis should be original and not state the obvious.
The paper should not be a mere summation of what the author has said.
There is a stage in one’s deliberations about any given text between summation and judgment – it is
called analysis. The point of analysis is to come to understand the author as he/she understood
themselves. Not every thought is plainly stated on the written page and therefore the task of the reader is
to think about the author’s intention. The point of analysis is to unpack the premises of the author’s
thought and what, if anything, is presupposed by the author. It is always a good rule of thumb to begin as
a sympathetic reader. One should enter into a text assuming that one might learn the truth by reading the
author’s thought. Only after we have understood the author can we permit ourselves to make judgments.
Style:
It is often the case that good papers are somewhat less stylistically ambitious.
Do not be colloquial or use slang – this is a scholarly paper and thus should be written in a scholarly
manner. That having been said, the paper does not need to be written with a bunch of $10 words.
Academic jargon is to be seriously avoided.
It is sometimes helpful to write the paper with a reader in mind who is not necessarily sympathetic to your
thesis. It is not advisable to write with the professor as your intended reader. Your professor has to read
the paper and therefore is a captive audience. Anyone in this class should be able to pick up your paper
and read it, understand it, and enjoy it. You need to keep the reader’s interest and show why the paper is
important.
Editing is half the battle. No one will be given credit for what they wanted, or intended, to say. Proper
proofreading should not only cover grammatical errors but should be done with the intention of
confirming that the thesis is well stated, the paper is well structured, and all parts (every sentence) in
some way contribute to the defense of the thesis.
The paper should be double-spaced Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins (this document has 1
inch margins). All efforts to make a short paper longer by using larger font or wider margins will be
penalized.
Organization:
Your paper must begin with an introductory paragraph that is a clear and concise statement of the subject
under discussion, the manner in which it will be treated, and the purpose of the paper.
The paper should remain on topic, and focused around the thesis. It is always preferable to choose a topic
that is rather narrow in focus rather than one that is too broad. Your thesis statement must be such that it
can be adequately treated in the assigned length of the paper. The object of the paper is to critically
discuss and analyze the subject. A thesis that is too broad will not allow for sufficient analysis and will
often result in little more than a regurgitation of the topic in summary form.
The paper needs to be structured closely around the thesis topic. Each paragraph of the paper must
contribute to the discussion of the thesis. In the interests of organization one should never begin writing
until a detailed outline of the argument and its order are complete.
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Conclude the paper in a fashion that neatly summarizes your argument.
Evidence:
No claim should go without substantive argument to prove it. The paper will be graded according to the
strength of the arguments and evidence provided to substantiate your thesis. Your reader is not interested
in your opinions but in your arguments. Neither are they interested in your feelings. Save your feelings
for your diary.
Do not assume that your reader shares your point of view. It is necessary to consider, and respond to, the
strongest arguments that may be raised in opposition to your thesis. While it is not necessary to address
every conceivable objection, those that are addressed must be the most substantive. Do not address the
weakest objections, or create intellectual “straw men” to tear down.
One’s criticism of texts and other authors should always be somewhat humble. While many of the ideas
discussed in the texts studied seem rather odd it is useful to bear in mind that many of the works under
study have been read for a very long time. Simply because we might disagree does not entitle us to
assume our intellectual superiority in all matters. Do not present an opposing argument or author as an
intellectual lightweight. If your find yourself thinking or writing “Hobbes is an idiot” you are on the
wrong path.
It is often helpful to directly quote an author to clarify your thought and to substantiate an argument. The
paper, however, should remain largely your own words. Excessive quotation, in terms of the number and
length of quotes, is to be avoided.
Remember, when quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing proper citation is necessary. All thoughts that
are not your own must be acknowledged as such. Plagiarism is an academic capital crime.
If you are using secondary sources pick them wisely. The internet is a source of much information and
much unreliable information. Wikipedia, blogs, sparksnotes, and the like, are not acceptable sources. One
turns to secondary sources only after one has attempted, to the extent of one’s abilities, to understand the
primary sources for oneself.
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