PSC 2107 Syllabus PDF

Preview

Summary

Syllabus...

Description

PSC-2107 Twentieth Century Political Thought Spring 2021 Dr. Christopher Utter [email protected]

What Heidegger Wrought More than any other single philosopher, Heidegger has cast his shadow over twentieth (and twenty-first) century thought, regardless of philosophical or ideological orientation. To a great extent, the twentieth century was the age of three ideologies—liberalism, communism, and fascism—and the victory (however provisional) of liberalism over the other two. Heidegger was a member of the Nazi party, and so openly a fascist. Although his thought is not explicitly political, it is broadly “humanist,” and many scholars have connected his Nazism to his philosophy. Nevertheless, as we will see in this course, Heidegger’s thought has influenced thinkers on the left, right, and center of the contemporary political spectrum, as well as political philosophers with highly disparate concerns. This course will begin with a brief overview of three of the 19 th century philosophers who helped shape the three 20 th century ideologies of liberalism, communism, and fascism: Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche, respectively. We will then examine how Heidegger’s thought grew out of an engagement with Nietzsche, in particular, before turning to four 20th century political philosophers whose thought builds upon—while also critiquing—Heidegger’s thought: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, and Leo Strauss. Learning Outcomes There are two main goals for this class: 1. To acquaint you with a set of texts and ideas that were central to 20 th century political thought. 2. To enable you to frame arguments about contemporary politics that are founded on sound philosophical principles and based upon a thoughtful reflection on the history of ideas. In addition, by the end of the semester, you will be able to: 1. Interpret and analyze texts that elucidate the nature of politics from a philosophical/theoretical perspective. 2. Write essays that present a clear argumentative thesis, supported by sound reasoning and based on an engagement with the assigned texts. 3. Evaluate arguments and ideas in political theory for their truth and/or validity.

4. Apply the ideas and concepts of political theory to the contemporary political world—to better understand it, and to criticize it—and to related fields of human endeavor. All the requirements and assignments for this class have been designed to allow you to practice, develop, and demonstrate the skills necessary to achieve these learning outcomes. For example, the reading assignments and class discussions will allow you to practice your interpretive skills (objectives 1 and 2), and the written assignments will allow you to develop and hone your analytical, argumentative, and critical reasoning skills (2-4). How to Succeed in This Course 1) Read carefully and completely. The assigned readings will be available in the Perusall application, which you can access through Blackboard. All assignments and class discussions will be based on these readings, so it is crucial that you engage thoughtfully with the course materials. This means reading carefully, making annotations, and then reviewing your notes and annotations before attending our Zoom class meetings. 2) Come to the Zoom class meetings. The arguments we will discuss in this class are complex and nuanced. Class time will be devoted entirely to discussion, and in general it is a time for you to think through the ideas in the assigned reading together with other students and with me. During class, you should supplement the notes you take while reading. The purpose of class discussions is to facilitate your learning. Learning is not a spectator sport: it requires active engagement, and this is something only you can choose to do. 3) Complete assignments on time. This one should be obvious, but it bears emphasis. I will only accept late assignments in case of an emergency. Required Texts All texts will be available on Perusall (accessed through a link in Blackboard). Assessment of Learning Perusall Annotations. While reading the assigned texts in Perusall, you should ask questions, provide comments, and respond to other students’ annotations in the application. This participation will help you think through questions in preparation for class discussion, and it will contribute greatly toward your direct participation in the course. Please see Blackboard and Perusall for more guidelines, including due dates.

Exegetical Essay. (3-5 pp.) The purpose of this assignment is to cultivate your ability to write a concise, persuasive essay interpreting the meaning of an assigned text. You will be given a question and asked to develop an argument (thesis) and support your case with evidence from the text. The point is to try to understand what the author means, not whether or not the author is correct. Critical Paper. In this assignment, you will write a 5-8-page paper that engages in criticism of an argument an author makes in one of the assigned readings. The paper should defend a thesis, and your evidence for the thesis should draw upon the assigned readings, as well as at least one scholarly secondary source. Final Research Paper. Your final piece of written work will be a 10-12-page research paper that builds on either your exegetical or critical paper to launch a sustained argument of your own, mobilizing ideas that we have encountered in the course of the semester. You will be required to base your argument on the assigned reading as well as at least two additional scholarly secondary sources. You will be required to complete a detailed outline and annotated bibliography for your paper a few weeks before the deadline. This paper will be due the date of the final exam; the exact date is TBD. There will be no final exam or midterm for this class.

Course Schedule

Date

Author/Topic

Reading

Assignme nts

Week One: Marx and Engels 1/11

Introduction

None

1/13

Marx and Engels

“Alienated Labor” and The Communist Manifesto (parts one and two)

Week Two: No Class 1/18

No Class

MLK Day

1/20

No Class

Inauguration Day

Week Three: Mill; Nietzsche and Heidegger 1/25

Mill

On Liberty (Introduction, Chapter 2)

1/27

Nietzsche and Heidegger

Heidegger, “Introduction” and “The Will to Power”; Nietzsche excerpts

Week Four: Heidegger and Nietzsche 2/1

Nietzsche and Heidegger

Heidegger, “Nihilism” and “The Eternal Return of the Same”; Nietzsche excerpts

2/3

Nietzsche and Heidegger

Heidegger, “The Overman”; Nietzsche excerpts

Week Five: Heidegger 2/8

Nietzsche and Heidegger

Heidegger, “Justice”; Nietzsche excerpts

2/10

Heidegger

Being and Time, pp. 19-28;

Read syllabu s

Polt, pp. 24-33 Week Six: Heidegger: Being and Time 2/15

No Class (Presidents’ Day)

2/17

Heidegger

Being and Time, pp. 32-35 and 67-77; Polt, pp. 33-35 and pp. 4345

Week Seven: Sartre and Existentialism; Hegel and Fukuyama 2/22

Sartre

“Existentialism Is a Humanism”

2/24

Hegel and Fukuyama

Phenomenology of Spirit, pp. 111-119; The End of History and the Last Man, pp. 192-198

Week Eight: Beauvoir: Feminism and Existentialism 3/1

Beauvoir

Second Sex, Introduction (pp. 3-17); Chapter One (pp. 159213)

3/3

Beauvoir

Second Sex, “The Independent Woman” (pp. 721-751); Conclusion (pp. 753-766)

Week Nine: Heidegger and Existentialism 3/8

Heidegger

“Letter on Humanism” (first half)

3/10

Heidegger

“Letter on Humanism” (second half)

Week Ten: Spring Break 3/15 and 3/17 (No Class) Week Eleven: Arendt and Heidegger 3/22

Arendt

“Preface” and “Tradition and the Modern Age”

Exegeti cal Paper Due

3/24

Arendt

“The Concept of History” (Part I)

Week Twelve: Arendt and Heidegger 3/29

Arendt

“The Concept of History” (remainder)

3/31

Arendt

“What Is Authority?” (Parts I-III)

Week Thirteen: Arendt and Heidegger 4/5

Arendt

“What Is Authority?” (remainder)

4/7

Arendt

“What Is Freedom?”

Week Fourteen: Strauss and Heidegger 4/12

Strauss

“Heideggerian Existentialism”

4/14

Strauss

“Philosophy as Rigorous Science and Political Philosophy”

Critical Paper Due

Week Fifteen: Strauss and Heidegger 4/19

Strauss

Natural Right and History, Introduction and Chapter One

4/21

Strauss

“What Is Political Philosophy?” (first half)

Week Sixteen: Strauss and Heidegger 4/26

Strauss

“What Is Political Philosophy?” (second half)

4/28

Heidegger

“The Question Concerning Technology” (first half)

4/29

Heidegger

“The Question Concerning Technology” (second half)

Final paper outline and bibliogra

phy due Final Paper TBD

Final Paper Due by 11:59 pm EST on Blackboard the day scheduled for the final exam

Policies and Procedures: Final Grade Breakdown: --25% --15% --20% --15% --25%

Perusall Participation (average of all) Exegetical Paper Critical Paper Detailed Outline and Annotated Bibliography for Final Paper Final Paper

Grade Scale: 93% and above: A 90-92: A87-89: B+ 83-86: B 80-82: B77-79: C+ 73-76: C 70-72: C60-69: D Below 60: F Response Time: I will make every effort to respond to your emails within 24 hours, and to return work within one week. I will also put your grades up on Blackboard as soon as I have graded your work. Academic dishonesty. In the Code of Academic Integrity, the University defines academic dishonesty as “cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one’s own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information.” Scholastic dishonesty also includes providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or extension on a test, quiz, or assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two different courses without the prior permission of faculty members. By accepting this syllabus and participating in the course, you have agreed to abide by this Code. University policy on observance of religious holidays. In accordance with University policy, students should notify faculty during the first week of the semester of their intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious observance. For details and policy, see: students.gwu.edu/accommodationsreligious-holidays.

Disability Support Services (DSS). Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability should contact the Disability Support Services ofce at 202-994-8250 in the Rome Hall, Suite 102, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information see: disabilitysupport.gwu.edu/ Mental Health Services 202-994-5300. The University's Mental Health Services offers 24/7 assistance and referral to address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for students include: crisis and emergency mental health consultations confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals. For additional information see: counselingcenter.gwu.edu/ Safety and security. In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building. After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location....