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212-346-1146 cmalone@pace.edu  

POL 102
Dr. Christopher Malone
Spring 2004
Office: 52 Choate House
cmalone@pace.edu
914-773-3428
website: http://webpage.pace.edu/cmalone
Office Hours:
T, TH: 1:30pm-3:30pm

This course serves as an introduction to the field of political theory. Political theory concerns the broadest and most basic question we can ask about political life. The word "political" derives from the Greek politike, which denotes the affairs of the city (or polis). On the other hand, the word "theory" derives from the ancient Greek theoria, which means "viewing," "speculation," "contemplation." Throughout this semester we will view, speculate on, and contemplate the nature of politics. We will do this by answering questions such as: What is justice? What is human nature? What is power? Who should rule? What constitutes a just society? What may we hope for out of a political order?

We will seek answers to these questions through an analysis of great texts in the history of Western political thought. Beginning with ancient Greece, continuing through the modern period, and concluding with contemporary texts, we will trace the origins, development, and answers given to the questions alluded to above. Our goal is to not only understand the writings of these men and women, but to analyze and critically evaluate these writings as well. In other words, we want to come to our own independent conclusions.

By the end of the semester, it is my hope that students will have an appreciation of what it means to think POLITICALLY, and will have learned how to use the ideas and concepts that form the basis of all political life.

But just as important, the primary objective of this course is to get students to think CRITICALLY. Critical thinking is a mode of thinking in which the individual improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of cognitive structures and imposing intellectual standards upon them. A critical thinker is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective. And the critical thinker seeks the following in his or her academic endeavors:
• Clarity
• Accuracy
• Precision
• Relevance of the material
• Depth in understanding
• Breadth
• Logic
• Significance of the material
• Fairness in approaching the material

How shall we cultivate the critical mind in this class? Much has changed in the delivery of formal education since it first appeared in America in the early 19th century. And yet, very little has changed. Students today need to master three aspects of the educational experience in order to be successful, just as they've had to in the past: reading, writing and speaking.
• Through reading, students become aware, informed, and learn how to CRITICALLY ANALYZE material for its perspective, calculus, and its validity.
• Through writing, students learn to communicate effectively about material and exhibit their understanding of that material IN THEIR OWN WORDS AND IDEAS. It is through the writing process that a student develops an intellectual depth and breadth of the material.
• Through speaking, students hone their verbal communication skills, learn to organize material quickly and coherently, and present it in a way that others can understand and evaluate. It is also through the act of public speaking that students learn to integrate and apply their knowledge in their own words.
All of this is another way of saying that we will strive to meet all of the course objectives: communication skills, subject-specific knowledge, collaborative learning skills, and appreciation of cultural diversity, and perhaps most importantly, the cultivation of effective citizenship.

Grading and Course Requirements
This course does not assume that students have taken any basic courses in politics. The only pre-requisites of the course are the following:
• Dutiful attendance;
• Careful reading and preparation of the assigned material;
• Willingness to actively engage in class by speaking;
• Commitment to dialogue;
• Honesty and integrity in your assignments outside of the classroom. In other words, plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Any student who plagiarizes will be given an F for the course and brought before the Dean of Students.
Students will be asked to write three (3) papers during the course of the semester. Topics will be given out well in advance. Each paper will be no less than 4 pages, typed, double-spaced. In addition, each week students will be asked to submit a one-page summary (typed, single-spaced) of the assigned readings for the week. Students will be chosen to lead the discussion by presenting their summaries before the rest of the class (yes, you will have to stand in front of the class to present!).

Grading will break down in the following manner:
• 3 papers (25% each)     75%
• 1 page summaries (at least 10 during the semester) 15%
• Class discussion presentations (3-4 during the semester) 10%

Texts
One text has been ordered and can be found in the bookstore (by all means if you can get it cheaper elsewhere, do it!):

• Brian Nelson, Western Political Thought From Socrates to the Age of Ideology, second edition (ISBN: 0131911724)
In addition, each week I will place a set of readings on e-reserve for you to download.

Introduction: What is Political Theory? (January 27-29)

• Reading: To Be Announced

Part One: Ancient Greek Thought and The Just Regime (February 3-March 11)

• Plato, The Apology, The Crito, The Republic
• Aristotle, The Politics

First Term Paper Due

Spring Break, March 14-21

Part Two: Early Modern Thought and the Social Contract (March 23-April 20)

• Machiavelli, The Prince
• Hobbes, Leviathan
• Locke, Second Treatise on Government
• Rousseau, On the Social Contract

Second Term Paper Due

Part Three: Liberalism and its Critics (April 22-May 4)

• Marx, On Alienated Labor; The Communist Manifesto
• Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Third and Final Term Paper Due (Week of Final Exams)