PACE
UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Pol
296V
Dr. Christopher Malone
Spring 2004
52 Choate/1101 41 Park Row
cmalone@pace.edu 212-346-1453/914-773-3428
webpage: http://webpage.pace.edu/cmalone
office hours: Monday and Wednesday 12pm-2pm
America, Empire and Democracy in the 21st Century
At the
dawn of the twenty first century, America stands as the world’s
sole superpower. With that rise to power, important questions
have been raised about the role the United States should and
does play within the international community. How did America
rise to world dominance? What is that dominance based on - the
strength of its ideas, or military, economic and technological
superiority? Are we the keepers of the light of democracy, or
have we become an “empire” as some have argued? Will the twenty
first century be one of freedom and universal equality, or one
based on a Pax Americana?
This
course will address these questions by looking at the historical
development of the United States’ rise to world hegemony and its
position in the world today. While the focus will primarily be
on the late 20th century and the contemporary period, we will
seek to understand the present by also looking at the ideas and
events which have reinforced America’s view over time as the
“exceptional” country in the history of the world.
Learning Objectives of the Course
This
course is part of a learning community paired with LIT 211, War
and Peace Movements taught by Dr. Shannon Young. ALL STUDENTS
MUST BE REGISTERED FOR BOTH CLASSES. The objective of a
learning community is to immerse students in a particular them
which is approached from two different academic disciplines.
Both of these courses will focus, in the broadest sense, on this
ongoing experiment we call America; but will do so from the
perspectives of Literature on the one hand and Political Science
on the other. At times these perspectives will converge; at
other times they will diverge significantly. We hope that
students will take the material we cover, integrate it, and come
to an understanding of it in their own words and ideas.
Beyond
this, 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 approach 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, effective citizenship.
Grading
and Course Requirements
This
course assumes that students have taken some basic courses in
American politics and history, though students who have not
should not be discouraged. Most importantly, this course
requires:
• 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;
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 5-6 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
The
following texts have been ordered and can be found in the Pace
Bookstore. HOWEVER, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIND THESE TEXTS
IN AN ALTERNATIVE MANNER (e.g., amazon.com) IF YOU CAN GET THEM
MORE INEXPENSIVELY ELSEWHERE.
•
Benjamin Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism
are Reshaping the Modern World (ISBN: 0345383044).
• Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global
Dominance (ISBN: 0805074007).
• David Frum and Richard Perle, An End To Evil: How to Win the
War on Terror (ISBN:1400061946)
Tentative Schedule
The following is a tentative schedule of course readings,
meetings, and assignments. Please note if you miss class you are
responsible for keeping up with the material.
WEEKS I
AND II
Precursors: Thoughts on American Exceptionalism (E-RESERVE)
• John Winthrop, “Model of Christian Charity”
• Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, “Letters from an American
Farmer”
• Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Frontier in American History”
• Thomas Paine, “The Rights of Man”
• Alexis de Toqueville, “Democracy in America”
• Seymour Martin Lipset, “American Exceptionalism: A Double
Edged Sword”
• Thomas Jefferson, “Declaration of Independence”
• Alexander Hamilton, “Federalist Papers”
WEEK
III
19th
Century: Race, Manifest Destiny, and Social Darwinism
(E-RESERVE)
• Reginald Horsman, “Race and Manifest Destiny”
• William Graham Sumner, “What Social Class Owe to Each Other”
WEEKS
IV AND V
20th
Century: The American Century (E-RESEREVE)
• Herbert Croly, “Promise of American Life”
• Henry Luce, “The American Century”
• Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History and the Last Man”
• Samuel Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations”
WEEK
VI: FIRST PAPER DUE
SPRING
BREAK
WEEKS
VII-X
America
in the 21st Century I. From the Left: The American Empire
• Benjamin Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld
• Osama Bin Laden, “Letter to America”
• Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival
SECOND
PAPER DUE
WEEKS
XI-XIII
America
in the 21st Century II. From the Right: The Expansion of
Democracy
• Paul Berman, “In the Shade of the Koran”
• The Iraq War Reader: Selected Documents
• William Kristol/Lawrence Kaplan, “The War over Iraq”
• Richard Perle/David Frum, An End to Evil
THIRD
PAPER DUE
|
Welcome to Malone's Homepage 
