Professor Bob Johnstone
Fall Semester 1996 Phone: #1264 E-Mail: bobj@earlham.edu
This course treats the evolution of political thought from the flowering of political philosophy in 5th century B.C.E. Greece, through the attempted synthesis of classical with Christian teaching in the Middle Ages, to the rise of modern political philosophy with the thought of Machiavelli and, most particularly, of Thomas Hobbes.
(NOTE: the second semester, PS 62, continues this development from the social contract theorists of the seventeenth century to the rise of social science in the early twentieth century).
The course requirements are described below. Most importantly, indeed CRUCIALLY, you are asked to read the assigned works promptly, with care, and in a manner that will aid the comprehension of ideas. This is best achieved BEFORE, not after, a given text is being examined in class.
I ask that you obtain the following works. (NOTE: It is important that you obtain these specific editions. Ease of use in class requires the same pagination for all volumes of a given text; also it is desirable for all of us to work from the same translation of Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli, and the same edition of Hobbes.)
There will be TWO writing assignments, both designed to explore recent scholarship on the philosophers we will be reading. The first assignment is to submit an annotated bibliography, the second a research paper arising from that bibliography. I will explain the details later.
CLASS SCHEDULE
SESSION TOPIC READINGS
August 30 The Nature of Political Philosophy
September 3 The Trial & Death of Socrates Plato, Apology
September 6 " Plato, Crito
September 10 Platoās Republic Republic, pp. 61-82
September 13 " Republic, pp. 83-128
September 17 " Republic, pp.129-195
September 20 " Republic, pp. 196-259
September 24 " Republic, pp. 260-325
September 27 " Republic, pp. 356-420
October 1 Aristotleās Politics Politics, Book I
October 4 " Politics, Books II & III
October 8 " Politics, Books IV & V
October 11 " Politics, Books VI & VII
October 15 Midterm Examination
October 22 Cicero & the Roman Stoics
October 25 Medieval Political Thought
October 29 "
November 1 Machiavelliās Prince Prince, pp. 5-29
November 5 " Prince, pp. 29-58
November 8 " Prince, 58-88
November 12 " Prince (entire)
November 15 No Class
November 19 The Protestant Reformation
November 22 Hobbesā Leviathan, pp. 1-42
November 26 " Leviathan, pp. 43-86
December 3 " Leviathan, pp. 87-139
December 6 " Leviathan, pp. 140-197
December 10 The Hobbesian Influence
December 13 Conclusions
Politics | Barbara Welling Hall | Robert Johnstone | Maria Chan Morgan | Earlham College