MWF 1:10 – 2:00pm, Lafayette L210 Syllabus Professor Alex Zakaras

POLS 041D: Introduction to Political Theory
MWF 1:10 – 2:00pm, Lafayette L210
Syllabus
Professor Alex Zakaras
Office: 525 Old Mill
Office Hours: Mon. 9-10:30am, Wed. 9:30-11am
[email protected]
(802) 656 8229
This course is designed to introduce you to the field of political theory. The course
requires no prior knowledge of the field. It is divided into three sections, each of which
explores a different theme (see below). Over the course of the semester, we will be
asking such question as: why should we have governments at all, and wouldn’t life be
better without them? Do we have an obligation, as citizens, to obey the laws? Is
patriotism a virtue? Should we prefer democracy to other forms of government, and if so
why? What does it mean to be free, and what is the relationship between freedom and
government?
We will approach these questions with the help of classic works of political philosophy,
beginning with some of Plato’s most famous dialogues, as well as more contemporary
works of political theory and political science.
Course Requirements
1. In-class Participation
I expect you to read all assigned texts carefully before class and to come prepared
to participate in class discussion. You will get high marks if you contribute
regularly to our conversations in class, in a way that shows that you have done the
reading carefully and thought about it before class. Participation counts for 10%
of your total grade.
2. Reading Quizzes
At least once a week, in the first five minutes of one of the class sessions, I will
give a reading quiz. I will give you two questions, and you will get to choose
which one to answer. The questions will be about some of the major themes of the
reading assignment due that day. Quizzes will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10. I
grade them for accuracy and detail: the more accurate and detailed your answer,
the higher your score will be. If you are absent the day I give a quiz, you will get
a score of 0 on the quiz. If you are present and hand in a blank sheet of paper, you
get a 3 (so you always have an incentive to be in class). If you have not done the
reading but waste my time by writing a made-up answer that is completely off
base, you will get a 0 on the quiz. I will not give make-up quizzes, but I will drop
your lowest quiz score when calculating your final grade. The reading quizzes
will account for 20% of your final grade.
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3. Papers
There will be two required papers, each 6-8 pages long, due Monday, October 5th,
and Monday, November 2nd. Both papers are due at the start of class. I will
discuss the expectations with you before I hand out the first paper assignment.
The first paper will count for 20% of your grade; the second will count for 25%.
Late Paper Policy: if you submit your paper within 24 hours of the initial
deadline, you lose a third of a grade. If you submit your paper within one
week of the initial deadline, you lose two-thirds of a grade. If you submit
your paper more than a week late but by the last day of class (Dec. 9th),
you lose a full grade.
4. Final Exam
There will be a final, cumulative, two-hour essay exam. You will receive a list of
possible essay questions in advance, so you’ll have some guidance as to what you
should prepare. The exam will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15th at 1:30pm in our
regular classroom. It will be worth 25% of your grade.
5. Extra Credit
You may always earn extra credit in the class by doing a serious rewrite of one of
your two papers. “Serious” means that at least a third of the paper has been
entirely rewritten, and that you’ve worked hard to address my comments. To
complete this assignment, hand in both the original and the rewritten paper, along
with a paragraph explaining exactly what you’ve done to improve it. A successful
rewrite will bring up your lowest quiz score to a 10 (or, if none of your quizzes
are below a 6, it will give you an extra 5 quiz points, which can be used to bring
up several of your other quiz scores). Rewrites can be handed in anytime up until
the final day of class (Dec. 9th).
Here’s how each of these elements adds up to a final grade:
Class participation
Reading quizzes
First paper
Second paper
Final exam
10%
20%
20%
25%
25%
Required Books
The following books are available for purchase at the UVM bookstore. Please use these
editions so that we’re all able to stay on the same page.
Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates (Hackett)
Mill, On Liberty (Hackett)
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Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (Norton)
Blackboard
I have created a webpage for this class through Blackboard, and posted course materials
there. All reading assignments that are not in the required books can be found on this
page (each of these readings is marked [Bb] on the list below). To access the page, go to
https://bb.uvm.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp and enter your UVM netid and password.
Then find this course on the course list on the right hand side of the page, and click on it.
You’ll find the reading assignments by clicking the “course materials” link at the top left
of the page. Please print these readings and bring them to class with you.
Non-Electronic Classroom
No electronic devices are allowed in the classroom. This includes laptop computers –
they cannot be used in class. Please try and remember to silence your cell phones, etc.
before class begins.
WEEKLY READING ASSIGNMENTS
PART I: Political Obligation and Political Authority
Week 1 (Aug. 31 - Sept. 4)
Harold Laski, “The Nature of the State,” pp. 1-4 [Bb]
Plato, Apology (in The Trial and Death of Socrates)
Plato, Crito (in The Trial and Death of Socrates)
Week 2 (Sept. 9 - 11) (Short Week)
No Class Monday (Labor Day)
Robert Paul Wolff, In Defense of Anarchism, Chapter I (pp. 1-19) [Bb]
David Graeber, “Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You!” [Bb]
Murray Rothbard, “Society Without a State” [Bb]
Week 3 (Sept. 14 - 18)
William Paley, “The Duty of Submission to Civil Government Explained” [Bb]
Christopher Wellman, “Samaritanism and the Duty to Obey the Law,” pp. 3-24, 30-33
[Bb]
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Week 4 (Sept. 21 - 25)
Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” [Bb]
Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” [Bb]
Christopher Wellman, “Military Service” (from “Samaritanism and the Duty to Obey the
Law”), pp. 65-71 [Bb]
Week 5 (Sept. 28 - Oct. 2)
George Kateb, “Is Patriotism a Mistake?” pp. 906-923. [Bb]
Francis Canavan, “The Virtue of Patriotism” [excerpt] [Bb]
George Kateb, “On Patriotism” (excerpt) [Bb]
Stephen Macedo, “Just Patriotism?” [Bb]
PART II: Democracy
Week 6 (Oct. 5 - 9)
Robert Paul Wolff, In Defense of Anarchism, Chapter II [Bb]
John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, pp. 72-78, 81-83, and
127-33 [Bb]
George Kateb, “The Moral Distinctiveness of Representative Democracy,” pp. 36-46
[Bb]
Week 7 (Oct. 12 - 16)
Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, pp. 250-273 and #6 on pp. 282-3
[Bb]
Larry Bartels, “Homer Gets a Tax Cut” [Bb]
Larry Bartels, “Ideology or Retrospection?” [Bb]
Robert Michels, Political Parties (excerpt) [Bb]
Week 8 (Oct. 19 - 23)
Jeff Stout, Blessed Are the Organized: Grassroots Democracy in America, Ch 1, 6, 8, 19
[Bb]
PART III: Freedom
Week 9 (Oct. 26 - 30)
Dostoyevsky, The Grand Inquisitor [Bb]
Nigel Warburton, “Two Concepts of Freedom” [Bb]
Philip Pettit, Just Freedom, pp. xi-xvii [Bb]
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Week 10 (Nov. 2 - 6)
Mill, On Liberty, chapter 1, 4, 5
Patrick Devlin, “Mill on Liberty and Morals” [Bb]
Week 11 (Nov. 9 - 13)
Goodin, “Permissible Paternalism: Saving Smokers from Themselves” [Bb]
Tobacco-Free UVM: “Final Report of the Steering Committee” [Bb]
Mill, On Liberty, chapter 3
Week 12 (Nov. 16 - 20)
Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, pp. 70-81 [Bb]
Robert Tucker, The Marxian Revolutionary Idea, pp. 17-25 [Bb]
Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party, pp. 473-483 [Bb]
G. A. Cohen, “Capitalism, Freedom, and the Proletariat” (excerpt) [Bb]
Week 13 (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4)
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents
Week 14 (Dec. 7 - 9)
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (Continued)
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, Dec. 15th, 1:30pm
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CLASSROOM PROTOCOL
The Department of Political Science requires that this classroom protocol, defining
minimum standards of conduct, be included in all syllabi.
1.
Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled
classes.
2.
Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period
ends. If a student knows in advance that he/she will need to leave early, he/she
should notify the instructor before the class period begins.
3.
Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For
example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class,
must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being
made by the instructors and by peers.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
If you wish to be excused from class or work because of a religious holiday, please email
me about the holiday(s) by the end of the second week of class, and we’ll work
something out.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
In keeping with University policy, any student with a documented disability interested in
utilizing accommodations should contact ACCESS, the office of Disability Services on
campus. ACCESS works with students and faculty to create reasonable and appropriate
accommodations via an accommodation letter to professors with suggested
accommodations as early as possible each semester. Contact ACCESS: A170
Living/Learning Center; 802-656-7753; [email protected]; or www.uvm.edu/access.
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