Please read all of this
syllabus.
POL 261-01
Three Credit Hours
Fall
2007
I. Course title: Introduction to Political Theory
II. Instructor’s name: Dr. Winfield H. Rose
Office location: 5A-10 Faculty Hall
Phone
numbers: (270) 809-2662 (office); 753-0126
(home); 809-2688 (fax); 556-6342 (cell)
E-mail: winfield.rose@murraystate.edu
Homepage: http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/winfield.rose/main.htm
Office
hours:
III. Class meeting
time, location and language of instruction:
IV. Catalog description: Introduction to the concepts, enduring questions, and significant thinkers associated with political philosophy. Specific attention will be given to differing conceptions of human nature, politics, the state, civic obligations and rights, freedom, justice, and democracy.
V. Purpose: As a required course for all political science majors and minors, the purpose of this course is to ensure that all such majors have a basic awareness of the most important ideas, questions and thinkers in political philosophy.
VI. Objectives:
VII. Content: The course will be divided into three major parts, which are commonly called: (1) ancient or classical political theory; (2) medieval political theory; and (3) modern political theory. The latter will include the political theory of the American founding.
VIII.
Instructional activities:
Classes will be a combination of discussion and lecture. Class attendance is important and
expected.
IX. Field, clinical, and/or laboratory experiences: None, but you will need a good chair and a good reading lamp in a quiet room to enhance concentration and minimize distraction.
X. Resources: As we take up each new thinker you are asked to go to The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the internet (http://www.iep.utm.edu/) for the purpose of acquiring (1) biographical information, (2) recognition of major works, and (3) a background overview of major ideas; this will supplement your texts and class discussion and should be helpful. You also will be given handouts from time to time. Take them seriously; they are important.
XI. Grading procedures:
Three tests: September 25: 20% (date subject to change)
October 30: 20% (date subject to change)
December 11 (final exam): 25% (date not subject to change)
Class attendance: 15%
Class participation: 5%
Book review: 15% (further instructions below)
Grade ranges: 92 – 99% = A
83 – 92% = B
74 – 83% = C
65 – 74% = D
Below 65% = E
XII.
Attendance policy: As
indicated previously, attendance is important and expected. Roll will be taken every day.
Approved absences will include authorized and
approved official university activities accompanied by written
verification
from sponsoring faculty, approved health reasons accompanied by written
verification from the physician or Student Health, and death in the
immediate
family. You should make every effort to
avoid scheduling medical and dental appointments at times which
conflict with
this or any other class; such appointments are flexible and need not
occur at
class times. Absences from scheduled
tests will not be well received; if the absence is absolutely necessary
and is
approved, all make-up tests will occur on the last day of class,
Friday,
December 7, at
XIII. Other class policies: You are asked not to: (1) have a cell phone or pager go off in class; (2) talk to one another when it is time for class to begin or after it has begun; (3) use a Walkman, iPod or similar apparatus; (4) wear caps in class; (5) eat in class; (6) be late habitually; (7) read or study other material or do homework for another class; or (8) leave or prepare to leave before class is dismissed. Such activities will not be well received. Drinking Cokes, Pepsis, coffee, etc., and laptops for taking notes are acceptable, but please turn off all cell phones and pagers when class begins.
XIV. Academic
honesty policy: The policy on
academic honesty adopted by the Board of Regents on
XV. Texts:
Winfield H. Rose, “The
Theological,
Philosophical and Historical
Foundations of the American Polity,” 2002. For sale (at about $2.50)
at Copy Express (first floor, south business building).
Richard Weaver, Ideas Have
Consequences, University of Chicago Press, 2002. (This is
for your outside writing assignment.)
XVI. Prerequisites: There are no formal prerequisites but sophomore standing is assumed.
XVII.
Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity:
XVIII. Students with
Disabilities: Students with bona fide disabilities should
contact me privately so that appropriate arrangements may be made.
XIX. Outside
Writing Assignment: Book Review
(1) Does the author have a thesis, theory or hypothesis he is testing? If not, what is the purpose of writing the book?
(2) What kinds of data, that is, what are the principal data the author brings to bear in the book? Is the book empirical, historical, intuitive, analytical, experiential (not experimental), or a combination?
(3)
Summarize his most important findings,
conclusions, arguments and positions.
(This should constitute roughly half of your paper.)
(4) What contribution, if any, does this book make to the study of political theory and/or to the clarification of contemporary political issues?
(5) What is your general assessment of the book? Is it well written? Are the author’s arguments and conclusions easy to follow? Is his argument clear? Would you recommend the book? Why or why not?
Quare
ergo liberalibus studiis
filios erudimus?
Ex umbris
et imaginibus
in veritatem!
John Henry Cardinal Newman
We must now proceed to the further
question which we set
ourselves, whether the just live better and happier lives than the
unjust.
It is, in fact, already clear, I think, from what we have said,
that they do; but we must look at the question more closely. For
it
is not a trivial one; it is our whole way of life that is at issue.
Plato