Spring 2006
Tuesday/Thursday 2:45-4:00 PM
Mr. Beckman
This is a seminar in political philosophy that specifically aims at understanding democracy as a system of government. The title is an abbreviated form of "thinking through the idea of democracy," that is, finding the essence of the concept of democracy and then working through some of the issues of being a democratic people in the world as we know it. During the first half of the semester we will read a number of classic texts in political philosophy and in the traditional literature of American democracy. In all, we will be interested in understanding what democracy is and, hence, what conditions this may place on a democratic people. During the second half of the semester, we will approach several problems in contemporary American society. For example, does democracy imply or require any particular cultural attributes? Does democracy imply any particular condition of social equity? Are there special challenges or opportunities for democracy in the new technologies of communication? And where do social institutions, such as religious practice, properly fit into the function of democratic governance? How do issues such as national security affect democratic institutions?
Texts for this course have been ordered at Huntley Bookstore. There are quite a few books, though the average cost is not large. You can limit your expenses in several ways. First, quite acceptable texts for Plato and Aristotle can be found on-line. Locke's Second Treatise . . . can be downloaded as a PDF file. The Federalist Papers and several other texts are also on-line. See Internet Resources. Second, you can go in with a friend and each buy half the books so long as you are willing to share in a timely manner.
Assignments
Attendance and adequate preparation for discussion are expected in this class. Readings should be completed before class so that the material can be discussed critically. Please see the Course Schedule.
This WebSite includes Course Notes which should be read in conjunction with the appropriate texts. The course notes give me the opportunity of giving you background material, introducing some of the issues, and offering my interpretations. This salvages class time for student-oriented discussion and prevents lecturing. This system works, however, only if you will take advantage of the notes.
There will be weekly short writing assignments that are due on Tuesdays. These should consider current texts in the context of class discussions. The preferred form of this assignment is a copy of a recent newspaper article that, in your mind, bears on issues in democracy accompanied by a two-page written commentary that explains the relationship you see between the article and your current readings/discussions. If, for some reason, you are unable to find a suitable newspaper article, you may submit a three-page summary/commentary on some portion of the material being read that week. News articles can be accessed in either hard copy or online. There are links to some news sources in the Internet Resources page.
There will also be a term research paper due at semester's end. The term project should focus on one of the special topics (or a similar topic approved by me in advance) in democracy, should represent additional reading on this topic, and should be approximately 15 pages in length, with footnotes and bibliography. A section on Internet Resources is provided as an aid to your research.
Seminar students will be responsible for class presentations and discussion throughout the semester. However, teams of students will make presentations and lead the discussions for the topics in the second half of the semester. We will form these teams early in the semester.
Suggested Readings
Contact Information
My office is in Parsons Hall, Rm 1270, and my office phone is 909-607-3148. The best way to get in touch with me is by e-mail at Tad_Beckman@HMC.Edu
Updated on March 22, 2006; click here to return to My HomePage or here to return to Course Index Page.