Political
Ideas
Fall 2001
Tentative
schedule of topics and readings:
Week 1-Aug. 29-
Introduction to the course and to each other.
Week 2-
Sept.5-Human nature and the study of ideologies
Readings: Heywood, Chapter One and
p. 74; Political Thought, pp. 7-33
Week
3-Sept.12-Classical liberalism and the idea of a social contract
Readings: Heywood, pp.24-55; Political Thought
pp.52-73, 142-145, 190-193, 210-213; more selections from Locke (handout)
Week
4-Sept.19-From classical to modern liberalism
Readings: Heywood, pp. 55-65; Political Thought pp.96-102, 208-210,
222-223, 241-245; selection from Liberalism by L.T.Hobhouse (handout).
Week 5-Sept.26-
Traditional conservatism
Readings: Heywood, pp.66-86 and
pp.249-250; Political Thought, pp.91-95, 106-110, 326-334
Week
6-Oct.3-
From traditional to modern conservatism
Readings: Heywood, pp.86-102; Political
Thought pp.155-171, 214-222, 229-231, 238-241
Part
II: Challenges from left, right and elsewhere
Week
7-Oct.10-Socialism
Readings: Heywood, Chapter 4; Political Thought
pp.103-105, 202-206, 215-216, 231-238, 345-358
Week 8-Oct.17-
Anarchism
Readings: Heywood, Chapter 6; Political Thought pp73-77’ 30-33
Week
9-Oct.24-Fascism and Fundamentalism
Readings: Heywood, Chapters 7 and
10; Handouts, TBA
Week 10-Oct.
31-Feminism
Readings: Heywood, Chapter 8; Political
Thought, pp.34-51
Week
11-Nov.7-Environmentalism
Readings: Heywood, Chapter 9;
Handouts, TBA
Part
III: Debating our political future
Weeks 12-15:
Nov.14, Nov.28, Dec.5, Dec.12
No class November 21
During this last
part of the course we will discuss issues, chosen in consultation with the
students (but definitely including something about ‘globalization’) of current
concern, with a view to enabling students to develop their own ideas about
where they think US politics should go.
Readings TBA