NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS

INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY

V.53.0100

Tuesday, Thursday 2:00 – 3:15

Professor Bernard Manin

Teaching Assistants: Thomas Hill, Sunny Kaniyathu, Azi Lev-on

I. Reading list.

- Plato, The Republic, trans. by A. Bloom, New York: Basic Books, 1991. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers ].

-  Aristotle, Politics, trans. by E. Barker, Oxford: Oxford U.P./World's Classics, 1995. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers].

-  Hobbes, T., Leviathan [1651], ed. by C.B. Macpherson, Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1985. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers]

-  Locke, J., Two Treatises of Government, [1679-1683], ed. by P. Laslett, Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1988.  [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers  ]

-  Rousseau, J.-J., The Basic Political Writings, (Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts, [1750], Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, [1754], Discourse on Political Economy, [1755], On the Social Contract, [1762]), ed. by D.A. Cress, Hackett, 1987.  [To be purchased . Available at NYU Book Centers ].

-  Mill, J. S., "Utilitarianism" [1861], in On liberty and other Essays, ed. by J. Gray, Oxford U.P., Oxford Classics. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers ].

-    Berlin, I., "Two concepts of liberty", [1958] in Four Essays on Liberty, Oxford U.P., 1969. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers ]

- Rawls, J., "Justice as fairness", The Philosophical Review, vol. 67, 2, April 1958, [Available via JSTOR database on Bobst website]

- Rawls, J., Political Liberalism, Columbia University Press, 1993. [To be purchased. Available at NYU Book Centers]

- Rawls, J., Justice as fairness. A Restatement, Harvard University Press, 2001. [Optional. Available at NYU Book Centers]                  

II. Course requirements:

This course offers a general survey of ancient, modern, and contemporary political thought in the West. Classes will be devoted to lectures and discussions of the readings. Readings will consist of selections from the works listed above. Mandatory recitation sessions are also offered, and are an integral part of the course. Final grades will be based on: two in-class examinations consisting of short answer questions over the course of the semester, and one final take-home essay examination; they will also reflect attendance and participation

III. Schedule of lectures and reading assignments

6 Sept.:            General introduction

11 Sept.:          The Greek discovery of politics. Plato, Republic.

                        Reading: Plato, Republic, Bks. I, II

13 Sept.:          Plato, Republic

                        Reading: Plato, Republic, Bks. III, IV

18 Sept.:          Plato, Republic

                        Reading: Plato, Republic, Bk. V

20 Sept.:          Aristotle, Politics      

                        Reading: Aristotle, Politics, Bk. I, chs.1-5

25 Sept.:          Aristotle, Politics

                        Reading: Aristotle, Politics, Bk.II, chs. 1-5; Bk. III, chs. 1-5

27 Sept.:          Aristotle, Politics

                        Reading: Aristotle, Politics, Bk. III, chs. 6-13; Bk. IV, chs.  3-9

2 Oct.:              Aristotle, Politics

                        Reading: Aristotle, Politics, Bk. III, chs. 15-17; Bk. IV, ch.1

4 Oct.:              The rise of the modern idea of rights: a new paradigm in its

                        historical context       

9 Oct.:              In-class exam

11 Oct.:            Hobbes, Leviathan

                        Reading: Hobbes, Leviathan, chs. 11, 13, 14          

16 Oct.:            Hobbes, Leviathan

                        Reading: Hobbes, Leviathan, chs. 17-19

18 Oct.:            Hobbes, Leviathan

                        Reading: Hobbes, Leviathan, chs. 21, 29, 30, "Review and conclusion"

23 Oct.:            Locke, Second Treatise of Government

                        Reading: Locke, Second Treatise, chs. 1-4 

25 Oct.:            Locke, Second Treatise of Government

                        Reading: Locke, Second Treatise, chs. 5, 7-9

30 Oct.:            Locke, Second Treatise of Government

                        Reading: Locke, Second Treatise, chs. 11-13

1 Nov..:            Locke, Second Treatise of Government

                        Reading: Locke, Second Treatise, chs. 14, 19

6 Nov.:             Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

                        Reading: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

                        (in its entirety)

8 Nov.:             Rousseau, On the Social Contract

                        Reading: Rousseau, Social Contract, Bk.I, chs. 1-8

13 Nov.:           Rousseau, On the Social Contract

                        Reading: Rousseau, Social Contract, Bk.II, chs.1-3; Bk. III, ch. 15; Bk. IV, chs.1, 2

15 Nov.:           In-class exam

20 Nov.:           Mill, Utilitarianism

                        Reading: Mill, Utilitarianism, (in its entirety)       

22 Nov. ;         No classes     

27 Nov.:           Rawls, A Theory of Justice

                        Reading: Rawls, "Justice as fairness", The Philosophical Review                                              

29 Nov.:           Rawls, Political Liberalism

                        Reading: Political liberalism, Introduction, pp. XIII-XXXIV                               

4 Dec.:             Berlin, Two concepts of liberty

                        Reading: Berlin, Two concepts of liberty, Sections 1-4

6 Dec.:             Berlin, Two concepts of liberty

                        Reading: Berlin, Two concepts of liberty, Sections 5-8

11 Dec.:           Overview