POLS Y203/401-Promise and Problems of Democracy

Spring 2010-Elliot Bartky

Office: CM 213

Office hours T, Th 1:30-2:45 & by appointment

email: bartky@ipfw.edu

 

 

Course Description http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHoOTXEfUNo&feature=channel

An examination of the promise and problem of democratic governance and civic education. The course: 1. introduces students to the fundamental issues of democratic politics through a close reading of classic texts in the history of political philosophy; 2. engages students in a discussion of the requirements for the establishment and maintenance of a democratic political order in the United States through an exploration of key arguments from the Founding to the present era. Those students taking the class at the 401 level will have additional readings and be evaluated accordingly.

 

Course Texts

The texts below are available in the Follett’s bookstore

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Sanzio_01_Plato_Aristotle.jpgHamilton, Madison, Jay                                 The Federalist Papers

Alexis de Tocqueville                                     Democracy in America
Booker T. Washington                                   Up from Slavery

W. E. B. Du Bois                                                The Souls of Black Folk

 

Many of the course readings are available on the course website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

                                                         

Regular Attendance is required

Since a large share of each test is based on class lectures you must attend class in order to do well on the tests. If you need to leave class early inform me prior to the beginning of class. The use of computers is not permitted in this course except under special circumstances requiring prior approval. Cell phones must be turned off or put on a silent mode. 

 

Reading Assignments

Follow the reading assignments on the course syllabus "Course Reading and Lecture Schedule." Your understanding of the lectures and performance on the tests will benefit by your having read the materials prior to attending class. It is especially important that you are able to integrate the reading material with the course lectures.

 

Many of the course readings are available on the course webpage. Please follow the link by clicking on the appropriate title.

 

Exams
There are four exams. Each exam will count for 20% of the final grade. The exams will consist of essay and other questions that will allow you to demonstrate your knowledge of course readings and lectures.

 

Reviews for the exams will be available on the course website.

 

The four exams each have essay questions. The essay questions appearing on these exams will be taken from the essay questions on the Study Guides on my website. If you do the readings and watch the lectures there is no reason for you not to be fully prepared to answer the essay questions.

 

The following two links provide helpful insights for writing essays. The information provided on these links will assist you in answering essay questions on the exams and in writing papers.

 

Essay Writing

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/01/

 

Writing Essays for Exams

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/737/01/

 

If you are taking the course through Distance Education you must take the exams through Testing Services:
BE SURE TO CALL TESTING SERVICES AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE EXAM TO SCHEDULE YOUR EXAM OTHERWISE THERE MAY NOT BE A TIME SLOT AVAILABLE.

 

Call  260-481-6600 to schedule an appointment to take the test. See the Testing Services website:  http://www.ipfw.edu/testing/distance/ 

 

Paper
POLS 203: One 5 page double spaced paper. The paper will count for 20% of the final grade.

 

POLS 401: One 7-9 page double spaced paper. The paper will count for 20% of the final grade.

 

The paper topics are available on the course website.
Due date:  March 18

Papers must be submitted in hard copy and electronically to my email address bartky@ipfw.edu  Papers are entered in a data bank that cross checks all the papers submitted in order to determine any cases of plagiarism. Use of the internet is permitted, but be aware that copying anything from the internet will be treated the same as if you have copied from another student’s paper, essay, journal article, book or any other source. Copying even a phrase or sentence constitutes plagiarism and will be treated as such.

 

Note on Academic Honesty
Students should familiarize themselves with and abide by the IPFW Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.

Students who violate the Code through cheating, plagiarism or other misconduct, or who assist others in engaging in prohibited conduct, will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

 

Course Reading Schedule

It is especially important that you are able to integrate the reading material with the course lectures.

 

 POLS 203 students are responsible for reading the selections marked with an asterisk*

 

POLS  401 students are responsible for readings with an asterisk*and those marked with a double asterisk **

 

1.    Introduction: The Promise and Problems of Democracy         1/12      

   

                Lecture 1:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/47a9eb5d-7afd-45fd-b978-8c17a82dc3aa

 

 

Part 1: Historical Lessons

      

2.    * Plato, Republic Bk. 8 (555b-569c);                                    1/14

        * Plato, Statesman (291D-292A, 302C-303B)

       * Essay on Athenian Democracy

       **Herodotus, Histories: Otanes’ Speech

       **Thucydides, Peloponnesian War: Pericles Funeral Oration

 

                Lecture 2:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/eb6be442-d77b-4f87-9e89-77963513c89e

 

3.    Aristotle, Politics                                                                                       1/19

       * Book 3.1 1275a22, 1275b3, 1275b17

       * Book 4.4, 4.6, 4.11

       * Book 6.1-5

  

                Lecture 3:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/99769021-1ae0-4020-9704-0793db202e43

 

4.    Democracy and Rome                                                                            1/21

       * Essay on The Roman Constitution

       * Polybius, Histories  Bk. 6

       ** Cicero, On the Commonwealth Bk. 1, 35-

      

                Lecture 4:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/0e09ba98-4dec-4a37-b2da-dcd9321d463f

 

5.    Machiavelli, Discourses                                                         1/26 

      * Book 1, Ch. 1-6, 11-12, 17-18, 25, 42, 53, 58

      * Book 2, Ch. 1-2, 20, 29-30

      * Book 3, Ch. 1, 8-9, 49

  

                Lecture 5:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/15e00de5-f5af-4c59-a40d-796762a6455e

 

6.    Locke, Second Treatise of Government                                           1/28  

       *Ch. 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19

 

                Lecture 6:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/eb09ac87-8b7e-462b-adbe-71eeb05407de

 

7.    Rousseau, Social Contract                                                                    2/2

      *Selections

 

        Lecture 7:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/c7745bdf-e7d5-48df-9707-cb3ba19471f0

 

8.  Exam 1                                                                               2/4

  

 

 

Part 2: Founding the American Republic

 

9.  The Protestant Reformation and American Democracy             2/9

      *Martin Luther, Letter on Christian Liberty

      *John Calvin, Christian Obedience and its Limits

      **Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2

 

                Lecture 8:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/fb1f9ea1-a835-4faf-adb6-4609c16a2ea7

 

10.   Puritans: Religion and the origins of American Democracy    2/11

      *Winthrop, Model of Christian Charity

      *Cotton, Letter to Lord Say & Seal

      *Williams, Bloody Tenent

      ** http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=1657&C=1651

 

                Lecture 9:            http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/f42f941d-56d2-4062-9c54-dd757752932b

 

11.  Revolution and Democracy                                                                  2/16

      *Declaration of Independence

      *Paine, Common Sense                                                                         

 

                Lecture 10:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/628c25f1-399f-4e21-8627-1a28da79559b

 

12. Revolution and Democracy, continued

      *Niles, Discourse on Liberty                                                                   2/18

      *Adams, Thoughts on Government

 

The Constitution and the Making of a Democratic Republic

The Federalist

 

                Lecture 11:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/30f05602-879f-4ad0-9952-ad07fd967e3d

 

13. *Federalist # 10, 14, 15,                                                                          2/23

       ** Federalist #1, 9

                Lecture 12:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/9f22cd23-5022-4225-830f-80399991a059

14. *Federalist # 23, 39, 51                                                                           2/25

1

                Lecture 13:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/232b0dda-8fbe-4809-9227-14c095b272ac

5. *Federalist # 52, 62, 68, 78, 85                                                             3/2

 

            Lecture 14:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/c229e55b-3877-4442-a0a3-e6cadedebd40

 

16. Exam 2                                                                                                         3/4

      

Part 3: Democracy and the Maintenance of the Republic

 

Tocqueville, Democracy in America

17. *Author’s Introduction, Vol. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2, 4, 8                         3/16

 

                Lecture 15:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/6ffabed9-b724-4639-af65-607227114369

 

18. *Vol.  1 Part 2, Ch. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9                                                          3/18

       **Vol. 2, Part 1, Ch. 1, 2, 5,  

 

                Lecture 16:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/939e8f3c-a83a-4821-a7b9-9c6357996a51

 

19. *Vol. 2, Part 2, Ch. 1, 2, 20                                                                     3/23

 

                Lecture 17:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/5e86815e-5417-403e-9399-86285e752938

 

20.  * Vol. 2, Part 3, Ch. 8, 9, 11, 12,                                                    3/25                                                      

 

                Lecture 18:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/63807897-f6a0-4b6b-86f5-ecdb15c98b38

 

Lincoln  and the Democratic Promise                                                       3/30

21. *Lyceum Speech

       *Gettysburg Address

       **Crisis of the House Divided

 

                Lecture 19:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/ef877c7b-5016-4252-ba58-357c8265eb53

 

Alternative Voices                                                                                           4/1

22. * Elizabeth Cady Stanton, On Woman's Rights                    

       * Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments

       **Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

 

                Lecture 20:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/b800e758-8d81-4082-859c-08a3c9381ccc

 

23. Exam 3                                                                                                         4/6

 

Part 4: The Promise and Problems of Democracy

 

Washington, Up from Slavery

 24.*Ch. 1-5, 7, 8, 10                                                                                        4/8                                                        

 

                Lecture 21:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/0708d378-9739-43dd-b714-c429e7f1e6b2

 

 25.*Ch. 14-17                                                                                                    4/13   

 

                Lecture 22:          http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/4613ad6a-ef2b-445a-8932-6293beda6e81

                                                                                                                               

Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk

 26.*Forethought, Ch. 1-6                                                       4/15   

 

            Lecture 23:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/d4cd9c82-6ef7-4601-b9b0-898dbb3f94aa

 

 27.*Ch.7-14                                                                            4/20

 

            Lecture 24:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/a8b9592e-4e82-47e5-9b41-9a1b2034ec43

 

Democracy and Capitalism                                                                           4/22

28. * Sumner, Absurd Effort to Make the World Over

       *Debs, The Issue      

      **Brownson, The Democratic Principle

 

            Lecture 25:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/2989c3d8-b0ae-4d14-90c9-a2d3f97ef4ff

 

29. Civil Rights                                                                                    4/27

      *King, Letter from Birmingham Jail    

 

            Lecture 26:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/dd44231a-3494-40c3-a495-1502883fef81

 

30. Tocqueville, Democracy in America

       * Vol. 2, Part 4, Ch. 1, 6, 7, 8                                                 4/29

 

            Lecture 27:      http://dl.ipfw.edu:8081/ess/echo/presentation/21c6740f-7191-47d1-bb78-e339310e406a

 

Exam 4            5/3-5/5