Political Science 303 |
Political Theories of Justice |
| Instructor: | B. Jeffrey Reno |
| Phone: | You may reach me during the day at my Lansing office at (517) 882-2689. If I am not there, please leave a number and let me know how late you are willing to receive a return call. |
| E-mail: | renobrad@msu.edu (by far the best way to reach me). |
| Office Hours: | Tuesday, Thursday: 1:40-3:00. |
| CASL Annex #19 Office Phone: 436-9190 |
THEME: This course will explore the topic of justice using the following questions as a guide: To what extent is justice rooted in nature? To what extent is it rooted in the divine? To what extent is it based on human agreement or social contract? What are the political implications of each position? How does this effect not only our judgement regarding the requirements of justice, but also our methods of remedying injustice? In working through these questions we will turn to the works of several important thinkers including Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and Karl Marx. In the last half of the class, particular attention will be paid to the role of private property and the various opportunities and challenges it poses for modern liberalism.
TEXTS:
| Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics (Ostwald edition). | |
| Aristotle. The Politics (Lord edition). | |
| John Locke. Two Treatises of Government (Laslett edition). | |
| Karl Marx. The Marx-Engles Reader (Tucker edition). |
There will also be a course pack consisting of selected readings from the Bible, St. Thomas Aquinas, several post-modern political thinkers, and Book One of Plato’s Republic (Bloom Edition). The course pack will be placed on reserve in the library. You may use it as you see fit, but I highly recommend that you check it out and photocopy it so that you have a copy for yourself.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: You will write one paper (5-8 pages in length). There will also be an in class midterm and final. The exams will consist of 20 short answer questions and two essays (4-5 pages in a large blue book). The paper and the midterm are each worth 30% of your grade and the final exam is worth 40%. Although no formal portion of the grade has been allotted for attendance and participation, both are expected and may effect standing when grades are calculated.
SCHEDULE OF READING ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS:
Week One
| Course Introduction. | ||
| Ancient political philosophy and Justice. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Ethics, Books 1-3. | |
Week Two
| The idea of virtue. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Ethics, Books 1-3 continued. | |
| The non-political virtues. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Ethics, Book 4. | |
Week Three
| Justice: The peak of virtue? | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Ethics, Book 5. | |
| Implications of Justice as a virtue. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Ethics, Book 5 continued. | |
Week Four
| Classical politics and Justice. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Politics, Book 1. | |
| The City and Man. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Politics, Books 1-2. | |
Week Five
| Justice and the Regime. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Politics, Books 2-3. | |
| Conclusion of Justice and Ancient Society. | ||
| Readings: | Aristotle, Politics, Book 3. | |
Week Six
| Justice and the Divine I. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment from the Old Testament (coursepack). | |
| Justice and the Divine II. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment from the New Testament (coursepack). | |
Week Seven
| The Thomistic Understanding of Justice I. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment from Summa Theologica (coursepack). | |
| The Thomistic Understanding of Justice II. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment from Summa Theologica (coursepack). | |
Week Eight
| ***MIDTERM EXAMINATION*** | ||
| Locke’s Critique of Aristotle and Aquinas I. | ||
| Readings: | Locke, First Treatise, Chapters I-VII. | |
| ***PAPER ASSIGNMENTS DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS*** | ||
Week Nine
| Locke’s Critique of Aristotle and Aquinas II. | ||
| Readings: | Locke, First Treatise, Chapters VIII-XI. | |
| Justice by Social Contract. | ||
| Readings: | Locke, Second Treatise, Chapters I-IV. | |
Week Ten
| The Economics of Liberal Justice. | ||
| Readings: | Locke, Second Treatise, Chapter V. | |
| The Politics of Liberal Justice. | ||
| Readings: | Locke, Second Treatise, Chapters VI-XIX. | |
| NB: Special Emphasis on VI-IX and XIIX-XIX. | ||
Week Eleven
| Marx’s Radical Critique of Classical, Judeo-Christian, and Liberal Justice. | ||
| Readings: | "For a Ruthless Critique of Everything Existing" (Tucker, 12-15). | |
| "On the Jewish Question" (Tucker, 26-52). | ||
| "Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: Introduction" (Tucker, 53-65). | ||
| Marxist History and Economics. | ||
| Readings: | "German Ideology: Part One" (Tucker, 146-200). | |
| "Wage Labor and Capital" (Tucker, 203-217). | ||
Week Twelve
| Marxist Politics: Justice as Emancipation. | ||
| Readings: | "Manifesto of the Communist Party" (Tucker, 469-500). | |
| Critical Theory and the "Linguistic" Turn. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment in Coursepack. | |
| ***PAPERS DUE IN CLASS*** | ||
Week Thirteen
| Postmodern Justice and the Current Predicament. | ||
| Readings: | Assignment in Coursepack. | |
| Back to the Future: Socrates’ Response to Foucault et. al. | ||
| Readings: | Plato, Republic, Book I (327a-339a)(coursepack). | |
Week Fourteen
| Platonic Justice. | ||
| Readings: | Plato, Republic, Book I (339b-354c) (coursepack). | |
| Course Conclusion. | ||
Finals Week
| ***Final Examination. |
| Tuesday, April 25, 2000, 8-11 AM |
| NOTE: I am willing to offer a review session prior to the exam. Date, time and location to be announced pending sufficient student interest. |