Term V, 1998-99 Term
Dates: June 7-July 30, 1999
Class
Location: Agnano
Class Days/Times: 12/13; 26/27
June; 10/11; 24/25 July/ 0900-1600
Lecturer:
James Freed
Phone/FAX:
081 526-5029 or through UMUC at DSN 640-2953
e-mail:
jlfreed@iol.it
Office
Hours: By appointment through the phone or
e-mail address above. Normally will be just before or after regularly scheduled
classes.
TEXT(S):
Hobhouse, L. T., Liberalism
Marx,
Karl and Engels, Friedrich, The Communist Manifesto
Hampton,
Jean, Political Philosophy
Other material in the form of handouts or web site research
CREDIT:
3 hours in upper level HIST or GVPT credit. Prerequisite is GVPT 100 or 170, or
consent of the instructor.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION: A survey of the principal
political theories and ideologies set forth in the works of major political
philosophers. Political philosophy, or theory, seeks to examine the deepest
motivations of humanity and the interaction of people in political communities.
This is a course about thinking, not about finding “the answer”. There are
perhaps eight or ten questions that have served as major topics for political
theorists for more than 2000 years. No one has answered them completely, nor
will we in this course. We will,
however, explore some of the great political questions of the ages and attempts
to deal with them by addressing the enduring dilemmas that have challenged
political philosophers. Topics well include: Who should rule? What limits should
be placed upon the rulers? Liberty and anarchy. What is justice? Are we truly
equal? Students will then examine the history and tenets of the two primary
modern political theories-Marxism and Liberalism-which emerged as the major
ideologies of the Cold War era, shaping much of the 20th century.
Current political theory will complete the course by introducing feminism and
globalism as modern approaches to ancient political questions.
COURSE
OBJECTIVES: By the end of this course
students will be able to:
1.
Discuss major features of Marxism and Liberalism.
2.
Identify strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to political
theory.
3.
Present arguments for and against major political ideas.
4.
Identify major arguments of feminism and globalism and their impact on
modern political theory
5.
Be familiar with terminology associated with political theory.
EVALUATION:
The course grade will be based on quality of class participation, written work,
mid-term and final exams. Exams
will normally be a combination of objective (multiple choice, T/F, fill-in the
blanks, short answers, etc.) and essay questions. Emphasis will be placed on
essay-type questions. Class participation may include unannounced quizzes and
assigned homework. Class participation will include presentations of study
materials assigned by the instructor. Term paper topics will be submitted by
students at the first class meeting. You
should plan to do a term paper related to either history or government,
depending on which area they have chosen for course credit. Length will be
approximately 15 pages. Documentation of source material should be in either MLA
or APA format. Students who are not familiar with these formats should obtain a
current style manual to guide them.
Class
participation/quizzes and homework:
30 points.
Term
Paper:
30 points.
Mid-term
exam:
20 points.
Final
exam:
20 points.
A=
90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79 D =
60-69
F(a) = below 60
Writing
assignments, including essay exam answers, with significant errors in grammar,
spelling and mechanics will be reduced in grade depending upon the severity of
the problems.
READING/CLASS
TOPIC SCHEDULE:
Weekend
1: Read: Political Philosophy
Chapters 1-3
12-13
June
Topics:
Who Should Rule?
How Much Authority Should Rulers
Have?
Weekend
2: Read: Political Philosophy Chapter 4
26-27
June Read: Communist Manifesto
All
Topics:
What is Justice?
Equality, Community
Mid-Term Exam
Weekend
3: Read: Political Philosophy
Chapter 5
10-11
July Read: Hobhouse- Liberalism
All
Weekend
4: Read: Political Philosophy
Chapter 6
24-25
July
Topics:
Nationalism and Globalism
Feminism and Natural Law
Final Exam
IMPORTANT
DATES:
Mid-term
Exam: June 27th
Final
Exam: July
25th
Term
Paper Due: July 19th
CLASS
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
Use
of Internet:
Internet access is strongly recommended for this course. While it is most convenient to have your own computer and internet provider at home, you have several other options available at low or no cost. These include the NSA (and soon, perhaps, the AFSOUTH) library, UMUC computer lab and NSA cybercafe. Free e-mail addresses are available at a number of popular web sites, such as Yahoo! and Hotmail.com. You can also get a reduced rate on telephone charges to your internet provider. NSA Housing Office has details on how to apply, or download the application directly from Telecom Italia’s web site. With the discount, telephone charges are only around 40 cents per hour during off peak times.
Since
we will meet only every two weeks, e-mail is an excellent way to keep in touch
between class meetings. Please send me a brief e-mail message when you sign up
for the course, so I can add you to the student mailing list. You’ll also
discover that internet goes a long way towards overcoming the deficiencies of
our local library system when it comes to term paper research. As a UMUC
student, you are also authorized to obtain a bar code, which gives you access to
Maryland on-line research materials. Check with Field Reps to get current
details on how to apply for your password. You may also be interested in
downloading free software from www.ferretsoft.com
which will assist you in doing on-line research. There are also a growing number
of search engines on the web. Once you have discovered web sites of interest, it
is a simple matter to subscribe to them and be notified automatically of new
material. If you’re new to Internet, I suggest you obtain a guidebook to learn
the basics before the course starts. One final note, due to “Minimize”
restrictions resulting from the Kosovo deployments, I will not send e-mail to
military servers. You need to get your own personal non-military e-mail address
if you want to participate in e-mail.
Attendance:
Regular
class attendance is expected. If you should miss a class meeting, it remains
your responsibility to obtain information concerning the material covered and
upcoming assignments. While attendance itself is not part of your grade, class
participation and quizzes are. You can’t participate if you’re not present;
and make-up quizzes will not be offered. Military students who miss three or more
regularly scheduled class meetings must be reported to the Educational Services
Officer. Excused absence will be granted only for official military duties,
emergencies or illness. Verification is required.
Reading
Assignments:
Students
are expected to read the assignments before coming to class as part of their
preparation for participation. Not all reading topics will be covered during
class, but never-the-less will be subject to examination. Conversely, topics not
included in the reading may be supplemented by the instructor in the form of
handouts, lectures, discussion, etc. This is particularly true of current events
associated with the course. Students should view the textbook readings and
classroom activities as complementary components of the overall course
materials; both subject to examination.
Withdrawal:
A
grade of “W” can only be given if the student completes an official
withdrawal form through the UMUC office. Failure to complete the form will
result in a grade of F(n) for non-attendance.
Classroom
Behavior:
While
students are encouraged to participate in class discussions, profanity and/or
lack of respect for other students or the instructor will not be tolerated.
Students who persist in such behavior will be expelled from the class and
awarded a grade of F(a) for academic failure.
Make-up
Exams and Late Submission of Assignments and Incomplete:
Make-up
exams, late submission of assignments and course grades of Incomplete (I) will
only be considered for documented official military duties, emergencies or
illness. A grade of “I” is a temporary one. It can only be awarded
when you have negotiated, in advance, a mutually acceptable time limit with the
instructor for finishing the required course work. If not completed by the
agreed date, and there are no further extenuating circumstances, the unfinished
work will receive a grade of zero for computation of the overall course grade.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarized
papers, reports, or exams will receive a grade of zero, whether copied in whole
or in part. See the Maryland in Europe Catalog for UMUC policy on academic
dishonesty and plagiarism.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
James
Freed earned his Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval
Postgraduate School in 1977. He has
filled posts as a Political-Military Affairs Adviser in Europe and the Far East.
He joined the University of Maryland in Europe in 1993 and has taught a
variety of government, international relations and history courses and seminars.