Dr. Matthew Landauer landauer@fas.harvard.edu Office hours: Wed., 2-4, CGIS-S413 Course Meetings: M, W, 10-11 am.

Government 10, Spring 2014 Harvard University

FOUNDATIONS OF POLITICAL THEORY

This course introduces students to central issues in democratic theory. Can democracy defend itself in the face of its critics? Is democratic rule the uniquely just form of collective decisionmaking? What legitimates central democratic institutions, such as majority rule? How can we deal with persistent disagreement in politics? Which political institutions best express democratic values of equality, freedom, and participation? We will take up these questions drawing from canonical and contemporary work in political theory. SCHEDULE
D E M O CR A C Y S CR I T I CS , A N C I E N T A N D M O D E R N

1. C O U R S E I N T R O D U C T I O N 2. A T H E N IA N D E M O C R A C Y Athenian democracy excerpts: Herodotus, 3.80-82 (Constitutional Debate) Thucydides, 2.34-46 (Pericles Funeral Oration) Plato, Protagoras, selections Aristotle, Politics, III.1-13 (read 1-13, but focus especially on 6-11) 3. R U L E B Y O R A T O R S A N D A D M E N Plato, Republic, selections Thucydides, Mitylenean Debate; Sicilian Debate Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, excerpts 4. T H E S T A T E O F N A T U R E Thucydides, civil war in Corcyra Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, intro, 1 - 6, 10 - 11, 13 15: pp. 9-46, 62-75, 86-115 5. D E F E N D I N G A B S O L U T I S M Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 17 - 21, 24 - 26, 29 - 30: pp. 117-154, 170-172, 176-185, 221-244.

Mon. 27 Jan. Wed. 29 Jan.

Mon. 3 Feb.

Wed. 5 Feb.

Mon. 10 Feb.

D E M O CR A C Y S F O U N D A T I O N S

6. T H E F O R C E O F M A J O R I T Y R U L E John Locke, Second Treatise: 1 51, 77 99, 119 - 142, 159 - 176, 220-226 7. T H E O R IG IN S O F I N E Q U A L I T Y

Wed. 12 Feb.

Wed. 19 Feb.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Second Discourse 8. A U T O N O M Y A N D C O L L E C T I V E S E L F - R U L E Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Social Contract, Books I-II 9. T H E R A T IO N A L IT Y O F D E M O C R A C Y Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Social Contract, Books III-IV Richard Wollheim, A Paradox in the Theory of Democracy Mon. 24 Feb.

Wed. 26 Feb.

10. R E P R E S E N T A T I O N Mon. 3 Mar. Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, ch. 3, ch. 8 Burke, Speech to the Electors at Bristol Antifederalists, selections Mansbridge, Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? 11. A G G R E G A T E O R D E L IB E R A T E ? Wed. 5 Mar. Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson, Why Deliberative Democracy? Simone Chambers, Rhetoric and the Public Sphere John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, ch. 10 First Assignment Due Wed. 5 Mar. 12. T H E C A S E F O R D E M O C R A C Y : D E M O C R A T IC IN T E L L IG E N C E Mon. 10 Mar. John Dewey, The Public and its Problems, selections Helen Landemore, The Mechanisms of Collective Intelligence in Politics Elizabeth Anderson, The Epistemology of Democracy 13. T H E C A S E F O R D E M O C R A C Y : C I T I Z E N S H IP A N D S T A N D IN G Judith Shklar, American Citizenship Thomas Christiano, Democratic Authority Wed. 12 Mar.

L I B E R T Y A N D D E M O C R A CY 14. L IB E R T Y A N D T Y R A N N Y O F T H E M A JO R IT Y John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, ch. 1-4 15. F R E E D O M F O R W H O M ? John Stuart Mill, testimony on the Contagious Diseases Act Rae Langton, Speech Acts and Unspeakable Acts Philip Kitcher, Constraints on Free Inquiry 16. F R E E D O M A N D M O N E Y Hayek, Freedom and Coercion G.A. Cohen, Freedom and Money Jeremy Waldron, Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom 17. M A R X O N F R E E D O M On the Jewish Question Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, selections Mon. 24 Mar.

Wed. 26 Mar.

Mon. 31 Mar.

Wed. 2 Apr.

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18. A N A R C H I S M A N D U N R U L Y P O L IT IC S James Scott, Two Cheers for Anarchism Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, selections Article TBA E Q U A L I T Y A N D D E M O CR A C Y 19.
M O D E L IN G M O R A L E Q U A L IT Y

Mon. 7 Apr.

Wed. 9 Apr.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, 1-5, 10-12, 14 Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron 20.
D E M O C R A T IC E Q U A L IT Y

Mon. 14 Apr.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, 77, 13, 15-17, 53-55 Thomas Nagel, Justice and Nature 21.
D IS T R IB U T I V E JU S T IC E A N D B E Y O N D

Wed. 16 Apr.

G.A. Cohen, Why Not Socialism? Robert Nozick, Distributive Justice 22.
IN E Q U A L IT Y A N D F E M IN I S M

Mon. 21 Apr.

Susan Moller Okin, Justice and Gender: An Unfinished Debate Iris Marion Young, Five Faces of Oppression 23. IN T E G R A T I O N A N D E Q U A L IT Y Elizabeth Anderson, The Imperative of Integration, selections Wed. 23 Apr.

24. JU D I C IA L R E V IE W Mon. 28 Apr. Ronald Dworkin, The Majoritarian Premise and Constitutionalism Jeremy Waldron, Judicial Review and the Conditions of Democracy

Second Assignment Due Wed. 30 Apr.

MATERIALS Most course readings are available through the restricted-access course website. The following required books are available from the Harvard Coop. They can also be purchased online but be sure to get the correct editions and translations: G.A. Cohen, Why Not Socialism? (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 2009) Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, edited by Richard Tuck (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996). Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract and The First and Second Discourses, edited by Susan Dunn (Yale University Press: New Haven, 2002).

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John Stuart Mill, On Liberty and other Essays, edited by John Gray (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1998). John Rawls, A Theory of Justice: Revised Edition (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, 1999). James Scott, Two Cheers for Anarchism (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 2012) ASSIGNMENTS (1) Participation (30%): a. Active participation in discussion sections and engagement in lectures is required. In addition, your participation in the peer review process for the second paper will count towards your participation grade. See Second Assignment, below, for more details. Finally, we will also be doing a collaborative markup of parts of the Hobbes reading assignment details to come. Together, 20% of your grade will be based on your participation in section, the paper exchange, and the collaborative markup. b. Reading Responses (10%):

During the course of the term, you must complete six brief reading responses (and at least one per unit). Each response will answer the following two questions: (1) In what you read this week, what did you find most illuminating? Why? (2) In what you read this week, what did you find most puzzling, or what would you like to discuss further in section? Why? Responses should not be longer than 200 words in total, and will be graded on a check, check+, check- scale. Reading responses must be handed in as hard copies to your TF in class on Wednesday. Reading responses are meant to help you keep up with the reading and to help your TF see what aspects of the assigned readings are particularly interesting or difficult for students. Good responses will tend to be narrowly focused and will reflect thoughtful engagement with the details of the assigned texts.
(2) First Assignment (15%): A paper of 1300-1500 words is due on March 5. (3) Second Assignment (25%): A paper of 1800-2000 words. For the second paper assignment, we will be doing a peer paper exchange. Papers will be turned into your TF and a chosen partner from your section on April 23; comments on your partners paper will be due on April 25; and the final draft of the paper will be due on April 30. The mechanics of the paper exchange will be explained in section. Your comments on your peers paper will count towards your participation grade. (4) Final Examination (30%): This final examination integrates the themes and readings of the course, and will draw on arguments presented in lecture. The following policies apply to written assignments: (1) Assignments are to be submitted to your

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Teaching Fellows email inbox by 5p; a paper submitted at 5:10p will count as one day late; (2) Late papers will be penalized at the rate of 1/3 of a grade a day; (3) This grade penalty will only be waived in the case of documented medical emergencies; (4) Plagiarism, the presentation of another persons work as ones own, will be reported to the Harvard administration; (5) All assignments must be completed in order to pass the course.

COLLABORATION POLICY Discussion and the exchange of ideas are essential to academic work. For assignments in this course, you are encouraged to consult with your classmates on the choice of paper topics and to share sources. You may find it useful to discuss your chosen topic with your peers, particularly if you are working on the same topic as a classmate. However, you should ensure that any written work you submit for evaluation is the result of your own research and writing and that it reflects your own approach to the topic. You must also adhere to standard citation practices in this discipline and properly cite any books, articles, websites, lectures, etc. that have helped you with your work.

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS Students who need academic accommodations for a disability should contact Student Disability Resources, 20 Garden Street, (617) 496-8707, TTY: (617) 496-3720, sdr@fas.harvard.edu.

TF CONTACT INFO:
Adriana Alfaro, Head TF: alfaro@fas.harvard.edu James Brandt, TF: jebrandt@fas.harvard.edu Joe Muller, TF: jmuller@fas.harvard.edu