PL 0560: Political Philosophy Brown University Sem. II, 2011-12 (Spring 2012) MWF 11-11:50am Prof.

David Estlund

Papers Students will be required to write 4 papers, with the length limits, due dates, and revision dates specified below on the schedule. I will be assigning paper topics, but if you receive an A on one paper, you may ask me about a topic of your own choice on the next one. Papers will be submitted online through the website for this course. Revising Students have the option of revising the first and/or third paper (of the four paper assignments) according to the following terms, and in response to received comments. If the grade on the first version is B+ or better, the grade on the revised version will replace the first grade. If the grade on the first version is below a B+, the grade will be the average of the first version and the revision. (It is possible for the grade to go down, but only if there is no serious effort to take the comments into account.) Paper 1: The revision is due on Friday, Feb. 24. We hope to have returned the first version with comments by Friday, Feb. 17. Paper 3: The revision is due on Friday, April 20. We hope to have returned the first version with comments by Friday, April 13. Discussion: The normal plan, beginning in the second full week, will be for me to lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays, and to have discussion on Fridays (attendance required and recorded). I will rotate discussion sessions with our two TAs, so you can get to know the people who will be grading your papers. Grade: Grades will be based on attendance, participation, reading reports, and papers. The three papers are worth 10, 20, 30, and 40 points respectively, totaling 100 possible points. Beginning Monday Feb. 6, missed attendance will cost 2 points for each class missed after 2 free misses. *** Missing more than 5 total results in no credit for the course. Missed reading reports will cost 2 points for each one missed (late counts as missed) after 2 free misses. *** Missing more than 5 total results in no credit for the course. Poor participation may cost 2 points for the term at the discussion leaders discretion. Final grade will depend on the total out of 100 possible points, the exact grade cut-offs to be determined later. Students volunteering and selected to present in the final week will receive 1 extra point.

SYLLABUS
(version 2; subject to change) Office: Phone: E-mail: Office hours: 305 Gerard House (54 College St.) x3-3096 David_Estlund@brown.edu Mondays 3:15-4:30 pm and by appt.

Texts: Political Philosophy: The Essential Texts (Steven Cahn, ed.) Many of the readings are available in other editions and online, but our book contains excerpts of many of the readings, and we will refer to the readings by the pagination in the book. You do not need to bring the book to class. Some readings will be provided in PDF form, to be announced later. Website: There will be a website for this course at mycourses.brown.edu. I will be trying to make the site as complete as possible, but there is no guarantee that all crucial information will appear on the site. Students are responsible for all assignments and information given in class. Work: Attendance Attendance in class is required and recorded. See below how it bears on your grade. Reading Reports A reading report of between 200-300 words will be due by the beginning of class (submitted through the webpage only), for each assigned reading (not accepted late). Each assigned report is marked below with the symbol, .Reports will receive only credit or no credit, credit requiring a serious effort. *** Missing more than five reports results in NC for the course. Reading reports are meant just to be short notes showing you understood the reading. You may raise critical questions and so on, but you are not required to do so. Use it as a way to make yourself decide what were the most important points in the reading, or to remember questions you have, and as something to look back at to remember the reading.

Schedule, Spring 2011 (version 2)

Monday Week 1 Wednesday JAN 25 FIRST MEETING - Introduction and syllabus Friday 27 - On Arguments

Week 2

30 - Plato, Crito (no reading report, but please read) 6 Plato, Republic - Read Book I all, and - 357a-360d The Ring of Gyges - 368e-372a Outline of the Great City - 428c-429b The three parts of the state - 435e-444a The three parts of the soul - 514a-520e Myth of the Cave, Philosopher King 13 Hobbes, Leviathan - Chapters 13, 14, 15, 17, 21 20 NO CLASS (Browns Long Weekend)

FEB 1 - Plato, Crito contd

3 Discussion (Dave)

Week 3

8 FIRST PAPER ASSIGNED <800 words, due Feb. 17. Plato, Republic - please read Platos arguments against democracy in Book VIII (all).

10 Discussion (Sean) and - On writing a philosophy paper

Week 4 Week 5

15 Hobbes, Leviathan contd 22 Locke, 2nd Treatise - Second Treatise of Government Chapters 1-8 29SECOND PAPER ASSIGNED <1200 words, due March 9. Rousseau, Social Contract - Book III (Chs 1-4) Book IV (all) 7 Marx contd Marx, Critique of the Gotha Program (excerpt) (PDF) Marx and Engels, Communist Manifesto (excerpt) Preface to Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (very short) 14 Mill contd 21 Rawls contd 28 SPRING BREAK

17(FIRST PAPER DUE) Discussion (Tom) 24 (FIRST REVISION DUE) Discussion (Dave)

Week 6

27 Rousseau, Social Contract - Books I, II

MAR 2 Discussion (Dave)

Week 7

5 Karl Marx, intro in Cahn volume Marx, On the Jewish Question (PDF) Marx, German Ideology (excerpt)

9 (SECOND PAPER DUE) Discussion (Sean)

Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13

12 ( Mill (All) 19 Rawls (All) 26 SPRING BREAK

16 Discussion (Dave) 23 Discussion (Tom) 30 SPRING BREAK

APR 2 Nozick (All) 9 Cohen v Nozick (PDF) 16 Mill on Women (Chs 1,2) 23FINAL PAPER ASSIGNED < 1200 words. Due Wed., May 9. Nussbaum (All)

4 THIRD PAPER ASSIGNED <1200 words, due April 13. Nozick contd 11 Liberalism (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberalism/) 18 Mill on Women (Chs 3, 4) 25 LAST LECTURE - Nussbaum contd - Conclusion MAY 2

6 Discussion (Dave) 13 THIRD PAPER DUE Discussion (Sean) 20 THIRD REVISION DUE Discussion (Tom) 27 READING PERIOD BEGINS Discussion (Dave) 4 Office hours by appt.

Week 14

30 All attend: Selected student paper sketches 7 Office hours by appt.: 2-4

Week 15

9 FINAL PAPER DUE

11