| Dr. V. McGuire | University of Colorado |
| American Political Thought | Spring 2005 |
Political Science 3054 |
Office: Farrand 101 |
Ken Burns: There is no other country on Earth that is configured like ours. Every other nation is there because of race, religion, language, ethnicity or geography. We are here only because we agreed to subscribe to the words on four pieces of paper— the U. S. Constitution.
Class Orientation: This course introduces students to the study of the ways in which Americans have thought about politics over the past 250 years. The American political experience has been unique and America is exceptional compared to other countries. The primary focus of the is on issues of theoretical and substantive importance to the study of America. More specifically, the course focuses on the tension between the individual American and the community of America.
The course is broken into four sections: The Founding, The Civil War, Pragmatism and American Renewal. The Founding established the basic formal principles and parameters of American Thought. The Civil War challenged these principles and Pragmatism changed them, but not permanently. We are in the period of renewal, returning to a nation based on constitutional principles.
Given the theoretical and substantive focus of this class, students should be aware that this is not a course on current affairs or history. It is a course in ideas. Nevertheless, current events will be incorporated to illustrate theoretical points. Therefore, I strongly encourage students to keep up with current affairs through the newspaper, the radio, and/or the television news. By remaining current, students will be able to make substantive contributions to discussion, and aid themselves in concretizing concepts that, at times, may seem abstract.
Required Readings: Students are required to purchase these
books for this course. There are also suggested
readings available. These books are available in the UMC
bookstore and the Colorado Bookstore on the Hill:
H. Mark Roelofs The Poverty of
American Politics: A Theoretical Interpretation required
Louis Hartz The Liberal Tradition in America required
Harry Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided : An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1999, ISBN: 0226391132 required
Harvey C. Mansfield America's Constitutional Soul Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; ISBN: 080184634X required
Thomas E. Woods Jr., 2004, The Politically
Incorrect Guide to American History Regnery Publishing, Inc.; ISBN: 0895260476
(suggested)
Randy E. Barnett, Restoring the Lost Constitution : The Presumption of Liberty
by Princeton Univ Pr; 2003, ISBN: 0691115850 (suggested)
Philip Abbot Political Thought in America: Conversations and Debates (suggested)
Charles R. Kesler (Editor), The Federalist Papers, 1999 Mentor Books; ISBN: 0451628810 (suggested)
In addition, readings for each topic will be accessed through
this web site. If students (especially majors) are interested in supplemental
readings--either for background on American politics, or more specific topics, please see
me.
Course Requirements: Attendance is mandatory. All students are required to complete the
assigned reading before class, and contribute to class discussion. There is a substantial
amount of reading since the reason you are here is to learn. Legitimate concerns will not
be the amount of reading, the heat, the hard chairs, skiing, etc. Please adapt to the
situation.
Policies: All University policies are in effect for this
course. The University Honor Code (http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/Home.html)
is the most important policy in this class. It is taken, by me, with the utmost
seriousness. Familiarize yourself with these policies especially in regards to
incompletes, drops/add, withdrawal, etc. Students are expected to attend all classes, do
all reading prior to the class and take all exams at the appointed times. No make-up
exams will be given. No ‘extra credit’ is ever given. Every effort shall be
made to accommodate all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts
with
scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. If you have specific physical,
psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early
in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to
provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in Willard 322
(phone 303-492-8671).
Grades:
1. Students will write an in-class essay evaluating Mark Roelofs’s
interpretation of American Political Thought and the American founding. Bring a
Blue Book. 20%
2. Students will write an in-class essay relating Harry Jaffa’s, Crisis of
the House Divided : An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas
Debates, to the pre- and post- Civil War eras. The student will attempt to
synthesize the information that has been presented in the class. The student can
use any material in class during the exam. 20%
3. Final Exam: The final exam is an in-class oral exam
comparing and contrasting Harvey Mansfield’s America's Constitutional Soul and
concept of Pragmatism. 20%
4. Research Paper: The Research paper will be done in three phases: 1. A draft
paper summarizing pragmatism, 2. Your selection of the pragmatist you will
investigate and, both due March 2, and, 3. The final paper submission due 4/21.
Additionally, an electronic copy of your final paper must be submitted via
E-mail. 40% Details will follow.
Participation: in an Honors one learns as much from other students as from the
material or professor. I take participation seriously. Please speak up. If not
for the progress of the class, for your grade.
Paper Submission Guidelines
All written assignments should be submitted in the designated form, and should include a
clear indication of the course and assignment number. Be sure to observe the designated
due date; work that is turned in late will automatically receive a significantly reduced
grade.
It is reasonable to expect any assignment prepared outside class to be written well, with careful attention to grammar, spelling, and usage.
You may employ any one of the methods of attribution described in The Chicago Manual of Style, but must be consistent in both notes and bibliographies. Direct quotations from the authors should be taken from the standard edition of the works. Be aware of the unique sue of citations for m the Internet. See, Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger. Of course there is Strunk and White
Minimum Passing.................. D-
F
The Web: A large part of this course is related to the World Wide
Web. I have set up various hyperlink to web sites which will greatly enhance your
understanding of American government. My web page is listed above. Log on and go to your
syllabus. From there you can navigate to numerous sites which relate to the topic we are
discussing. In addition, there are links to more
esoteric topics.
visitors since March 25, 1999
Page last updated 07-Jan-2005