Peter Ahrensdorf
Office: Chambers 203 C
Office Hours: M, W 1:30-4, Th 2:30-4, and by appointment
Office Phone: 2454
Home Phone: 892-4938
E-Mail: peahrensdorf@davidson.edu

John Locke, Two Treatises of Government (Cambridge).
Hamilton, Madison, Jay, The Federalist Papers.
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, both volumes (Vintage Classics).
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle.
Carl Cohen, Communism, Fascism, and Democracy.
Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Vintage Books).
Folder of Xeroxes (to be handed out in class).

The goal of this course is to understand as clearly as we can the fundamental alternative political ideologies or theories which have shaped our world and to consider which political theories may shape our world in the future. As we investigate these theories, we will consider how each of them addresses the most fundamental human questions: What is the best political society? What is the good life? What is the nature of human beings? And, in order to think about these political theories fairly and for ourselves, we will attempt to identify and to examine the most powerful arguments for and also against each of these theories.

There will be two 5-7 page papers (worth 25% each), an in-class mid-term exam (worth 20%), and a final (self-scheduled) exam (worth 25%). You must do all of the written work in order to pass the course. You will be docked a half of a grade (for example, from A to A-) on a paper which you hand in late unless you either have asked for (and received) my permission beforehand or have a very good excuse. Roughly 5% of your grade will be determined by class participation. You will be expected to read the assigned texts carefully before we discuss them in class. Regular attendance is expected.

August 26 Introduction

August 28 Fukuyama, "The End of History?" (xerox).

August 30 Declaration of Independence (xerox).
Locke, First Treatise of Government, Title Page (p. 135), chapter 1, chapter 6 (paragraph 58), and Second Treatise of Government, chapters 1-2.

September 2 Locke, chapters 3-4.

September 4 Locke, chapter 5.

September 6 Locke, chapters 6 (paragraphs 52-54), 7 (paragraphs 87-94), 8 (paragraphs 95-99), 9.

September 9 Locke, chapters 10-11, 19.

September 11 Declaration of Independence (xerox).

September 13 Constitution and Federalist Papers, nos. 1 and 9.

September 16 Federalist Papers, nos. 10 and 39.

September 18 Federalist Papers, nos. 47-48, 51, and 55.

September 20 Federalist Papers, nos. 63, 71-72, and 78.

September 23 Lincoln, Speech to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield (xerox).

September 25 Lincoln, Speech to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield (xerox).
Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (xerox).

September 27 Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. I., Author's Introduction and chapters 3-4, 12, 15.

September 30 Tocqueville, Vol. I, chapter 16
Vol. II, Book I, chaps. 1-2, 10

October 2 Tocqueville, Vol. II, Book II, chaps. 1-7.

October 7 Tocqueville, Vol. II, Book III, chaps. 8-9, 12.

October 9 Tocqueville, Vol. II, Book II, chaps.10-13, 15.

October 11 Tocqueville, Vol. II, Book IV, chaps. 1-3, 6-8.

October 16 Smith, The Wealth of Nations (xerox).
Tocqueville, Vol. II, Book II, chap. 20.

October 18 Smith and Sinclair, The Jungle, chapters 1-7.

October 21 Sinclair, The Jungle, chapters 27-end.

October 23 Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto, pp. 80-90 in Cohen.

October 25 Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto, pp. 90-98 in Cohen.

October 28 Lenin, State and Revolution, pp. 137-154 in Cohen.

October 30 Lenin, conclusion.

November 1 Koestler, Darkness at Noon.

November 4 MID-TERM.

November 6 Koestler.

November 8 Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Preface, Aphorisms 1, 5, 9, and 186-188.

November 11 Nietzsche, Aphorisms 197-203.

November 13 Nietzsche, Aphorisms 211-213 and 257-263.

November 15 Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, sections 1-5 of Prologue (xerox).

November 18 Rocco, The Political Doctrine of Fascism, pp. 315-328 in Cohen.
Mussolini, The Doctrine of Fascism, pp. 328-339 in Cohen.

November 20 Gentile, The Philosophic Basis of Fascism, pp. 340-344 in Cohen.
Palmieri, The Philosophy of Fascism, pp. 344-355 in Cohen.

November 22 Hitler, pp. 374-391 in Cohen.

November 25 Hitler.

December 2 Li Peng, Diplomatic Relations.
Nelson Mandela, Africa is Ours.
Vaclav Havel, Consciousness Precedes Being. (xeroxes)

December 4 A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew, Anwar Ibrahim, Religion and Politics, East and West (xeroxes).

December 6 Solzhenitsyn, A World Split Apart (xerox).

December 9 Ayatollah Khomeini, Message to Pilgrims (3/25/79), New Year's Message, Message to Pilgrims (9/13/80 (xeroxes).

December 11 Overview and Conclusion.