June 12, 2007
P.S. 410/510
Topics
in Political Philosophy: Utopias and Political Thought
Summer 2007 9:15 am - 10:50
am M-F
|
Dr. Joe Kunkel Minnesota State University, Mankato 222B Morris Hall |
Phone: 389-6930 FAX : 389-6377 |
|
OFFICE HOURS
|
Mon 11:00 am -12:00 pm 3:00-3:30 pm |
Tue 11:00 am -12:00 pm 3:00-3:30 pm |
Wed 11:00 am -12:00 pm 3:00-3:30 pm |
Thurs 11:00 am -12:00 pm 3:00-3:30 pm |
Fri 11:00 am -12:00 pm 3:00-3:30 pm |
OBJECTIVES
1. become familiar with some classic
utopias representative of utopian thought; gain an overview of utopian thought
seeing it as both as a response to, and causal factor in history.
2. become familiar with the typical
elements or issues in the design of ideal societies: consider the relationship
between politics, government and social structure, custom and culture, morality
and religion, geography, education, economics, science and technology and city
planning.
3. give serious thought to both the value
and danger of utopian thinking.
4. consider the dilemmas of intentional
political and social change; the problem of ends and means; balancing
idealism and realism.
5. challenge students to think about their
own political idealism and pragmatism.
REQUIRED
READING
The
bookstore has these editions on which the assignments are based. Other editions
are available.
Plato.
The Republic. Sterling & Scott trans. Norton
Thomas
More. Utopia. Adams trans. Norton.
Edward
Bellamy. Looking Backwards.
Ignatius Donnelly. Caesar's Column (selections) on reserve & on line at sacred texts or project gutenberg. .
Yevgeny
Zamiatin. We. Ginsburg trans. EOS/Harper Collins
GRADING
Course
grades will be based your percentage of the maximum points.
POLS
410 A
= 90 -100%
B = 80 -
89 C =
70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = below 60
POLS
510 A
= 93 -100% B
= 83 - 92
C = 70 -
82 D =
60 - 69
F = below 60
EVALUATION
POL
410
|
Requirement |
Base Points |
Extra Credit |
|
Reading Notes |
40 points |
12
points 4 pts. each for other readings |
|
Participation |
10
points (1 point per day minimum, 10 days) |
maximum |
|
Final Exam |
50 points |
|
|
TOTAL |
100
points |
|
POL
510
|
Requirement |
Points |
Extra Credit |
|
Reading Notes |
40 points |
12
points 4 pts. each for other readings |
|
Participation |
20
points (2 point per day minimum, 10 days) |
5
points maximum |
|
Research Paper |
60
points 10
points proposal and bibliography 10
points presentation 40
points final paper |
|
|
Final Exam |
80 points |
|
|
TOTAL |
200
points |
|
LATE
WORK AND ABSENCES
³One
day² means any time after the end of class.. Saturday and Sunday do not count.
Reading
notes
Earn the full points only if completed
by class on the day due.
Earn 3 points if completed after class.
Exam
Alternate
time must be arranged in advance with the professor
Late
exams without such arrangements lose 10% per day.
READING
NOTES
Write
a short paper on each of the reading assignments. Each Note should include
1. at least one well-written paragraph
summarizing the reading.
2. at least one well-written paragraph
reacting to, criticizing, evaluating or analyzing.
3. an outline of the reading assignment.
Total length:
One to two pages typed; about 500 words
Verification:
You will share these with student-colleagues to verify completion. A sign-off
sheet will be turned in to the professor. The professor will collect the
Notebooks twice. I anticipate 13 reading assignments. For full
points you must do at least 10. If they do more they will count for extra
credit.
PARTICIPATION
The
professor will note participation, especially on those days on which reading
assignments are due. As much as possible, he will record participation each day
according to this formula:
1st
point - any constructive comments, question or participation in discussion
2nd point
– second comment or significant discussion
To
meet the minimum you would need to join discussion on at least 10 days. Or you
could Participate more on other days to earn points up to the maximumm.
GRADUATE
STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER: TWO OPTIONS
Papers
should be 8-10 pages in length. Some suggestions are given below. You may want
to compare two topics within A or B or across A and B if one seems not
substantial enough. You are also permitted to develop their own topic. You
could for example compare several authors or utopias on particular dimensions
such as economics, society, gender issues, geography, architecture, religion,
science and technology. They may choose to develop a theme or thesis, for
example
Value
and pitfalls of utopias
Marx
and utopian socialists
Utopias
in certain historical periods
Utopia
as literature
A.
UTOPIAN EXPERIMENTS
Through
research learn about one attempt to put into practice a utopian principles.
Write a five-page paper describing and analyzing this utopian experiment.
1.
Questions to address in your paper
§
When: Describe the historical
period and issues which contributed to the formation of this utopia.
§
Who: Identify any
founders or dominant leaders; sketch their biography and ideas.
§
Who: Describe the types
of people who joined the experiment and why they joined.
§
Where: Tell where they
settled and describe both the natural and social environments.
§
Describe their
principles and how their community reflected those principles and ideas.
§
Outcome: What happened?
In what ways were they successful and why? In what ways did they fail and why?
2.
Suggested utopian experiments
§
Robert Owen and New
Harmony
§
Charles Fourier, Albert
Brisbane and the Phlanxes or Associationist communities
§
Brook Farm :
Transcendentalism and Fourierism
§
Shakers
§
Oneida Perfectionists
§
Stephen Gaskinıs ³The
Farm² in Summertown Tennessee
B.
OTHER UTOPIAN LITERATURE
Read
one other major work of utopian literature. Write a five page paper describing
and analyzing this work as utopian political fiction.
1.
Questions to address in your paper
§
What is the historical context
and issues of the time?
§
Who is the author? How
does this work fit in with his other writings or career? What are the
influences on his writing? What were his political values?
§
What is the importance
and impact of this work? How doe it fit in the overall history of utopian
literature?
§
What is the government
or political structure in this society?
§
What is the role of
religion in the society?
§
How are economic
problems addressed or solved?
§
How are sexual and
gender issues addressed or solved?
§
What other important
features or issues are addressed?
§
What are the main points
of this work?
§
How have other writers
interpreted and analyzed this work? What are usually seen as the strengths and
problems in the work?
§
What is your view of the
work?
§
Learn about
interpretations of this work, its importance and place in the history of
utopian literature. Include this learning in your paper, along with your own
analysis.
2.
Suggested Utopan Literature
§
Tommaso Campanella City
of the Sun 1602
§
James Harrington, The
Commonwealth of Oceanea 1656
§
Sir Francis Bacon A New Atlantis 1626
§
Johann
Valentin Andreae, Christianopolis 1619
§
Charles Fourier Design
for Utopia or other collection of his writings
§
Jonathan Swift,
Gullivers Travels 1726
§
Samuel Butler, Erewhon
1871
§
Edward Bulwer Lytton.
Vril: The power of the Coming Race 1871
§
Ignatius Donely Ceasarıs
Column 1890
§
H.G. Wells. Time
Machine 1898
§
H.G. Wells, A Modern
Utopia 1905
§
Charlotte Perkins
Gillman Herland 1915
§
Aldus Huxley: Brave New
World 1932
§
George Orwell 1984 1949
§
Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit
451 1953
§
Anthony Burgess. A
Clockwork Orange 1963
§
Ernest Callenbach.
Ecotopia 1975
§
Ursula LeGuin. The
Dispossessed. 1974
B.
Parts of the Paper, Guidelines, Form
1. Title page, including title, your name, date, course
number and title.
2. Text: 6 – 10 pages , double spaced; 10 or 12
point font; 1 inch margins.
3. Sources: 5-10 sources for graduate.
Library or print preferred in addition to internet. When paraphrasing or
quoting you MUST CITE SOURCES IN THE TEXT AND AT THE END on a
4. Bibliography or source page.
C.
Style and Advice on writing
Use ASPA
styles.
Here
are some sources t o help you learn how to avoid plagiarism, how to properly
use sources and for some writing advice. For questions of style use the
American Political Science Association Student Writers Manual. A good brief
summary of the main points has been written by Dr. Drury at Lamar University
and can be found at:
http://dept.lamar.edu/polisci/DRURY/drury.html
For
help in how to write a paper visit the Writer's Handbook at the University of
Wisconsin Writing Center. http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/index.html
Pay
particular attention to the section on Quoting and Paraphrasing and How to
Avoid Plagiarism:
http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/QuotingSources.html
Other
documents showing APSA style
Research
Haven http://www.researchhaven.com/Style/
Huntingdon
College http://fs.huntingdon.edu/jlewis/Syl/Cite/CitationsAPSA.htm
Slippery
Rock University http://www.sru.edu/pages/1720.asp
D.
Paper Stages
1 . June
8 Proposal and Bibliography
Choose a title, one-half page description, annotated bibliography,
1. July 22: Present what you have learned in class
discussion
2. July 25: Finished papers due.
D.
Turnitin.com
Papers
should be turned in to the professor in hard copy and electronically no later
than the due date. Electronic submissions
should be to www.turnitin.com
Turnitin.com is a plagiarism
prevention website. It is intended to " promote originality in student
work, improve student writing and research skills ." When you submit a paper turnitin.com
will generate an originality report for you and for the professor. Words in
your paper will be compared to existing documents on the internet and in
turnitin.com's files and identify the source of the words.
Please visit this site the
first week of class and set up your student profile. Our class is identified as
pols 515
Utopias
class id#: 1880783
enrollment
password: noplacia
FINAL
EXAMINATION
The
final exam will be an in-class comprehensive examination. The exam will
probably include some longer essays, some shorter essays and some multiple
choice and/or fill-in-the-blank questions. The essay parts will probably be
worth 60 - 70% of the value of the exam. The professor will inform you of
the exact format of the exam before the final week. He will try to have some
study questions for you.
SYLLABUS
Changes
in the syllabus may be made to correct errors, adjust the schedule, or fine
tune course details. Changes will be announced in class, with the
opportunity for student input and advice. It is your responsibility to
attend class is to be aware of any syllabus changes.
ASSISTANCE
TO STUDENTS The professor is employed
by the university to help students learn. Too often students wait until they
are in academic trouble before seeking assistance. You are encouraged to visit
with the professor as soon as you need help. This goes for everyone. However,
if you are a student with a disability who will need academic accommodations,
please see me as early in the quarter as possible to discuss what is
appropriate. I generally permit extra time on examinations for students for
whom English is their second language.
ACADEMIC
HONESTY
Students
have the responsibility of fulfilling their academic obligations in a fair and honest
manner. This includes avoiding plagiarism, cheating, collusion or other
inappropriate activities. Students found responsible of these activities may
face both academic sanctions (such as lowering a grade, failing of a course,
etc.) and disciplinary sanctions (such as probation, suspension, etc.) The
professor will strictly enforce any university policies in this regard.
CALENDAR
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
|
May
29 Lecture: Welcome
to Utopia Classical Utopias |
May
30 1.
Plato Republic Books
I, II Partic 1 |
May 31 Read Ch. 2 Constitution WORKSHEETS DUE 2.
Plato Republic Books III, IV Partic 2 |
June 1 3. Plato Republic Books
V,VII Partic
3 |
|
June 4 4.
More Utopia Book I, (p. 24) Partic
4 |
June 5 5. More Utopia Book II to 57 Their Delight Partic 5 |
June 6 6. More Utopia Book
II to end Partic 6 |
June 7 Lecture: Modern
Utopias Notebooks Collected |
June 8 7.
Bellamy Looking Backward pp.
1-78? Ch. IX partic 7 Research Paper Proposal due |
|
June 11
Read Ch. 8 Interest Groups
WORKSHEETS DUE 8. Bellamy Looking Backward pp. 79-138 X- XIX Partic 8 |
June 12 9. Bellamy LookingBackward |