Political Science 301 Ron Schmidt Classical Political Theory (Greece & Rome) Office: SPA-253 Fall 2009 Phone: 562.985.4717 Email: rschmidt@csulb.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 12 noon And by appointment COURSE OUTLINE Notice Regarding California State Budget and Fall 2009 Course Schedule: As you have heard, the California State Government has drastically cut its financial support for the CSU System. As a result, all 23 CSU campuses have had to cut admissions, classes, and faculty positions, and raised your tuition. Class sessions will be canceled on certain days this semester because of budget cuts. A cancelled class does not mean you get an extra vacation. You still need to know the material for the course papers, but you’ll have less explanation and class time with your professor. Faculty may not be available during some office hours. Department offices will be closed on a regular basis. The library will have shorter hours and many campus support services are decreased. If you need signatures to meet deadlines, but there’s nobody to sign or the department office is closed, you will be stuck. You’ve probably already noticed that many classes you need are cut from the schedule. This means it may take you longer to graduate. Each professor at CSULB is required to not work on nine academic days this semester (in exchange for a pay cut), and three of these will result in “no class” days in this course: Tuesday, September 8; Tuesday, November 24; and Tuesday, December 1. Log on to http://savethecsu.com for information about how to join collective actions to try to help the CSU survive this recession and flourish again. PURPOSE OF COURSE: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to a set of writings from the "classical" period in Greece and Rome at the beginning of Western political theory. These writings are considered by many students of politics to be the foundational intellectual structure for all subsequent Western & European political thought. The course aims to engage students in systematic reading, critical reflection and discussion of the writings of these early philosophical thinkers in order to better understand the nature of "the political" in human life, and the role of context in shaping our understanding of politics. COURSE FORMAT: The course will be conducted in a lecture/discussion mode, supplemented by the CSULB BeachBoard web-site. You are encouraged to raise questions and to participate in class discussions. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: You will be required to gain access to the Beachboard web-site in order to access some assigned reading materials and PowerPoint lecture notes. Since class discussion will be an important element of the course, you will be expected to complete the reading assignments before coming to class. In addition, three “take-home” essay examinations will be required. OTHER COURSE POLICIES: 1. Attendance: you are expected to attend the class regularly if you wish to do well in the course. 2. Late exams will be penalized unless you can demonstrate that circumstances beyond your control (e.g., severe illness) prevented you from completing your work before the deadline. 3. No "extra credit" work is possible in this course. 4. Rules of class etiquette: Entering the classroom after class begins, and leaving before class ends, is highly disruptive and should be avoided except in cases of emergency. Except for water, eating or drinking in class is not allowed. If you carry a “beeper” or a “c-phone” into class, make sure that it is turned off before class begins. 5. Under University policy, students taking this course for graduate-level credit must complete work in addition to that assigned below. See the instructor for details as soon as possible. 6. University policies regarding cheating and plagiarism will be enforced in this course. See: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/research/our/information/policies/cheating/ GRADING: Your grade will be based on your performance on course examinations. Each examination will count for one-third of your course grade. You will be graded on the substance of what you write (e.g., accuracy of information, inference and reasoning, etc.) and on the skill with which you write (e.g., organization, syntax, spelling, "grace," etc.). REQUIRED TEXTS: Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates (Hackett Publishing Co.) Plato, Republic (Hackett Publishing Co.) Aristotle, Ethics (Penguin Classics) Aristotle, The Politics (Hackett Publishing Co.) Cicero, The Republic; The Laws (Oxford University Press) SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS: Week 1 (Aug 31 – Sept 4): Reading Assignments #1-2, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page. Week 2 (September 7-11): Reading Assignments #3, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page. Week 3 (September 14-18): Plato (Socrates), Apology and Crito Week 4 (September 21-25): Plato’s Republic, Bks. I-III Week 5 (Sept 28-Oct 2): Plato’s Republic, Bks. IV-VII Week 6 (October 5-9): Plato’s Republic, Bks. VIII-IX Week 7 (October 12-16): Plato’s Republic, Bk. X; 1ST EXAM DUE. Week 8 (October 19-23): Aristotle’s Ethics I-III & V Week 9 (October 26-30): Aristotle’s Ethics, Books VI-X Week 10 (November 2-6): Aristotle’s Politics, Books I-IV Week 11 (November 9-13): Aristotle’s Politics, Books V-VIII Week 12 (November 16-20): 2ND EXAM DUE; Reading Assignments #4-5, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page. Week 13 (November 23-27): Reading Assignments #6, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page; Thanksgiving Vacation Week 14 (Nov 30-December 4): Cicero, The Republic (all). Week 15 (December 7-11): Cicero, The Laws (all). Week 16 Thursday, December 17, 12:30

Political Science 301 Ron Schmidt

Classical Political Theory (Greece & Rome) Office: SPA-253

Fall 2009 Phone: 562.985.4717

Email: rschmidt@csulb.edu

Office Hours:

Tuesdays, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 12 noon

And by appointment

COURSE OUTLINE

Notice Regarding California State Budget and Fall 2009 Course Schedule:

As you have heard, the California State Government has drastically cut its financial support for the CSU System. As a result, all 23 CSU campuses have had to cut admissions, classes, and faculty positions, and raised your tuition. Class sessions will be canceled on certain days this semester because of budget cuts.

A cancelled class does not mean you get an extra vacation. You still need to know the material for the course papers, but you’ll have less explanation and class time with your professor. Faculty may not be available during some office hours. Department offices will be closed on a regular basis. The library will have shorter hours and many campus support services are decreased. If you need signatures to meet deadlines, but there’s nobody to sign or the department office is closed, you will be stuck. You’ve probably already noticed that many classes you need are cut from the schedule. This means it may take you longer to graduate.

Each professor at CSULB is required to not work on nine academic days this semester (in exchange for a pay cut), and three of these will result in “no class” days in this course: Tuesday, September 8; Tuesday, November 24; and Tuesday, December 1.

Log on to http://savethecsu.com for information about how to join collective actions to try to help the CSU survive this recession and flourish again.

PURPOSE OF COURSE:

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to a set of writings from the "classical" period in Greece and Rome at the beginning of Western political theory. These writings are considered by many students of politics to be the foundational intellectual structure for all subsequent Western & European political thought. The course aims to engage students in systematic reading, critical reflection and discussion of the writings of these early philosophical thinkers in order to better understand the nature of "the political" in human life, and the role of context in shaping our understanding of politics.

COURSE FORMAT:

The course will be conducted in a lecture/discussion mode, supplemented by the CSULB BeachBoard web-site. You are encouraged to raise questions and to participate in class discussions.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You will be required to gain access to the Beachboard web-site in order to access some assigned reading materials and PowerPoint lecture notes. Since class discussion will be an important element of the course, you will be expected to complete the reading assignments before coming to class. In addition, three “take-home” essay examinations will be required.

OTHER COURSE POLICIES:

1. Attendance: you are expected to attend the class regularly if you wish to do well in the course.

2. Late exams will be penalized unless you can demonstrate that circumstances beyond your control (e.g., severe illness) prevented you from completing your work before the deadline.

3. No "extra credit" work is possible in this course.

4. Rules of class etiquette: Entering the classroom after class begins, and leaving before class ends, is highly disruptive and should be avoided except in cases of emergency. Except for water, eating or drinking in class is not allowed. If you carry a “beeper” or a “c-phone” into class, make sure that it is turned off before class begins.

5. Under University policy, students taking this course for graduate-level credit must complete work in addition to that assigned below. See the instructor for details as soon as possible.

6. University policies regarding cheating and plagiarism will be enforced in this course. See: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/research/our/information/policies/cheating/

GRADING:

Your grade will be based on your performance on course examinations. Each examination will count for one-third of your course grade. You will be graded on the substance of what you write (e.g., accuracy of information, inference and reasoning, etc.) and on the skill with which you write (e.g., organization, syntax, spelling, "grace," etc.).

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates (Hackett Publishing Co.)

Plato, Republic (Hackett Publishing Co.)

Aristotle, Ethics (Penguin Classics)

Aristotle, The Politics (Hackett Publishing Co.)

Cicero, The Republic; The Laws (Oxford University Press)

SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS:

Week 1 (Aug 31 – Sept 4): Reading Assignments #1-2, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page.

Week 2 (September 7-11): Reading Assignments #3, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page.

Week 3 (September 14-18): Plato (Socrates), Apology and Crito

Week 4 (September 21-25): Plato’s Republic, Bks. I-III

Week 5 (Sept 28-Oct 2): Plato’s Republic, Bks. IV-VII

Week 6 (October 5-9): Plato’s Republic, Bks. VIII-IX
Week 7 (October 12-16): Plato’s Republic, Bk. X; 1ST EXAM DUE.

Week 8 (October 19-23): Aristotle’s Ethics I-III & V

Week 9 (October 26-30): Aristotle’s Ethics, Books VI-X

Week 10 (November 2-6): Aristotle’s Politics, Books I-IV

Week 11 (November 9-13): Aristotle’s Politics, Books V-VIII

Week 12 (November 16-20): 2ND EXAM DUE; Reading Assignments #4-5, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page.

Week 13 (November 23-27): Reading Assignments #6, Beachboard web-site, “Assignments” page; Thanksgiving Vacation

Week 14 (Nov 30-December 4): Cicero, The Republic (all).

Week 15 (December 7-11): Cicero, The Laws (all).

Week 16 Thursday, December 17, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. - 3RD EXAM DUE