PLT4399

Grand theories of politics

Michael Janover

12 points
* 2 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should be able to exposit arguments relating morality to power in works of political thinkers studied; recognise and evaluate philosophical, cultural and moral contexts of political ideas; critically analyse rival models of traditional continuity versus incommensurable discontinuity in the history of political ideas.

Synopsis This subject introduces honours students to a strand of selected topics in the history of political thought. Topics include the nature of epic or grand theories of politics and the role of various forms of moral, religious, scientific, and metaphysical thinking in such theories. Texts and arguments considered are of two kinds: (1) models of construction and deconstruction of the history of Western political and philosophical thought in writings of Heidegger, Feyerabend, Strauss, Derrida; (2) conceptions of knowledge, power and morality, culture and civilisation in the thinking of Socrates, Plato, Machiavelli, Rousseau and Nietzsche.

Assessment Seminar paper (1000 words) and participation: 10%,
* Essay (5000 words): 50%
* Examination (3 hours): 40%

Preliminary reading

Kitto HDF The Greeks Penguin, 1973
Nisbet R Sociology as an art form OUP, 1979
Vermant J-P (ed.) The Greeks U Chicago P, 1995
Wolin S Politics and vision Little Brown, 1960

Recommended texts

Arendt H Between past and future Viking Press, 1976
Dannhauser W Nietzsche's view of Socrates Cornell U P, 1974
Derrida J Of Grammatology Johns Hopkins U P, 1976
Euben J P The tragedy of political theory Princeton U P, 1990
Gunnell J Political philosophy and time U Chicago P, 1987