POT 4013 (Section 7101) -- Great Political Thinkers I -- Fall 2009

Tuesday 3:00-4:55 PM, Thursday 4:05-4:55 PM Professor Thiele

TUR 2353 Anderson Hall 302

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 12:00-2:00 PM thiele@ufl.edu

www.clas.ufl.edu/users/thiele/ Tel. 273-2380

This course investigates the political life and thought of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The foundations for western political theories and institutions were set in place by these ancient philosophers and statesmen as they explored the eternally troubling relationships between power and justice, freedom and obligation, democracy and tyranny, the individual and the community. These crucial issues still animate the study of political thought today. Our task in this course is to examine the achievements of these early theorists, question their conclusions, and appreciate how and why their works continue to speak to us today, after two and a half millennia.

Required texts:

Sophocles, Oedipus, Antigone, Electra (Oxford)

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War (Penguin)

Plato and Aristophanes, Four Texts on Socrates (Cornell)

Plato, Republic (Basic Books, 2^nd edition)

Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (Oxford)

Cicero, On Duties (Cambridge)

Epictetus, The Art of Living (Harper)

Intensive reading (approximately 100 pages per week) and critical assessment of primary texts is required of all students.

Course requirements and grading:

Term paper: 40%

Quizzes: 40%

Final exam: 20%

Debate/presentation: 5%

Students will write an 8-10 page (2500-3000 word) term paper. It is worth 40% of the final grade. Topics will be provided. The paper will be graded on quality of research, organization, persuasiveness of argument, and clarity of writing. Before writing your paper, spend 20-30 minutes working through the tutorial offered at www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/skills/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm. You will be held responsible for this material. Plagiarism of any sort will not be tolerated and will result in failure of the course. The electronic copy of your paper must be submitted to Turnitin.com, a web-based plagiarism-checking program, by 4 P.M. on Wednesday, November 18. Your paper will be penalized ½ letter grade for each 24-hour period it is late - no exceptions.

There will be 6 quizzes. Your five best performances on the quizzes will be tabulated, with each counting for 8% of your final grade for a total of 40%. There will be no retakes of quizzes. If you provide official documentation indicating 2 or more absences on quiz dates for medical reasons, you will be given make-up quizzes at the time of the final exam. The quizzes will be of a multiple choice and short answer format and will be based on the readings, lectures, films, and class discussions of the previous 2-3 weeks. As quizzes count for 40% of your final grade and are based on lectures and class discussions, it will be very difficult for students to get higher than a “C” for the course without near perfect attendance.

All students are required to take a final examination. It is worth 20% of the final grade and will be held on Tuesday, December 8, in class. It will be comprehensive to date, and will be based on readings, lectures, films, and class discussions. The exam will have multiple choice, short answer, and essay components.

Up to 5 bonus points will be awarded to students who participate in a group presentation or debate in class. These debates and presentations will take place on Tuesdays, and will be evaluated by your peers. Topics will be provided.

For grade point information, see www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html. Students requesting classroom accommodation for disabilities must register with the Dean of Students Office and provide documentation from this office when requesting accommodation. All students are required to abide by UF’s Academic Honesty Guidelines, at www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/honestybrochure.php

Course Schedule

August 25, 27 The Glory of Greece and Rome

September 1 Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus

September 3 No Class: Professor Thiele at academic conference in Toronto, Canada

September 8, 10 Readings: Sophocles, Antigone, Electra

September 15 (quiz), 17 Readings: Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (Introduction through Bk II,17)

September 22, 25 Readings: Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (Bk II,18-70; Bk III,1- 85;

Bk V, 84 through Bk VI, 32)

Sept. 29 (quiz), Oct. 1 Readings: Plato, Apology, Euthyprho

October 6, 8 Readings: Plato, Crito and Aristophanes, The Clouds

October 13 (quiz), 15 Readings: Plato, Republic (Bks 1-III)

October 20, 22 Readings: Plato, Republic (Bks IV-VI)

October 27, 29 Readings: Plato, Republic (Bks VII-X)

November 3 (quiz), 5 Readings: Aristotle, Politics (Bks I-IV

November 10, 12 Readings: Aristotle, Politics (Bks V-VIII)

November 17 (quiz), 19 Readings: Cicero, On Duties (Bks I-II)

Term paper due Wednesday, November 18, at 4 PM

November 24 Readings: Cicero, On Duties (Bk III)

November 26 No class: Thanksgiving

December 2 (quiz), 4 Readings: Epictetus, The Art of Living (all)

December 8 Final in-class exam

Suggested secondary readings:

A. Adkins, Moral Values and Political Behavior in Ancient Greece

L. Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome

E. Barker, The Politics of Plato and Aristotle

M. Bernal, Black Athena

M. Bowra, The Greek Experience

J. Butler, Antigone’s Claim: Kinship between Life and Death

P. Cartledge, The Greeks: A Portrait of Self and Other

R. Connor, The New Politicians of Fifth-Century Athens

F.M. Cornford, Before and After Socrates; From Religion to Philosophy; Thucydides: Mythistoricus

M. Davis, The politics of philosophy

E.R. Dodds, The Greeks and the Irrational

K. Dover, Aristophanic Comedy

P. Euben, The Tragedy of Political Theory; Corrupting Youth

P. Euben, J. Ober and J. Wallach, eds., Educating Democracy

M. Finley, The Ancient Greeks, Politics in the Ancient World; Thucydides; Democracy

S. Forde, The Ambition to Rule

E. Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

A. Gomme, A Historical Commentary on Thucydides

T. Gompers, Greek Thinking

M. Grant, Myths of the Greeks and Romans;The World of Rome

D. Grene, Greek Political Theory

M. Hadas, A History of Greek Literature; A History of Rome

E. Hamilton, The Greek Way

J. Howland, The Republic: The Odyssey of Philosophy

E. Hussey, The Pre-Socratics

R. Kraut, Socrates and the State

T. Irwin, Plato's Moral Theory; Classical Thought

W. Jaeger, Paideia

H. Kitto, The Greeks

J. Lendon, Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World

N. Nahm Selections from Early Greek Philosophy

C. Meier, The Greek Discovery of Politics

F. Millar, The Roman Republic in Political Thought

S. Monoson, Plato’s Democratic Entanglements

M. Nichols, Citizens and Statesmen: A Study of Aristotle's Politics

M. Nussbaum, The Fragility of Goodness

J. Ober, Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens

O. Patterson, Freedom: Freedom in the Making of Western Culture

Plutarch, Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives

P. Rahe, Republics, Ancient and Modern

J. de Romilly, Thucydides and Athenian Imperialism

A. Rorty (ed.), Essays on Aristotle’s Ethics

E. Segal, ed. Greek Tragedy

G. Sabine, A History of Political Theory, Chs. 1-6

A. Saxonhouse, Fear of Diversity

T. Sinclair, A History of Greek Political Thought; Democracy and Participation in Athens

B. Snell, The Discovery of the Mind

D. Stockton, The Classical Athenian Democracy (oxford)

I. Stone, The Trial of Socrates

L. Strauss, What is Political Philosophy?, Natural Right and History; The City and Man

J. Vernant, Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greece; The Origins of Greek Thought

E. Voegelin, Order and History: Vol. 2

G. Vlastos, Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher

B. Williams, Shame and Necessity

S. Wolin, Politics and Vision, Ch. 1-3

P. Woodruff, First Democracy

B. Yack, The Problems of a Political Animal

Writing your term paper

1. Formulate a clear thesis, then outline its components section by section. Think clearly about how you will systematically argue for and demonstrate your thesis. Plan every step, and continually revise.

2. Write an introduction that lays out your basic thesis

- articulating a significant question/problem/puzzle that resists solution is always a good way to start

- say what you hope to achieve and how you will go about achieving it

- do not beat around the bush; get right to the point

- do not overstate your case

- do not employ dictionary definitions

3. Write the body of the paper

- employ a well-reasoned, well-organized argument: forbid tangents

- define all but the most unambiguous concepts

- avoid general, vague or universal statements: be clear, precise and concise

- offer well-integrated textual support or empirical evidence for your claims

- always introduce and explain quotations, and be sparing in their use

- employ proper citations (parenthetic or endnotes)

4. Write a strong conclusion: explain briefly what you have demonstrated and its significance

5. Attach a selected bibliography

6. Do a spell-check and add page numbers to the paper

7. Put the paper away for a week or more, then reread it aloud or have a friend read it and offer comments. Revise thoroughly.

On good writing techniques:

- paragraphs should consist of logically linked sentences oriented to a common purpose

- use good diction: i.e. always pick the best word for the job; when possible, have one word do the

work of many

- limit and keep control of modifying clauses; rewrite run-on sentences as two sentences

- avoid awkward, baggy phrases and sentences

- ensure that all pronouns agree with their antecedents

- do not confuse there, their and they're; its and it's; your and you're.

- avoid contractions. E.g. Use I am rather than I'm.

- try not to begin sentences with and, but or however.

- avoid split infinitives.

- try to employ gender-neutral language

Suggested references:

Turabian, A Manual for Writers or Chicago Manual of Style

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

Scott and Garrison, The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual

Diane E. Schmidt, Writing in Political Science

Cook, Line by Line or Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual

H. W. Fowler, Fowler's Modern English Usage or W. Follett, Modern American Usage

www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/skills/grammar/grammar_tutorial/index.htm