Syllabus for Contemporary Civilization

Prof. R. Legvold
C1102y Spring 2006

Office: 1226 International Affairs Building

Telephone: 854-5426

Office Hours: Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 and by appointment

rhl1@columbia.edu

Assignments

In addition to the following reading, students are required to write two short papers (5-7 pages) on topics to be assigned, and to take a mid-term and final examination.

The assigned reading is of the following three types: (1) books ordered for the course and available at the Columbia University Bookstore; (2) selections from the CC Reader Online; and (3) special material on reserve online.

January 18: Introduction

Kant, Immanuel, “What Is Enlightenment,” CC Web Site.

January 23 and January 25: The Enlightenment and Moral Philosophy

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Discourses on The Sciences and The Arts and On Inequality and On the Social Contract, Book I,

Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Books II-IV, for January 25.

January 30 and February 1: The Enlightenment

Hume, David, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, (Hackett)

Kant, Immanuel, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, [Read sections 1 and 2; skim section 3] for February 1

February 6, 8, and 13: The Age of Revolution

Documents from the American and French Revolutions, The Declaration of Independence and The Federalist Papers Numbers 10 and 51, Anti-Federalist Selections (CC Web) for February 6.

Burke, Edmund, Reflections on the Revolution in France, (Hackett), "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, 1789," Preface to the French Constitution of 1793 and Jeremy Bentham, “Anarchical Fallacies” (CC Web) for February 8.

Wollstonecraft, Mary, Vindication of the Rights of Women (Hackett) for February 13.

February 15: 19th Century and Notions of Liberty

Mill, John Stuart, On Liberty.

February 20, 22, and 27 and March 1: Capitalism and Its Critics

Smith, Adam, The Wealth of Nations. For February 24, Introduction and Book I. For February 20, Books II and III.

*Hegel, G.W. F., Reason in History: A General Introduction to the Philosophy of History for February 22.

Marx, Karl, from the Marx-Engels Reader (by Robert Tucker, ed.), "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844," and The Communist Manifesto for March 1.

First paper due February 20

March 6: Hour examination

March 8 and 20: Darwin and Darwinism

Darwin, Charles, The Origin of the Species, Chapters 1-4 and 14. for March 8.

Darwin, The Descent of Man and on social Darwinism, selections from Spencer ("Illustrations of Universal Progress") and Gould and Kropotkin for March 20.

March 22 and March 27: More of the New Science: Nietzsche and Freud

Nietzsche, Friedrich, On the Genealogy of Morals for March 22.

Freud, Sigmund, Civilization and Its Discontents for March 27.

March 29: Nation and Race

Du Bois, W. B. B., The Souls of Black Folk and “The Souls of White Folk” (CC Web).

April 3: Max Weber

Weber, Max, "Ideal Type," "The Protestant Ethic," "Confucianism and Puritanism," and others, 70 pp..

Second paper due April 3

April 5 and 10: Gender Construction

*de Beauvoir, Simone, The Second Sex, Introduction, Part I, Part II, Chapter 7 and 8, Part III, Chapter 9 for April 9, and Part IV, Chapter 13, for April 5.

MacKinnon, Catherine, Towards a Feminist Theory of the State, for April 10

April 12 and 17: Modern Theories of Justice and Freedom

Rawls, John, Theory of Justice for April 12.

Foucault, Michel, Discipline and Punish, for April 17

April 19 and 24: Contemporary Problems of Democracy in America

*Sandel, Michael J., Democracy’s Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy. (Harvard University Press) Part I for April 19; Part II for April 24.

April 26 and May 1: Conclusion