PSCI 312
American Political Thought
Last Offered Spring 2021
Division II W Writing Skills
Cross-listed LEAD 312
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

From democracy to liberty, equality to community, foundational ideas — about what makes for good government, about what constitutes the good society, about what is necessary to lead a good life — define the American political tradition and consume the American political imagination. Designed not only to uncover these (sometimes melodious, sometimes cacophonous) values but also to place current ideological debates about them in a broader developmental context, this tutorial will offer a topical tour of American political thinking from the birth of nationalism in the colonial period to the remaking of conservatism and liberalism in the early twenty-first century. Utilizing primary source material ranging from presidential speeches to party platforms, newspaper editorials to novels, we will seek to interrogate — reconciling where possible, distinguishing where necessary, interpreting in all instances — the disparate visions and assessments of the American political experience offered by politicians, artists, intellectuals, activists, and ordinary citizens over the course of more than two centuries. Our focus, then, is nothing less than the story of America — as told by those who lived it.
The Class: Format: tutorial
Limit: 10
Expected: 10
Class#: 5457
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: five 5- to 7-page essays, five 2- to 3-page critiques, and a revised and extended 10- to 12-page final essay
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: Political Science majors and prospective majors
Distributions: Divison II Writing Skills
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
PSCI 312 Division II LEAD 312 Division II
WS Notes: Weekly writing with extensive attention to feedback, revision, and improvement.
Attributes: AMST Critical and Cultural Theory Electives
LEAD Facets or Domains of Leadership
PHIL Related Courses
PSCI American Politics Courses
PSCI Political Theory Courses

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