PSCI 230(S) American Political Thought
Political thinking in this country arose at the complicated intersection of empire and independence. The land upon which settlers sought to build a "city on a hill," to lay freedom's foundations, to reinvent themselves, or to improve their material circumstances was seized by force and held through violence. This course attempts to make sense of that fateful entanglement between freedom and subjugation. As we move from the nation's birth in conquest through its repeated struggles over social subordination, we will explore some of the most important ways in which both dominant and dissident figures have handled such themes as authority, community, equality, liberty, slavery, and pluralism. We will examine significant American answers to fundamental questions about the appropriate scope of federal and state power, the structure of the political economy, the workings of constitutional democracy, the meaning of citizenship and national identity, and the character of American political culture. Readings may include works by Winthrop, Rowlandson, Paine, Jefferson, Madison, Calhoun, Emerson, Fuller, Thoreau, Douglass, Apess, Melville, Lincoln, Anthony, Du Bois, Addams, Goldman, Veblen, Dewey, and King. Requirements: three 5- to 7-page papers. No prerequisites. Political Theory Subfield