PSCI 4330 Prof. R. Ruderman

PSCI 4330 Prof. R. Ruderman

Fall 2012 Wooten 125; x.4944

Wed. 6:30-9:20 Office Hours: T 10-12, R 11-12

Email: and by appointment.

(I don’t respond on Friday nights/Saturdays; please identify yourself and the subject clearly)

Topics in Political Theory:

MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THEORY

Submit papers to:turnitin.com; Class ID: 5346302; Password: havefaith (simply Create a User Profile at the site and then use this info to submit your papers)

Class website is at: (for Discussions, handouts, etc.)

Please note this is an advanced seminar that presumes some knowledge of Plato, Aristotle, and the Bible.

Texts to be Purchased:

• Holy Bible: King James Version
• Augustine, Political Writings, trans. Tkacz and Kries (Hackett).
• Aquinas On Faith and Reason (Hackett)
• St. Thomas Aquinas, On Law, Morality, and Politics, eds. Baumgarth, Regan (Hackett), 2nd ed.
• The Glorious Qur’an, trans. Pickthall (Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an).
• Medieval Political Philosophy: A Sourcebook, 2nded., eds. Parens and Macfarland (Cornell U.)
• Moses Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, 2 vols., trans. Pines (University of Chicago)

Goals of the Course:

From American and European “culture wars” over the separation of church (or mosque) and state to the shooting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the global ideological struggle between radical Islam and liberal democracy, the central political issue of our time is the issue of religion and politics. Should religion be kept separate from the public sphere, as secular liberals contend? Or should religious teachings inform and even be central to political life, as religious believers of all faiths maintain?

The question of the proper relation between religion and politics was examined most broadly, most richly, and most profoundly during the Middle Ages, the so-called “Age of Faith.” During that period, the greatest minds of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish worlds focused on the fundamental question of which should guide political life, reason or faith? The Middle Ages was truly a golden age for both political philosophy and political theology.

The goal of this course is to understand as clearly as we can the thought of the greatest medieval political thinkers in the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian worlds and the radical challenge that thought poses to modern and contemporary political thought. We will also attempt to determine what light might be shed on contemporary politics by the often neglected masterpieces of medieval Christian, Muslim, and Jewish political theory and theology. In this course, we will explore such fundamental and perennial questions as:

1) What is the relation between religion and politics? Is religion necessary for a decent and stable political society? Or does religion tend to undermine political life?

2) What is the distinctive character of the relation between Islam and politics? Judaism and politics? Christianity and politics?

3) What is the relation between philosophy or reason and politics? Is philosophy beneficial or harmful to political society?

4) What is the distinctive character of the relation between Islam and philosophy? Judaism and philosophy? Christianity and philosophy?

5) What is the relation between philosophy or reason and religion or faith? Is there a fundamental conflict or harmony between the two?

Requirements:

There will be two short (5-7 page) papers (worth 20% each) and one longer (6-8 page) paper, issued as the take-home portion of the final exam (worth 20%). You must do all of the written work in order to pass the course. Unless there is an emergency, I will not accept any written work after the day of the exam. You will be docked a third of a grade (e.g., from A to A-) for each calendar day on a paper which you hand in late unless you either have asked for (and received) my permission beforehand or have a very good excuse. 10% of your grade will be determined by class participation. Regular attendance is therefore required. Each unexcused absence will lower your grade two thirds of a grade. The final exam will be worth 20%.

You will be expected to read the assigned texts carefully before we discuss them in class. In order to help you prepare for class discussion, a weekly required online quiz will have to be completed. The quizzes will count for 10% of your grade.

Classroom Etiquette:

As a courtesy to your fellow students, please come to class on time. Please turn off all cell phones before coming to class. In order to get into the medieval spirit of the class, please do not open laptops or tablets unless essential for note-taking. And do please resist the temptation to get up during class—to fill a bottle of water, call a friend, or perform the daily ablutions—unless Nature herself absolutely demands it. (There will be a mid-class break each week.)

Tentative Schedule:

August 29Introduction: the fundamental issues; read Genesis 1-4.

I. The Common Beginning Point

September 5Genesis5-22; Exodus 19-23; Deuteronomy 4:1-8; Isaiah 42:5-7, 55:6-11.

II. Political Theory and Christianity

September 12Matthew, 1-7, 10, 12:30, 12:46-50, 16:13-28, 19:16-30, 21:12-16, 22,

23:9-11, 25:31-46, 27, 28:16-20; Luke 2:1-3, 10:38-42; Romans 1:16-21; Colossians 2:1-8; Acts 5:32.

Condemnation of 219 Propositions (pp. 320-332 in Parens and

Macfarland).

September 19Augustine, Political Writings, pp. 30-31, 41-44, 58-67, 92-94, 108-114,

135-136.

Political Writings, pp. 140-167, 175-183, 195-201; pp. 202-12, 218-229.

September 26No Class: Yom Kippur.

October 3Aquinas, On Faith and Reason, pp. 9-18, 18-24, 121-131, 64-78.

On Law, Politics, and Morality, pp. 64-69, 130-133, 139-148,164-196.

III. Political Theory and Islam

October 10The Glorious Qur’an, Suras 1-4, 12 (pp. 8-73, 433-34).

FIRST PAPER DUE.

October 17Alfarabi, The Enumeration of the Sciences (pp. 18-23 in Parens and

Macfarland);

Alfarabi, The Attainment of Happiness (pp. 56-71 in Parens and

Macfarland).

Alfarabi, Plato’s Laws (pp. 72-73 in Parens and Macfarland);

October 24Alghazali, The Incoherence of the Philosophers (pp. 1-13, 166-177 to be

handed out in class.

Alghazali, The Deliverer from Error (pp. 89-96 in Parens and Macfarland)

Averroes, The Decisive Treatise, Determining What the Connection is

Between Religion and Philosophy (pp. 123-140 in Parens and

Macfarland).

Ibn Tufayl, Hayy the Son of Yaqzan (pp. 105-122 in Parens and

Macfarland)

IV. Political Theory and Judaism

October 31Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, Epistle Dedicatory,

I Introduction, chs. 1-2.

November 7Guide, Chs. 5, 7-17, 26

2ND PAPER DUE

November 14Guide, I 31-36, 71; II 13-17

November 21No Class: Thanksgiving.

November 28Guide, II 22-23, 25, 32, 36, 39-40

December 5Guide, III, Introduction, 8, 15-18, 22-23.

December 7 (Friday)Review session: 11-12.

December 12FINAL EXAM (6:30-8:30, take-home essay on Maimonides due at start).

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Course drop information: see schedule at –

Policies on academic dishonesty:

Department Statement of ADA compliance

The Political Science Department cooperates with the Office of Disability Accommodation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Please present your written accommodation request on or before the sixth class day (beginning of the second week of classes).

University of North Texas -- Department of Political Science

POLICY ON CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

The UNT Code of Student Conduct and Discipline defines cheating and plagiarism as the

use of unauthorized books, notes, or otherwise securing help in a test; copying others' tests,

assignments, reports, or term papers; representing the work of another as one's own; collaborating without authority with another student during an examination or in preparing academic work; or otherwise practicing scholastic dishonesty.

Normally, the minimum penalty for cheating or plagiarism is a grade of "F" in the course.

In the case of graduate departmental exams, the minimum penalty shall be failure of all fields of

the exam. Determination of cheating or plagiarism shall be made by the instructor in the course,

or by the field faculty in the case of departmental exams.

Cases of cheating or plagiarism on graduate departmental exams, theses, or dissertations

shall automatically be referred to the departmental Graduate Studies Committee. Cases of

cheating or plagiarism in ordinary coursework may, at the discretion of the instructor, be referred

to the Undergraduate Studies Committee in the case of undergraduate students, or the Graduate

Studies Committee in the case of graduate students. These committees, acting as agents of the

department Chair, shall impose further penalties, or recommend further penalties to the Dean of

Students, if they determine that the case warrants it. In all cases, the Dean of Students shall be

informed in writing of the case.

Students may appeal any decision under this policy by following the procedures laid

down in the UNT Code of Student Conduct and Discipline.

University of North Texas -- Department of Political Science

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The Political Science Department adheres to and enforces UNT’s policy on academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism, forgery, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty and sabotage). Students in this class should review the policy (UNT Policy Manual Section 18.1.16), which may be located at Violations of academic integrity in this course will addressed in compliance with the penalties and procedures laid out in this policy. Students may appeal any decision under this policy by following the procedures laid down in the UNT The UNT Policy Manual Section 18.1.16 “Student Standards of Academic Integrity

Acceptable Student Behavior:

Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at