Assignments for POL 405, Political Ideologies, Spring 2012.
Gregor chapters 4 (Sorel) and 6 (Mussolini) are assigned for Wednesday. Ahmed and Yasin indicated they will give the papers.
Let's make the article review due on Friday, March 2d, rather than Wednesday, February 29th. You should also be thinking about a book to review. I have a couple of ideas for you so let's talk before Spring Break.
Please read chapters one and two of Gregor's Marxism, Fascism & Totalitarianism. Karam and Yasin will present the three-page seminar papers. (Please email me as soon as you select the chapters on which you will speak and I will advise you on how to proceed.)
We will be reading several chapters from this book by Gregor, and since it is based on analysis of Marxism and relevant writings, you must have some familiarity with Marx's writing to make any sense of it. Those of you who have taken POL 211 have read the Communist Manifesto. If you have not yet read it, please do now.
Also, following up on the assignment for last time, I think it would be helpful for the class to have frequent quizzes to (1) encourage all of you to read all of the assignments and (2) give me some indication of how well you are studying and comprehending the material. Thus there will be a quiz on the Gregor chapters with more emphasis on chapter 2 than on chapter 1. Look up all the words with which you are unfamiliar; I will put a couple of vocabulary questions on the exam. The grades on the quizzes will be folded into the grades for the class presentations and the final exam. Identify Gregor's main points in each chapter and in each section of the chapters: he writes very logically. Everything he says he says for a purpose and he announces his purposes clearly at the outset of his arguments. He provides the basis for good lessons in reading comprehension; let's take advantage of what he provides.
Please read chapter 3 ("Total Critique and Total Revolution") and 6 ("The Ethics of Existence") in Niemeyer's book. Omar will present a paper on chapter 3; Ryan will present on chapter 6. As I mentioned last time, I think I will give a short quiz at the beginning of class to encourage all of you to read the material. We had a good discussion last time, but there was not a lot of evidence that the questions came from the readings. In order for a small class to succeed, everyone has got to be prepared most of the time. So please read the assigned material.
Sorry to be so late with the questions. In chapter one of Between Nothingness and Paradise, Niemeyer is constructing his concept of the axiological critique of society, which he presents on the last two pages of the chapter. (1) Is Niemeyer's conception consistent with Voegelin's idea of the axiological immanentization of the eschaton in Ersatz Religion? Think through the connection between Voegelin's idea of "immanentization" or derivation and Niemeyer's conception of "critique." (2) Apply each of the six characteristics of the axiological critique that Niemeyer lists on the last two pages to the "theories" of each of the four writers he discusses in the chapter: Meslier, Morelly, Mably, and Babeuf. Does the theory of each of these men bear all of the characteristics that Niemeyer lists?
In chapter two, he constructs his concept of the teleological critique. He again articulates that concept in the last few pages of the chapter. (1) As with the axiological critique, compare Niemeyer's concept with Voegelin's concept of teleological immanentization (or derivation) of the eschaton. Are they similar? How? (2) Do the theories of each of the men Niemeyer studies in chapter two—Turgot, Condorcet, and Fourier—have each of the seven characteristics that Niemeyer adduces? Do you see any fundamental differences between the ideas of Turgot, Condorcet, and Fourier?
Please jot down your responses to these questions. I will ask you about them in class and may ask you to hand in a copy at the end of class, so have something to give me. Keep it brief! I simply want to see how well you are understanding this material. It is hard to get used to at first.
Please read the two essays I handed out in class: Gregor's "Ideology of Fascism" and Voegelin's "Ersatz Religion." For each essay, identify the author's main point: his "thesis." Sum up in as concise a manner as you can what each author's fundamental point is.
The exam will consist of one question aimed at evaluating your understanding of the Hermeticist tradition as distinct from the Gnostic and millenarian traditions that we have studied this semester.
As I thought about some of your comments and questions on the assignment this past Wednesday, I suspect that you might not be clear regarding the assignment. Let me restate it. On Wednesday, I want each of you to report to the class on the research that you have been doing. The report should be in the form of a short (two or three pages only) seminar paper that you read to the class. Tell us what you have done. No footnotes; no title page; copy for you, copy for me; more copies if you can do it.
The research paper itself should be five or six pages with all the appropriate formalities—title page, footnotes, question you addressed, and your reasoned response-thesis. I thought this went without saying; this is always the form in which a research paper is presented. The sources you cite should include the book that you reviewed and at least two other sources—articles, chapters of books, books. In other words, a short, not extensive list. You may hand in the research paper on or before Monday, April 25th, by putting a hard copy in the rack across from my office door. I cannot make the deadline any later.
Well, now, I detect a certain amount of lassitude here that has me concerned. A couple of you owe me papers; a couple of you have already exceeded the unexcused absences; no suggestions for readings from the Wessinger text. In a class this size, we must all fulfill our commitment or the whole enterprise sinks. The sliding is probably due to exhaustion—yours, not mine—which is understandable, but I will not let the course slip away. I'll keep this assignment short, but I will expect you to read the two articles. First, please read Grant Underwood's article on the Mormons, pp. 43-61; second please read Massimo Introvigne's article on the mass suicides of the Solar Temple followers, pp. 138-157. Both are in the Wessinger text.
See you Wednesday at 2:00pm. Remember, we are starting an hour and a half earlier. Class should be over by 3:30pm.
Yo! I just remembered that you are working on your reviews, and while that does not preclude an assignment, it would be better perhaps if the assignment were shorter. Let's put off the Niemeyer article on "Autonomous Man" until next week. Please read just the Voegelin essay and the Niemeyer essay on "Loss of Reality." These fit closer the readings we have just completed.
I have decided to assign two articles by Niemeyer, both of which are in the wall rack across from my office—"Loss of Reality," and "Autonomous Man"—and also one of the essays from Voegelin's Science, Politics and Gnosticism: the Introduction and "Science, Politics & Gnosticism" (the first full essay).
Please read the rest of McKnight's book on Sacralizing the Secular.
Please read the short article on Gnosticism and Hermeticism by van den Broek and the long excerpt from Stephen McKnight's Sacralizing the Secular for class. The book reviews will be due Friday, April 1st (no fooling).
Please complete the Cohn text and read the first two chapters of Jonas's Gnostic Religion. Copies are in the rack on the wall across from my office door. Nick, I assume that you have a copy of Jonas's book, so I only put three handouts in the rack.
After posting the assignment earlier today, I have had second thoughts and hereby amend the assignment. I hope this does not mess any of you up for this week. Instead of skipping chapter 9 in order to finish the Cohn text this week, I have decided to go with my original plan of reading the whole text, even if it carries over to next week. So please read chapters 9, 10, 11, and, if you can, 12. For next week we will read Cohn (chapter 13, or 12 & 13, depending on how much we discuss this week) and also the Jonas chapters. This week I will provide material on neo-Platonism as promised.
Please read chapters of Cohn—chapter 9, 10, which reviews the sources for the last chapters of the book, and chapters 11 & 12, which recount several famous incidents that are of particular importance to students of political history: the story of the Taborites in chapter 11 and of the intellectual journey of Thomas Müntzer in chapter 12.
These journals may also be of use to you:
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
Terrorism and Political Violence
Politics, Religion & Ideology
The article review is due Friday, February 4th; bring questions about the review, also. As I mentioned in class, the article review should be about three pages long and should/may use the material assigned thus far in class for commentary and critique purposes.
Please read Cohn, chapters 6 to 8. That puts us a couple of chapters behind the syllabus, but we are still in good shape. Pick up a vocabulary sheet from the rack on the wall across from my office door. I'll put the extras there on Friday.
After watching the weather reports for the past week (most of which suggested that we would be getting another huge load of snow just in time for class Wednesday), it now seems that we might actually have a chance to have class on Wednesday. Instead of doubling the assignment and trying to cover chapters 1-6 of Cohn on Wednesday, let's add only chapters 4 & 5: we will definitely cover chapters 1 through 5 on Wednesday. Bring questions about the text with you.
Please read chapters one, two, and three of, as well as the introductory material to, Norman Cohn's Pursuit of the Millennium. Identify the question that he set about to answer in the research represented by the text. What is his central thesis? How do chapters one, two, and three reflect that thesis?
Read also the article by Rapoport or by Hoffman that you are to review. Take a look at the general requirements for an article or book review at the link "Memo: Article and Book Reviews" under the "Useful Links" section of the main web page. Review is due Friday, February 4th.
As I mentioned in class, I will adjust the level of assignments to the size of the class. I do not want members of a small class to get swamped with work.
The assignment for Wednesday the 19th is listed on the syllabus—the Bible readings and the chapters by Knox and Tuveson. In the subsequent weeks, we will be working through the Cohn text. The article review will be due on February 2d. I have copies of both the Hoffman and the Rapoport articles in my office, if you want to pick one up before class; otherwise, I will hand them out next week.
I think you will really enjoy the material we are studying this semester. I am glad you are along for the trip. Take a look through the book list at the end of the syllabus to see if any title/subject attracts your interest. I am familiar with the books and can answer questions you may have about them.
I placed copies of chapter 8 of Richard Ellis's Dark Side of the Left in the rack on the wall across from my office door. I also attached to the chapter some prefatory materials from the book that discuss the background to Ellis's study. Only chapter 8 is assigned; look at the other matierial if you can. The chapter is different from the one I use in POL 211, but it also concerns environmentalism. Let's start class at 7:00pm to give you a bit longer to read the material. I know the papers are due tomorrow, too. Sorry for the terribly late posting.
The "Approaches to Political Ideologies" link is up and running.
Class will be held from 2:00 to 4:00pm; if our usual room is taken, I will secure another one.
Ryan and Max will present seminar papers on the ideological nature (or not) of the Islamist authors that we have read thus far. Each paper should offer evaluations of a half dozen or so of the authors.
Final drafts of research papers are due on April 21st.
Also, as I mentioned, I would like to reschedule the class of April 14th, so we will discuss alternative times for that week.
Let's see if I have this straight: chapters 2 and 14 for next class, with Marc presenting a seminar paper (with relatively few footnotes) on chapter 14. Right? Since chapter 14 is very short, let's add another very short chapter: chapter 17 (The Taliban).
For the 7th, all of you will present papers based upon your research-paper research. The papers should be about five pages long and be based on four or five sources. All of your research papers should ultimately be critiques or evaluations of a theory or a movement in light of a conception of ideology that we have studied in the course. Your paper for the 7th need not offer this critique but only reflect your understanding of the theory or movement that you will be subjecting to the critique.
Though no one will present a seminar paper on the assigned readings on the 7th, I would like to continue with a reading assignment for that class and also at least one class thereafter from the Princeton reader. Chapters of interest to me are 4, 15, 16, 17. I am open to your input, also. I think Marc indicated interest in chapter 7. Take a look through the reader and see if there is a chapter that you might want to include.
We also want to include a chapter from the Richard Ellis Dark Side of the Left later in the course. I will select a chapter from that text and perhaps material from Hofstadter's Paranoid Style for the last couple of weeks of the semester.
I hope you have been working on your papers. The readings for Wednesday will introduce us to "Islamism" or, as some would call it, "Islamicism." Please read three chapters: chapter 3, Mawdudi on Islamic Law; chapter 6, Khomeini on Islamic Government," and pages 1-27 of the Introduction.
As I indicated in class, I am posting a mid-term grade of "B" for each of you in the absence of exam and review papers. I do not place a lot of weight on these high school mid-term grades. If you are having serious problems in the course, I suspect that we will have ample opportunity to discuss the problem because of the small size of the class. So take the mid-term grade for what it is worth.
Please read chapters (not lectures) three and four, pp. 110-183, of Hitler and the Germans, and the excerpt from Hermann Rauschning on the nature of the Nazi revolution. Elizabeth will present, and anyone else may volunteer. At the present rate, I will double up the presentations in coming weeks so that each of you presents two seminar papers this semester.
The reviews are due in my office on Friday, February 26th.
As we discussed, you should also be beginning your term paper research. ELizabeth on "Islamo-fascism," Chris and Ryan on aspects of communism, Marc on Italian fascism, Max and Lindsey on ???. I want to work with you on these papers, but I will not let you put off the research and the writing until the end of the semester. We are shooting for a first draft in the first week of April.
First, for the mid-term grade report I will submit a "B" for each of you in the course at this time. That will get the fascist administrators off my back and allow me to move the deadline for the review. I am moving the deadline for the review to Friday, February 26th. Have them in my office before 4:00pm that day, when I will probably leave campus. As always, you MUST hand in a hard copy, but you may meet the deadline by emailing it to me before 4:00pm Friday as long as you give me a hard copy by the next work day--in this case, Monday. Since I know who's who in this small class, there is no need for ID#s: you can put your names on the papers.
The reading assignment for Wednesday is Voegelin, Hitler and the Germans, chapters one and two. Marc will present the paper. Anyone else may also volunteer to do so.
Given the loss of the class period last week, I will replace the in-class mid-term with a take home mid term due some time after Break. We will talk about that Wednesday evening.
Please read chapter three of Niemeyer and chapters one and two of Minogue. You should have your books for the book review selected. We will move the due date for the review back to TUESDAY, February 23d. That will give me a day to grade them and return them in class on the 24th. Guidelines for reviews are in a memo available via a link on the main web page under "Useful Links."
Please read chapter two of Niemeyer, Between Nothingness and Paradise. Chris will present a three-page seminar paper.
Also, look over the three books I mentioned to you for the book review: Bakunin's God and the State, an anarchist manifesto; Lenin's The State and Revolution; and Sayyid Qutb's Milestones. As alternatives to Qutb on Islamicism, there are also works by Al Qaeda theoretician Ayman Al Zawahiri ("Knights under the Prophet's Banner," or three essays: "Loyalty and Enmity," "Sharia and Democracy," and "Jihad, Martyrdom, and the Killing of Innocents"), and the Ayatollah Khomeini ("Islamic Government"). All of these alternatives are somewhat longer than the Qutb piece. No more than three students on one book. Be prepared to select one by class on Wednesday. Chris selected Lenin; Elizabeth selected Bakunin.
Please read chapter one, Natura ex Machina in Niemeyer, Between Nothingness and Paradise. I will present a seminar paper on the chapter. "Natura ex machina" is a play on what other phrase? What distinguishes the theories of Meslier, Morelly, Mably, and Babeuf? Why, according to Niemeyer, is one of these theories different from the rest? What is Niemeyer's concept of the "axiological critique"? Why "axiological"? Does his "archetype" of socialism accurately reflect the theories he has analyzed? Do the contents of the chapter justify his title for the chapter?
Jean Meslier writings.Welcome to the course!. As I explained during the first class, this first assignment is larger than usual in order to give us an introduction to all of the subjects that we will be studying this semester: Marxism-socialism, fascism-Nazism, and Islamicism. Read all three articles as quickly as you can; you can then go back and focus on areas of interest. Please read Cooper's article on "Jihadists," Tucker's essay on the Marxian Revolutionary Idea, and Gregor's article on the Ideology of Fascism.
The material from below is from last Spring. The layout and the subject matter of that course was much different, so this semester's course will be much different.
As I indicated in class, of the three main texts that we studied--Cohn's Pursuit of the Millennium, Tuveson's Redeemer Nation and Ibrahim's Al Queda Reader--the material in Cohn's and Ibrahim's texts seem closer in subject matter to each other than either is to Tuveson's text. Expect the questions on the exam to reflect this breakdown.
I handed out a list of terms for the Cohn text earlier this semester (I probably cannot find another copy, so if you misplaced yours, try to get a copy from a classmate) and indicated several important terms and identifications on the list. Since Cohn's subject and the Islamic radicalism that is the subject of Ibrahim's (and Murawiek's) books are both religion-based radical theory and movements, you should be able to draw specific parallels and make specific distinctions between particular medieval Christian and contemporary Islamic movements and sects. The brief outline of some present-day approaches to political ideologies, set forth on the web site link, may also be of help to you. Regarding Tuveson, you should be familiar with the origins of the so-called "post-millennialism" variant of millenarian thought that characterized the American millenarianism Tuveson mostly describes. You should also be familiar with several of the literary works, historical events, and American policies that reflect American millenarianism. The Price, Adams, and Paine readings are all part of the phenomenon that Tuveson is describing, and in fact he discusses Adams's essay at length.
There will be two or three essay questions; if there are only two essays, there will also be some concepts for you to define or groups/individuals/doctrines/works to define or identify. This is where material on hermeticism and material from Voegelin's essay seem to fit in. I will not pick obscure terms, but I intend to be thorough. Your essays and responses should (1) reflect your reading and studying of the assigned materials and (2) precise, specific--not general and unsupported--references to material from the readings.
Bring a few blue or black ink pens to class with you Wednesday evening. See you then!
Let's make sure I have this straight: the papers will be presented by Jhon and Katherine, unless you reallocate them among yourselves. Regardless, we need two papers this week and two papers next week, when the research papers are also due.
The reading assignment is from Ibrahim, Al Qaeda Reader: please read (1) the al Zawahiri interview and the bin Laden writings on pages 175 to 208 and (2) the bin Laden essay "Moderate Islam Is a Prostration to the West," pages 17 to 61. The bin Laden statement "Why We Are Fighting You" is a response to an American statement, "What We're Fighting For," and the essay "Moderate Islam Is a Prostration to the West" is a response to a Saudi reply to "What We're Fighting For." The Saudi reply is entitled ""How We can Co-exist." Both "What We're Fighting For" and "How We Can Co-Exist" can be found here. Both are on the americanvalues.org website.
Reading for Wednesday the 8th, Tuveson, chapters 4 and 5. Katherine and Jhon are in the involuntary volunteers. Shall we bgin earlier than 6:30pm on Wednesday? Because that is the regular time and because a change may adversely affect one or more of you, I will not change the time (or room) unless I get the OK from all of you, so please email me before Wednesday to let me know.
Research papers due April 22d.
As anniounced, please read the remaining two articles by al-Zawahiri: "Sharia and Democracy," and "Jihad . . . ." (I do not have the text with me). We will return to Tuveson next week.
The reading assignment is the essay "Loyalty and Enmity" by Ayman al-Zawahiri in The Al Qaeda Reader, pp. 63-115. I strongly urge you to read as much of the introductory materials and commentary in the book as possible. Ryan is presenting. Look for similarities and parallels in the content of al-Zawahiri's essay with the other materials that we have read thus far in the course. Is this "ideological" material? Why or why not?
For Wednesday, please read chapters 2 & 3 of Tuveson, Redeemer Nation. Germary will present a paper. Katherine and Tyler: need your paper topics ASAP.
Another good class. David and Tyler should present seminar papers on the Adams and Price material, directly linked from the online syllabus for the class; add Paine, too, if it is not too late. (I have just checked the links for Adams, Paine, and Price, and they are working.) This is the reading assignment. Please email me with you interests for a research paper: I will also individually email you. Let's not put this off. Have a good break. (I put your reviews in the rack on the wall across from my office door last Friday as promised.)
First, good class tonight. Good discussion and contributions by each of you. I think you will enjoy the articles for next week on Hermeticism and Gnosticism, also. Both articles are very introductory and do not adequately connect hermeticist thought with political thought, but the subject is fascinating. I also want you to think about what part of the course so far you want to do your research paper on. Please email or talk to me about this if you wish.
Please read chapter 13 of Cohn and the article by Bruce Hoffman on "Holy Terror" that I handed out in class. Katherine will give a paper. David, Tyler, Bailey or Jhon may give one, too! Why not live dangerously and present a seminar paper before you have to.
The review of the Voegelin essay is due. The reading assignment is the Rapoport article, "Fear and Trembling." Copies of the article are in the rack on the wall across from office door at Rowley 62A. Look in the "335" slot. I suggest that you try to work in some reference to the Rapoport article in your Voegelin review. I
See the Memo: Article and Book Reviews for more general information about article reviews and for the basic requirements. Your article review should be three to five pages long. The proportion of summary to commentary is extremely important. One-third to one-half of the review should consist of your commentary or evaluation or critique of Voegelin's essay. As I explained in class, you should identify and explain Voegelin's main point or thesis. Application of this thesis to material in Cohn or in Rapoport's article or, preferably both, is a good idea.
That was a good class. I expect all of you to participate in the class discussions, and almost all of you did Wednesday evening. Keep it up!
As announced in class, the reading assignment for next class (February 4th) is Cohn, chapters 7, 10, 11. Ryan and Katherine will present papers. The review of the Voegelin essay, "Ersatz Religion" (what does "ersatz" mean?) will be due the 11th. Start reading it soon.
The reading assignment for Wednesday is Cohn, chapters 2 through 6, with special emphasis on chapters 4, 5, and 6. Michael and Germary will present seminar papers.
By way of commentary, I should say that chapters two and three provide support for the second and third parts of Cohn's thesis: what is Cohn's thesis? How do these two chapters--in particular, which examples--together with chapter one, establish the argument for that thesis?
Chapter Two: Identify (list) and note the common characteristics of the early messiahs described in chapter two. How do these early messiahs support Cohn's thesis?
Chapter Three: Who are the prophetae described by Cohn? How do the prophetae described in chapter three differ from the early messiahs? How do their followers, the pauperes and tafurs, differ from the followers of the early messiahs and from the other crusaders? Keep Cohn's argument in mind as we work through the book.
Chapter Four: Identify (list) and describe briefly the "saviors of the last days" described by Cohn. Which groups of people were identified by these saviors or their followers as the "demonic hosts"?
Chapter Five: What is the point of Cohn's chapter Five? What distinguished the crusades that Cohn describes in Chapter Five from the "official" Third and Fourth Crusades. Who were the "Pseudo-Baldwin" and the "Master of Hungary"? What role might the Sibylline Oracles have played in the events that Cohn describes in this chapter?
Chapter Six: What is the Joachite "prophecy"? What significance did the prophecy have for St. Francis and the Franciscans? What significance did Frederick II have for the prophecy? How did French King Louis VII compare to Frederick II? How might the Sibylline Oracles fit into the legend of Frederick? What other writings carried on the idea of a future Frederick?
As you study, jot down answers to these questions. Compile lists of individuals, events, and writings that Cohn discusses. This is material for which you must take copious notes if you are to geta handle on it. We will discuss the material in class and in quizzes, if necessary.
Voegelin's six characteristics of modern gnostic mass movements from Science, Politics and Gnosticism
A great site for Marxist primary and secondary sources is Marxists.org Internet Library.
Roots Syllabus with Reading List