Middlebury

PSCI 0410

Statesmanship & Modern Liberty

Statesmanship and Modern Liberty: Montesquieu and Tocqueville
Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws and Tocqueville's Democracy in America offer profound treatments of modern representative government, its promise, and its perils. In this course we will focus on each author's understanding of the often neglected role of statesmanship in shaping political and cultural conditions favorable to the emergence and preservation of human liberty in the modern world. We will consider key themes such as the relationship between liberty and equality, the role of the passions in politics, the meaning of despotism, the relationship between culture and politics, and the promise and dangers of modern commerce for liberal democracy. (Political Theory)/
Subject:
Political Science
Department:
Political Science
Division:
Social Sciences
Requirements Fulfilled:
EUR PHL SOC

Sections in Spring 2020

Spring 2020

PSCI0410A-S20 Seminar (Callanan)