PSCI0410A-S14
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.
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.
- Term:
- Spring 2014
- Location:
- Old Chapel 401(OCH 401)
- Schedule:
- 1:30pm-2:45pm on Tuesday, Thursday (Feb 10, 2014 to May 12, 2014)
- Type:
- Seminar
- Instructors:
- Keegan Callanan
- Subject:
- Political Science
- Department:
- Political Science
- Division:
- Social Sciences
- Requirements Fulfilled:
- EUR PHL SOC
- Levels:
- Undergraduate
- Availability:
- View availability, prerequisites, and other requirements.
- Course Reference Number (CRN):
- 22455
- Subject Code:
- PSCI
- Course Number:
- 0410
- Section Identifier:
- A