Topic: Democratic Citizenship

Appropriate for First Year students.

TimeDaysLocationInstructorGERCreditOPUS Class NumberSyllabus (Tentative)
4:00pm-5:15pm
TuTh
Tarbutton Hall 105
Dunson, James. 413135 TBA.

January 13, 2010- April 26, 2010

Catalog Description: Selected topics and problems in political science. Content will vary in successive offerings of this course. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Semester Details:

What sorts of responsibilities do citizens have in a democratic society? Is it enough to vote for representatives periodically, or should individuals have some stronger sense of civic virtue? How can this idea of civic virtue be made consistent with the modern emphasis on individual rights?

In this course, we will consider some ancient and modern perspectives on the nature of citizenship. The idea of citizenship presupposes an exclusive set of rights and duties that depend upon membership in a particular society. However, this exclusive way of regarding political membership has, over time, been expanded to include historically marginalized groups. We will ask whether the exclusive nature of citizenship still makes sense in an age of globalization.

Required Textbooks, Articles, and Resources

  1. Cicero, Marcus Tullius. 1994. On Government.
    ISBN: 9780140445954.
    Penguin Publishing
  2. Beiner, Ronald S.. 1994. Theorizing Citizenship.
    ISBN: 9780791423363.
    State University of New York Press
  3. Singer, Peter. 2004. One World: The Ethics of Globalization.
    ISBN: 9780300103052.
    Yale University Press

Grading

Assignment/ExamDetails% of Total Grade
Class ParticipationNAUnknown%
Three two-page reflection papersNAUnknown%
Mid-term Examination(6-8 Pages)Unknown%
Final Examination(8-10 Pages)Unknown%

The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.