MLS 528: On Liberty
Rob Lemke (Department of Economics)
Siobhan Moroney (Department of Politics)
Lake Forest College
Spring 2010
Contact Information:
Rob Lemke
Office: 418 Young Hall
Phone: 847-735-5143 (office)
E-mail: lemke@lakeforest.eduSiobhan Moroney
Office: 410 Young Hall
Phone: 847-735-5132 (office)
E-mail: moroney@lakeforest.edu
Class Sessions
When: 7:00 - 9:50 Monday Evenings
Where: Donnelley and Lee Library, Rosemary Hales Seminar Room (basement)
Course Description
Throughout the history of western ideas, the concept of liberty is a relatively modern one; we can trace its development from the English Enlightenment to the 21st century. As an economist (Rob) and political theorist (Siobhan), we will lead an exploration of how the idea of liberty has developed as a political, economic, cultural and social ideal. We will look at liberty in markets, individual rights, conflicts between equality and freedom, international relations, psychological explorations of freedom, conflicts between states, and individual liberties. Throughout the course, we will apply theoretical constructs to real problems, looking at public policy and Supreme Court law. How can liberty be applied to America’s discussions of personal rights, including First Amendment liberties, sexuality, and abortion? Does freedom require the government to avoid infringing on individual autonomy, or must the government actively protect an individual’s autonomy? If so, how is the balance between government interference and individual autonomy struck? Does economic freedom require political freedom? Is freedom an exclusively western concept or can it be implemented in non-western societies, and, if so, what will it look like?
Schedule
Starting on January 18 and ending with class on April 26 (and skipping Monday, March 8 for spring break), we will meet every Monday at 7pm in the Rosemary Hales Seminar Room in the basement of the libary. In lieu of class on March 1, students will make appointments with Siobhan and Rob to discuss his or her paper topic.
Reading Schedule
You are free to access the written works however you want, though the books are not available at the Lake Forest College bookstore. The older books can be purchased from Dover Publications rather cheaply. You can purchase the books from anywhere you like, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Dover Publications. We are not too particular about the edition or publisher of any of the books, but feel free to ask us if you have any questions. There are links to particular books for which the copyright has expired.
Please complete the reading for January 18th by the time class meets for the first time.
January 18: Magna Carta, 95 Theses by Martin Luther, and The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson.
January 25: Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes, 1651. Read Part I, Ch. 13 & 14. (Dover price = $6.95)
February 1: Second Treatise of Government, John Locke, 1690. Read in its entirety. (Dover price = $2.50)
February 8: Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe, 1719. Reading an abridged version is fine. (Dover price = $3.50)
February 15: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith, 1776. From Book I, read chapters 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 (the first 25%; last paragraph to read begins "It is not the actual greatness of national wealth"), 10. From Book V, read parts I and II. (Dover price = $7.50)
February 22: The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, 1787. Read letters #10 and #51. (Dover price = $3.50)
March 1: No class. Appointments held to discuss paper topics.
March 8: No class. Spring break.
March 15: Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, 1836. Read Volume I -- Chapters 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 17 (Reeve Translation). Read Volume I, Part I, Chapters 2, 3, 4 and Part II -- Chapters 6, 7, 9 (Lawrence Translation). (Not available at Dover.)
March 22: The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx, 1848. Read in its entirety. (Dover price = $4.50)
March 29: On Liberty, John Stuart Mill, 1859. Read in its entirety. (Dover Price = $3.00)
April 5: The Road to Serfdom, F. A. Hayek, 1944. Read chapters 1 - 9, 14 - 16. (Not available at Dover or online.)
April 12: Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Freedman, 1962. Read chapters 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9. (Not available at Dover or online.)
April 19: A Theory of Justice, John Rawls, 1971. Read Chapter 1. (Copies will be handed out in class.)
April 26: Bill of Rights;
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896);
Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Grading
Grades will be determined as follows: 50% participation; 15% response paper (due Monday, Feb. 22), and 35% final paper (due April 26).