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Theory of politics reading list and essays
Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE)
University of Oxford
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INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POLITICS
Section A: Theory of Politics
Dr Blake Ewing Department of Politics and International Relations blake@politics.ox.ac
What is the theory of politics? The title of Section A is misleading. There are, in fact, different theories of politics that underpin the institutional arrangements studied in the comparative politics half of the Prelims paper. To put it in another way, then, this side of the course is an introduction to the intellectual enterprise of reflecting on the activity of politics from a historical and normative perspective (i. what should be the correct standards of political behaviour). As I teach it, this section focuses on a selection of historical texts— some of the greatest works of political philosophy ever written—to help us consider the different contested concepts the comprise the language of political thought (such as ‘liberty’, ‘democracy’, and ‘sovereignty’) and the broader normative questions we theorists (now including you) pose in using them (such as who should rule? and to what end?). In this way, the texts are historical, but also speak a language and follow a pattern of thinking that we continue to use for reflecting on the perennial questions of politics. Over the next few weeks you will begin to learn how to speak and think like a political theorist.
Exam questions From Decrees and Regulations: Questions will be set on the following topics: (i) the nature and grounds of rights; (ii) the nature and grounds of democracy; (iii) the role of civil society; (iv) power in the democratic state; (v) the nature and grounds of liberty; (vi) state paternalism; (vii) free speech. Questions will also be set on the following texts: (i) John Locke: Second Treatise on Government; (ii) J. J. Rousseau, The Social Contract; (iii) Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America; (iv) Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto; (v) J. S. Mill, On Liberty.
Tutorial Expectations It is not expected that you will have read or thought about much of this material before arriving at Hertford. It is my hope that you will develop the skills needed to engage in this work as you progress through the course. We can talk about things as often as you like – in person and over email. But, of course, you must take the time read carefully and think for yourselves. I expect you to spend 2. working days a week on this part of the politics paper.
There are six essay assignments for this course. On these weeks, please write an organised, well-argued and proofread essay (1,700 to 2,000 words). Essays should be sent by email to your tutorial partner(s) and me the evening before the tutorials, which will be held on Friday afternoons at Pembroke College (times subject to change). These essays should include proper footnoting and a bibliography (in addition to the word count).
In tutorials, we will discuss your essays and I will return a marked copy afterwards. Please get in touch before the tutorial, as soon as possible, if you are having any difficulty with a week’s work. I am understanding and always happy to help you as much as I can, but if you do not produce an essay (when expected to do so), you will not be able to take part in the tutorial, as this would be unfair to your colleagues. Finally, I will not tolerate plagiarism, or work clearly produced on the back of online summaries or another student’s work. For guidelines, see the PPE Handbook, pp. 20-23. For University guidelines, see here.
Reading I have listed below the readings for each week. You must read the required reading and a selection from the ‘recommended’ and ‘further reading’ categories. For the latter, around three items minimum (note: you are not expected to read recommended books in their entirety). You may also, in addition, consult the Department Reading List. Note that there are paired subjects based around specific ‘concepts’, as opposed to the historical authors. These readings are often very helpful to consult.
Writing Do not start writing until you have thought about what you want to say. Plan your essay and follow the plan. The essay is not an exercise in summarising the reading material – it is to question it. I want to know what you think. You should approach the essay as a conversation between you, the authors and your readers. Do not be afraid to write in the first person (e. ‘I think Locke is trying to do two things here’ or ‘I think this argument has several implications’).
Roughly, there are four components to an Oxford political theory essay.
Introduce the essay with a few sentences on the issue at hand. What is the question asking? What are the issues that the question addresses?
Following this, provide the reader with a clear thesis in response to the question in one or two sentences. The thesis is a debatable claim that you are making in response to the question.
Components 1-2 should be no more than two paragraphs. After reading them, the reader should know exactly what the essay is about.
- The body of your essay is to argue the claim in an ordered fashion. Here you will demonstrate a clear understanding of the core texts, but do not spend too much time summarising them. Nor should you summarise summaries. Indeed, reserve as much space as possible for your argument, engaging critically with the arguments made in the core texts and those made in the secondary material.
Make sure that the paragraphs are structured logically – new point, new paragraph. Avoid digressions.
- The conclusion should not be more than a paragraph. In this part of the essay you should return to the thesis and briefly summarise the main points of the essay. You may also tell the reader the implications of your argument. Imagine the reader asking, “So what?”.
Style:
Use short sentences. Write clearly. Avoid jargon. Long quotations are unnecessary and distracting.
Citations:
Improper citations:
Book: Millican (1853).
Article: Zubek (1999).
Proper footnotes:
Book: Peter Millican, Why I Love David Hume (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1853), pp. 1-2.
Article: Radoslaw Zubek, ‘The Wonders of Procedural Voting’, in Political Studies vol. 4(1) (1999), p. 34.
Quoting a quote: Will Hutton, Welcome to Hertford: A Very Long Introduction, quoted in Blake Ewing, The Suffering Life of a Hertford Tutor (Milton Keynes: Open University Press, 2019), p. 456.
Week seven. Mill
Core reading John Stuart Mill, On Liberty Berlin, Isaiah, ‘John Stuart Mill and the Ends of Life’, in Alan Ryan, ed., Mill, 1997, and also in Berlin, Four Essays on Liberty, (1969) Rees, John C., ‘The Principle of Liberty’, in Ryan, ed., Mill, (1997), and also published as 'A Re- Reading of Mill on Liberty', Political Studies, 8, (1960), pp. 113- Hannah Arendt, ‘What is Freedom’, in Between Past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought (many editions)
Recommended reading John Stuart Mill, Autobiography
Further reading Gray, John, Mill on Liberty: A Defence (2nd edition) (1996). Riley, Jonathan, Mill on Liberty (1998). Ten, C., Mill on Liberty (1980). Ten, C. L., ‘Paternalism and Morality’, Ratio 13 (1971), pp. 55-66. Dworkin, Gerald, ‘Paternalism’, in Wasserstrom, Richard A., ed., Morality and the Law, (1971) Arneson, Richard, ‘Mill versus Paternalism’, Ethics, 90 (1980), pp. 470-89. Husak, Douglas, ‘Paternalism and autonomy’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 10 (1981), pp-46 Van
Essay question What is the role of individuality in Mill’s thinking? What are the implications?
Week eight. What is democracy?
Core reading Schumpeter, Joseph, ‘Two Concepts of Democracy’, in Anthony Quinton, ed., Political Philosophy, 1985. or in Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1943) new ed (1996) chs XXI and XXII. Cohen, Joshua, ‘Deliberative Democracy’, in Hamlin, Alan P. and Pettit, Philip, The Good polity: normative analysis of the state, (1989). Mill, John Stuart. On Representative Government. Barry, Brian, 'Is Democracy Special?', in Barry, B., Democracy and Power: Essays in Political Theory Vol 1 (1989).
Recommended reading Madison, Hamilton, and Jay, The Federalist Papers, numbers 10, 51.
Further reading Dahl, Robert, On Democracy, (1998), Parts I-III. Cohen, Joshua, ‘Deliberative Democracy’, in Hamlin, Alan P. and Pettit, Philip, The Good polity: normative analysis of the state, (1989). Estlund, David, Democracy (ed.) (2002) (esp. essays by Waldron, Cohen, Estlund and Miller). Fishkin, James S., Democracy and Deliberation: New Directions for Democratic Reform, (1991), chapters 1-6, 8. Held, David, Models of Democracy (2nd edn), (1996), chapters 1-6.
Essay question Is democracy necessary for liberty?
Trinity Term
Week Three. Power
Reading Ball, Terence (1993) “Power”, in Goodin & Pettit (eds.), A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy Oxford: Blackwell, 548-557. [available on SOLO]
Foucault, Michel, ‘Truth and Power’, ‘Governmentality’, and ‘The Subject and Power’, in Essential Works vol 3: Power, ed James Faubion 2000.
Week Four. Marx
Core reading Karl Marx, selections from McLellan, David, ed., Karl Marx: selected writings, 2000: number 18 (The Communist Manifesto), number 25 (The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte), number 30 (Preface to A Critique of Political Economy), number 37 (The Civil War in France), number 39 (on Bakunin's Statism and Anarchy), number 40 (Critique of the Gotha Program).
Further reading
*** Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
Cohen, Gerald A., 'Forces and Relations of Production', in his History, labour and freedom: themes from Marx, 1988.
G. Cohen, ‘Marx’s Dialectic of Labour’, Philosophy & Public Affairs, 3/3 (1974), pp. 235-261. Marshall Berman, Adventures in Marxism (London, 1999) chapter 6, 7
Terrell Carver and James Farr (edited), The Cambridge Companion to the Communist Manifesto (Cambridge, 2015). Hal Draper, The Adventures of the Communist Manifesto (Almeda, 2004)
Elster, Jon, An Introduction to Karl Marx, 1986. 5 Prelims 2011-
Gareth Stedman Jones, ‘Introduction’ to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto (Penguin, 2004). Jeffrey C. Isaac (edited), Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto (Yale, 2012). Levine, Andrew, Engaging Political Philosophy: From Hobbes to Rawls, 2002, chapter on Marx. Leo Panitch and Colin Leys (edited) Socialist Register 1998: Communist Manifesto Now (London, 1998).
Plamenatz, John Petrov, Man and society: a critical examination of some important social and political theories from Machiavelli to Marx, 1966, chapter on Marx.
- Wood, Allen, Karl Marx, 1981.
Essay question Explain Marx’s account of the relationship between technological and political change.
Week Five. Democracy and associational life
Core reading De Tocqueville, Alexis, Democracy in America, Volume 1, Author’s Introduction; Part 1, chapters 3-5; Part 2, chapters 6-9, Volume 2, Part 2, chapters 1-8; Part 4, chapters 1-8.
Further reading Almond, Gabriel A., and Verba, Sidney, The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations, 1965. Lively, Jack, The Social and Political Thought of Alexis de Tocqueville, (1965). Mill, John Stuart, 'Tocqueville on ‘Democracy in America’, in his Dissertations and Discussions: Political, Philosophical and Historical, (1973), (New York, Haskell edition).
Theory of politics reading list and essays
Module: Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE)
University: University of Oxford
