Lehrman American Studies Center

Course Objectives:

This course will examine the political and social thought of Rousseau through a consideration of both original source material and a few outstanding secondary treatments. By the end of the term a clear picture of Rousseau specifically, and the project of modernity generally, will emerge.

Course Requirements:

• There will be two papers assigned in this class. Each student will be responsible for writing a 3000 word analytical essay on the assigned readings. These essays will be presented (not read) to begin discussion in the weekly class sessions. You will be responsible for submitting these essays to me on the Friday prior to the class they are to be delivered. I will then read and forward the essays to all of the students in the class. You should expect to answer questions when you present your papers. These essays are part of the assigned readings. There will also be a 5000 word term paper, which will be due at the time that your in-class final exam is scheduled to conclude. This essay will examine a topic of your choosing. You must clear your topic with me before Easter break begins. Failure to do so will result in a significant grade reduction. Your first essay will be worth 30% of your course grade. The term paper will be worth 50% of your course grade.

• Your grade in this class will be largely determined by the quality of your writing assignments. I urge you to take your work seriously. I fully expect your papers to be grammatically perfect. If it takes me longer to address your spelling and grammar errors than it takes me to address the quality of your argument, you will not receive a passing grade.

• You must keep up with your reading in this class. Please bring all assigned readings to class with you, as we will be reading aloud extensively. If you come to class unprepared you will be asked to leave, and you will be marked absent for the day.

• The remaining 20% of your grade will be reflective of your attendance and participation. Please be aware that although attendance is only worth 20% of your grade (or less, given the participation component) I will penalize you in excess of 20% of your final grade for excessive absences. You can (and will) fail this class as a result of poor attendance. To be clear, every absence after your first will cost you a letter grade on your course grade. Further, you will receive no credit if you do not participate in the class. I expect you to be in class on time. Cell phones and pagers are not allowed in class at any time. If yours goes off, you will be asked to remove yourself and you will be marked absent for the day. You will also need to schedule an appointment with me during office hours to explain yourself, and you will have to complete a 20 page paper on a topic of my choosing.

• Please note that this syllabus is not a contract, and should not be understood as such. I reserve the right to alter any of the terms and conditions contained herein as I deem necessary.

Required Texts:

1. Rousseau, Emile: Or Treatise on Education, William H. Payne, trans., (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2003). ISBN: 1591021111
2. Rousseau, The Social Contract and Other Later Political Writings, Victor Gourevitch, ed., (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006). ISBN: 0521424461
3. Rousseau, The Discourses and Other Early Political Writings, Victor Gourevitch, ed., (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997). ISBN: 0521424453
4. Rousseau, Confessions, Angela Scholar, trans., (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). ISBN: 0192822756
5. All other readings on this syllabus will be made available to you in PDF format. These will be posted on Blackboard for you to print at your leisure. You will need Adobe Acrobat to open and print these files. Please tend to this well before the first readings are needed, as you are required to have them in class, and no excuses will be tolerated.

Course Outline

• 1/15 Introduction.

• 1/22 Situating Rousseau.
  • Leo Strauss, “On Classical Political Philosophy.”
  • Paul Johnson, “Jean-Jacques Rousseau: An Interesting Madman.”
  • Jean Starobinski, “The Political Thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.”
  • Allan Bloom, “Rousseau: The Turning Point.”
  • Leo Strauss, “The Three Waves of Modernity.”

• 1/29 The First Discourse and Related Commentary.
  • Rousseau, Discourse on the Sciences and Arts.
  • Observations by Jean Jacques Rousseau of Geneva On the Answer made to his Discourse.
  • Last Reply by J.-J. Rousseau of Geneva.
  • Letter by Jean Jacques Rousseau of Geneva About a New Refutation of his Discourse by a Member of the Academy of Dijon.
  • Preface to “Narcissus.”
  • Preface of a Second Letter to Bordes.

• 2/5 The Second Discourse
  • Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and the Foundations of Inequality Among Men.
  • Epistle Dedicatory.
  • Preface.
  • Part I.

• 2/12 The Second Discourse
  • Part II.
  • Letter by J. J. Rousseau to M. Philopolis.

• 2/19 Rousseau and Voltaire. Language. Heroic Virtue. Political Economy.
  • Voltaire, Poem on the Lisbon Disaster.
  • Letter from J. J. Rousseau to M. de Voltaire.
  • Essay on the Origin of Languages.
  • Discourse on Heroic Virtue.
  • Discourse on Political Economy.

• 2/26 The Social Contract.
  • The Social Contract Books I-III.

• 3/5 Spring Break-No Class.

• 3/12 The Social Contract. War. Poland.
  • The Social Contract Book IV.
  • Geneva Manuscript.
  • The State of War.
  • Considerations on the Government of Poland.

• 3/19 Emile.
  • Allan Bloom, “Emile.”
  • Emile, Author’s Preface, Book I.

• 3/26 Emile.
  • Books II, III.

• 4/2 Emile.

Books IV, V.

• 4/9 Easter Break-No Class.

• 4/16 Rousseau’s Confessions.
  • Introduction.
  • Books I-VI.

• 4/23 Rousseau’s Confessions.
  • Books VII-IX.

• 4/30 Rousseau’s Confessions.
  • Books X-XII.

• 5/7 Final Essay Due By 9p.