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University of Missouri, Kansas City

Social Science Consortium

SSC 620 Professor John F. Henry

Consensus Social Theory Office: Mannheim 203D

Winter, 2008 Phone: 235-1309

Office Hours: TTH 2-3:30;

T 6-6:30, and by appointment

Required Readings: Required readings will be taken from the following works. Note that in most of the works cited, the student is responsible only for excerpts. Works are listed in order of reading.

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (Chs. 13-15)

John Locke, Of Civil Government, Second Essay (Chs 1, 5)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (Book 1)

Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of

Nations (Heilbroner edition) (TMS, Part 1; WN, Book 1)

John Stuart Mill, Chapters on Socialism

Herbert Spencer, “The Man Versus the State”; “The Social

Organism”

Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society (selections)

William Graham Sumner, On Liberty, Society, and Politics, selected essays,

Robert Bannister, editor) (selections 11, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 25, 27)

Ross, Dorothy, The Origins of American Social Science

Max Weber, “Politics as a Vocation”

Alfred Marshall, “The Social Possibilities of Economic Chivalry”

John Maynard Keynes, “The End of Laissez Faire”

Friedrich von Hayek, The Road to Serfdom

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (selections, TBD)

S. M. Amadae, Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy

Below are the websites for the above books not available for purchase in the bookstore.

Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents.html

Locke, John, Of Civil Government, Second Essay

http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, The Social Contract

http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm

Mill, John Stuart, Chapters on Socialism

http://books.google.com/books? hl=en&id=0MErGk9TrXUC&dq=mill+socialism&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=425YgXIzBi&sig=MNGIBWTJ5Xoeo8PhGW1g8QJTIHo#PPA5,M1

Spencer, Herbert, The Man versus the State

http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Spencer/spnMvS.html

Marshall, Alfred, “The Social Possibilities of Economic Chivalry”

http://www.jstor.org/view/00130133/di983170/98p0128h/0? frame=noframe&userID=86c15840@umkc.edu/01c0a8346a00501ce1a69&dpi=3&config=jstor

Durkheim, Emile, “The Division of Labour in Society” (Extracts)

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/xdur.htm#Durkheim1893

Weber, Max, “Politics as a Vocation”

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/weber/lecture/politics_vocation.html

Keynes, J.M., “The End of Laissez Faire”

http://www.panarchy.org/keynes/laissezfaire.1926.html

Course Outline: (Note: the lecture time allocations are approximate)

1. Introduction and Overview: (one lecture)

2. The Foundations: Readings: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau (two lectures)

The transition from feudalism to capitalism; significance of the Civil War in England; the relation between early capitalist formation and social science; the meaning of (original) liberalism

3. Toward the Industrial Revolution: Reading: Smith (two lectures)

Impact of the consolidation of capitalism on social theory; the beginning of doubt; “how to read Smith”

4. Post-Industrial Revolution Social Theory: Readings: Mill, Spencer, Durkheim (three lectures)

The impact of the early socialist theorists, in particular Owen; Marx and the fundamental challenge to a capitalist order; responses from various perspectives: liberalism challenged, defended, compromised; competition as progressive and necessary; the relation of the individual to society.

5. Social Theory in the “Age of Imperialism”: Readings: Ross, Marshall, Weber, Sumner (three lectures)

Anthropology weighs in; the responses to the work of Lewis Henry Morgan, Darwin, Henry George; neoclassical economic theory consolidated; the Methodenstreit in economics and the exclusion of sociological and political arguments from economics; the nature of “human nature”;

6. The Impact of the 1930’s on Social Theory: Readings: Keynes (two lectures)

Depression, Socialism, Fascism and their impacts on social theory; liberalism dethroned; the “state” enshrined; human nature reconsidered

7. The post-WWII period into the present: Readings: Hayek, Rawls, Amadae, (three lectures)

The recrudescence of liberalism; economics, the imperialist discipline; the battle surrounding justice; biology re-enters the fray.

8. Conclusion: (one lecture)

Is social science possible; is theoretical integration possible; pluralism or monism; what have theoreticians learned since Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau?

Evaluation Process:

Paper: 30%

Each student is responsible for a 3,000 word paper that examines a particular topic, and:

a. draws on at least two social science disciplines

b. demonstrates the similarity of approach between or among the theoreticians representative of these disciplines

c. shows how the theory is supportive of capitalist social arrangements

d. critically evaluates the theory under examination

By critical examination, I do not mean one’s support or rejection of the theoretical argument under review. Rather, I’m interested in the evidence must be brought forward to buttress the position taken and the cogency with which one argues a case.

More on the specifics of the paper, including dates for submission of topic and brief outline accompanied by preliminary readings and submission of the final product, will be distributed in class.

Class Presentation: 20%

Each student will present one in-class 15-minute “lecture” on a journal article that I shall select. The presentation will provide a succinct statement of the author’s argument, show the relationship of the article to the material at hand, and provide a brief commentary that demonstrates some critical evaluation of the author’s central thesis.

Final Examination: 40%

The examination will be of a take-home nature. This examination will pose questions that incorporate material drawn from the entire semester’s readings, lecture material, and class presentations. Questions will be posed to test the student’s ability to extract the central point(s) of a theorist’s position, compare/contrast this to another’s main thesis drawn from a different discipline, and demonstrate why each theory represents a position supportive of capitalism though possibly from a different perspective.

Class Participation: 10%

Students are expected to contribute to the dynamics of the class. It is hoped that there will be significant debate surrounding much of what is analyzed. To be sure, as we want to cover a fair bit of ground I must at times curtail discussion, but this is only because of the imposition of time constraints. I shall construct an email list that allows continuation of debate beyond the class period. Also, I am readily available to continue discussion on an individual basis. N.B. I expect contributions to be thoughtful and based on a considered examination of the material rather than participation designed merely to “score points.”

Links to Some Readings:

Ashcraft, R.: Lockean Ideas, Poverty and the Development of Liberal Political Theory

Bastiat, F.: Exchange

Briffault, R.: The Human Mind in Revolution

Briffault, R: Recent Anthropology

Clark, J.B.: Social Justice Without Socialism

Harvey, D.: On Countering the Marxian Myth- Chicago-Style (from Spaces of Capital)

Scanlon, T.: Nozick on Rights, Liberty and Property