LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE, 2022-2023

LBCL 291: POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

FOUNDATIONS I
Sect. A: Tu.Th.10:15-11:30 Sect. B: Tu.Th.11:45-13:00 Sect. C: Tu.Th. 13:15-14:30
Lab A: Tu. 9:00-9:45 Lab B: Tu. 9:00-9:45 Lab C: Tu. 9:00-9:45
Prof. J. Martineau (Fall) Prof. J. Martineau (Fall) Prof. N. Leddy (Fall)
Prof. J. Carty (Winter) Prof. N. Leddy (Winter) Prof. N. Leddy (Winter)

N.B.: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED AT ALL LECTURES AND SEMINARS.

A pattern of non-attendance can result in a failing grade.

In accordance with College and University regulations, plagiarism is strictly prohibited and
will result in serious sanctions. Students should familiarize themselves with the code of
rights and responsibilities of the university:
http://concordia.ca/vpirsg/documents/policies/BD-3.pdf

READINGS

Required readings can be purchased, or borrowed from the LAC library. If purchased, care to select
the edition listed below. Pdf copies are also available on Moodle. All reading assignments must be
prepared before each class.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Two exams are given in the regular periods (Dec. and Apr.). There are four lecture quizzes
throughout the academic year (Oct. 15, Dec. 6, Feb. 21, Apr. 11). Students must write three short
essays/reflections (2-3 pages, 850-1200 words) in the first semester (due Sept. 15, Oct. 20, & Dec.
6) each pertaining to specific seminar readings covered from the beginning of the term (or last
short essay/reflection due date) and the next due date (see the Syllabus). In the second semester a
longer research/writing exercise, the Long Essay, is due. This is an 7-9 pages (3000-4000 words)
paper, including footnotes and bibliography--on an approved topic chosen in consultation with
instructors. The long essay will use at least two secondary sources. Students will choose a topic
and submit a detailed preliminary outline and bibliography. The outline and bibliography, worth
20% of the overall long essay grade, is due March 16. The long essay is due April 6.

Written assignments must be submitted on the required date; late submission will automatically
lower the grade, according to the standard of the instructor. Students must keep copies of all
submitted work.

Footnoting form and style must follow the guidelines in one of the recognized manuals of style
such as the MLA, APA, or Chicago handbooks (available online through the Concordia library).
Rules for Writers, by Diana Hacker, is also recommended and available in the LAC library.

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FINAL GRADES

Final grades are based upon the following:

• 15%—Short Essays/Reflections
• 20%—Long Research Essay and Proposal
• 15%—Lecture Quizzes (based on lecture material)
• 10%—Participation & Attendance
• 20%—December Exam (1st Semester Material)
• 20%—April Exam (2nd Semester Material)

LBCL 291 SYLLABUS: FIRST SEMESTER

TEXTS FOR FIRST SEMESTER

1. The New Oxford Annotated Bible 4th or 5th Edition, NRSV (any complete translation may be used).
2. Plato, Republic (Basic Books)
3. Thucydides, Peloponnesian Wars (Penguin)
4. Aristotle, Politics (Penguin)
5. Epicurus, Selected Writings (Hackett)
6. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Penguin)
7. Cicero, On Duties & The Republic (Oxford)

Recommended Textbook (for supplemental reading)

1. Kagan, Ozment & Turner, eds., The Western Heritage, 11th ed. (earlier editions, while usable, will have
different pagination), Vol. I (Pearson). Note that the recommended readings are given for each week in the course
calendar below (far left column under “TEXT”). The textbook is available in the LAC library and on Moodle.

TEXT WEEK DATE TOPIC

1-26 I Tues., Sept. 6 Lecture: INTRODUCTION / ANCIENT NEAR EAST (Prof. Carty)
Tues., Sept. 6 Seminar: Genesis, [Bible], 1-11
Thurs., Sept. 8 Seminar: Genesis, 12-36

26-32 II Tues., Sept. 13 L: HEBRAIC FOUNDATIONS I (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Sept. 13 S: Genesis, 37-50
Thurs., Sept.15 S: Exodus, 1-24; 32-34; 40
1ST SHORT ESSAY DUE
33-40 III Tues., Sept. 20 L: HEBRAIC FOUNDATIONS II (Prof. Martineau)
Tues., Sept. 20 S: Deuteronomy, 1, 4-7, 10-11, 15, 17, 19, 29-31, 34;
Leviticus, 18-20
Thurs., Sept. 22 S: Isaiah, 1-11; 25-26

41-78 IV Tues., Sept. 27 L: ANCIENT GREECE I (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Sept. 27 S: Isaiah, 40-42; 52-56; 65-66
Thurs., Sept. 29 S: Plato, Republic, I

41-78 V Tues., Oct. 4 L: ANCIENT GREECE II (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Oct. 4 S: Plato, Republic, II-III
Thurs., Oct. 6 S: Plato, Republic, IV-V

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78-96 VI Tues., Oct. 11 University-wide Reading Day (no lecture, no seminar)
Thurs., Oct. 13 S: Plato, Republic, VI-VII

97-109 VII Tues., Oct. 18 L: WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS IN ANTIQUITY (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Oct. 18 S: Plato, Republic, VIII-IX
Thurs., Oct. 20 S: Plato, Republic, X
2nd SHORT ESSAY DUE
109-129 VIII Tues., Oct. 25 L: GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS I (Prof. Martineau) QUIZ 1
Tues., Oct. 25 S: Thucydides, Peloponnesian Wars, pp. 35-49, 87-103 [Book I, pars.1-23, 89-
117] Optional: pp. 72-86 [pars. 66-88]
Thurs., Oct. 27 S: Thucydides, Peloponnesian Wars, pp. 103-108, 124-164 [Book I, pars. 118-
125, Book Two, pars. 1-65]

130-145 IX Tues., Nov. 1 L: GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS II (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Nov. 1 S: Thucydides, Peloponnesian Wars, pp. 212-223; 236-245; 400-409 [Book
Three, pars. 36-50; 69-86; Book Five, pars. 84-116]; Optional: pp. 194-195; 525-
42 [pars. VII 72-VIII 6]
Thurs., Nov. 3 S: Aristotle, Politics, Book I (chaps. 1-13)

X Tues., Nov. 8 L: ANCIENT ROME, EARLY & REPUBLIC (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Nov. 8 S: Aristotle, Politics, Book II (chaps. 1-5) and Book III (chaps. 1-5)
Thurs., Nov. 10 S: Aristotle, Politics, Book III (chaps. 6-13); IV (chs. 1-12); Optional: VII (chaps.
1-3), VIII (chaps. 1-3)

145-165 XI Tues., Nov. 15 L: THE ROMAN EMPIRE (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Nov. 15 S: Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus; The Principal Doctrines; The Vatican
Collection. [Google Drive & Moodle]
Thurs., Nov. 17 S: Cicero, On Duties, Book I pp. 1-33 & “Dream of Scipio” [Google Drive &
Moodle]

165-186 XII Tues., Nov. 22 L: LATE CLASSICAL WORLD AND BYZANTIUM (Prof. Carty)
Tues., Nov. 22 S: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Books 1-4, 6, 8 & 12.
Thurs., Nov. 24 S: Gospel of Matthew, chaps. 1-14

XIII Tues., Nov. 29 L: EARLY CHRISTIANITY I (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Nov. 29 S: Gospel of Matthew, chaps. 15-28,
Thurs., Dec. 1 S: Paul, Letter to the Romans, chaps. 1-7

XIV Tues., Dec. 6 L: EARLY CHRISTIANITY II (Prof. Carty) QUIZ 2

Tues., Dec. 6 S: Paul, Letter to the Romans, chaps. 8-16
3rd SHORT ESSAY DUE

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 LBCL 291 SYLLABUS: SECOND SEMESTER
TEXTS FOR SECOND SEMESTER

1. Augustine, City of God (Image Books)

2. Niccolò Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy (Chicago)
3. Niccolò Machiavelli, Prince (Chicago)
4. Thomas More, Utopia (Yale)
5. Bartolome de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (Penguin)
6. René Descartes, Discourse on Method (Penguin)
7. Blaise Pascal, Pensées (Penguin)
8. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (Penguin)
9. Margaret Cavendish, Political Writings (Cambridge)
10. Moodle & Google Drive Readings (Aquinas, Petrarch, Pico, Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Teresa of
Avilà)

TEXT WEEK DATE TOPIC

186-264 XV Tues., Jan. 10 L: FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (Prof Martineau)

Tues., Jan. 10 S: Augustine, City of God, Part One, Books I-IV (pp. 1-66). Note: our LAC
library has many copies of an earlier edition with different pagination.
Thurs., Jan. 12 S: Augustine, City of God, Part One, Book V (67-88); Part Two, Book X, chaps
20-32 (pp. 172-180); Part Three, Book XI chaps. 1-30 (pp. 181-220); Book XIII
chaps 1-15 (pp. 250-262).

265-287 XVI Tues., Jan. 17 L: FEUDALISM IN WESTERN EUROPE (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Jan. 17 S: Augustine, City of God, Part Four, Book XVIII, chaps. 43-54 (pp. 405-417);
Part Five, Book XIX, chaps 13-19 (pp. 449-462); Book XX. chaps 1-30 (pp. 478-
488); Book XXII, chaps 22-25 (pp. 515-529).
Thurs., Jan. 19 S: Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, pp. 3-27 [Google Drive & Moodle]

288-303 XVII Tues., Jan. 24 L: THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES (Prof. Carty)
Tues., Jan. 24 S: Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, pp. 609-627 [Google Drive & Moodle]
Thurs., Jan. 26 S: Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, pp. 628-650; 651-663; 678-681 [Google Drive
& Moodle]

303-312 XVIII Tues., Jan. 31 L: FOURTEENTH CENTURY CRISIS (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Jan. 31 S: Petrarch, On His Own Ignorance and That of Many Others, pp. 49-93, The
Ascent of Mont Ventoux [Google Drive & Moodle]
Thurs., Feb. 2 S: Pico della Mirandola, On the Dignity of Man [Google Drive & Moodle]

308-312 XIX Tues., Feb. 7 L: THE RENAISSANCE I (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Feb. 7 S: Machiavelli, Discourses, Greeting; Introduction; Book One, chaps. 1-6, 9-12
Thurs., Feb. 9 S: Machiavelli, Discourses, Book One, chaps. 16-18, 25-27, 49, 55,
58; Book Two, chaps. 2; 29; Book Three, chaps. 40-42

312-319 XX Tues., Feb. 14 L: THE RENAISSANCE II (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Feb. 14 S: Machiavelli, The Prince, chaps. 1-14
Thurs. Feb. 16 S: Machiavelli, The Prince, chaps. 15-26

320-353 XXI Tues., Feb. 21 L: AGE OF EXPANSION: CONQUEST, COLONIALISM AND THE RISE
OF MODERN SLAVERY (Prof. Martineau) QUIZ 3
Tues., Feb. 21 S: More, Utopia, Book I
Thurs., Feb. 23 S: More, Utopia, Book II
4TH SHORT ESSAY DUE

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 WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27: MID-TERM BREAK

354-384 XXII Tues., Mar. 7 L: THE REFORMATION (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Mar. 7 S: Luther, Freedom of a Christian [Google Drive & Moodle]
Thurs., Mar. 9 S: Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Dedication to King Francis & On
Civil Government, pp. 44-56 & 78-82. [Google Drive & Moodle]

417-448 XXIII Tues., Mar. 14 L: REFORM AND RELIGIOUS WARS (Prof. Carty)
Tues., Mar. 14 S: Teresa of Àvila, The Book of Her Life, Preface, chaps. 8-10, 18, 20-21
[Google Drive & Moodle]
Thurs., Mar. 16 S: Bartolomé de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, pp.
1-56, 71-79, 107-130; In Defense of the Indians, excerpts.
PROPOSAL DUE (20% of Essay grade)
385-387 XXIV Tues., Mar. 21 L: THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION (Prof. Carty)
Tues., Mar. 21 S: Descartes, Discourse on Method, Books 1-4
Thurs., Mar. 23 S: Descartes, Discourse on Method, Books 5-6

388-395 XXV Tues., Mar. 28 L: THE DUTCH REPUBLIC (Prof. Carty)

Tues., Mar. 28 S: Pascal, Pensées, Sect. 1, chaps. 1-14
Thurs., Mar. 30 S: Pascal, Pensées, Sect. 1, chaps. 15-27 & Section II, ch. 2: “the Wager”

395-416 XXVI Tues., Apr. 4 L: THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION (Prof. Martineau)

Tues., Apr. 4 S: Hobbes, Leviathan, Frontispiece; “Dedication”; “Introduction”; “Of Man”,
chaps. 1-4
Thurs., Apr. 6 S: Hobbes, Leviathan, “Of Man”, chaps. 5-6; 11-14
LONG ESSAY DUE
426-428 XXVII Tues., Apr. 11 L: THE ANCIENT REGIME (Prof. Martineau) QUIZ 4
Tues., Apr. 11 S: Hobbes, Leviathan, “Of Commonwealth”, chaps. 17-18, 21, 24, 29
Thurs., Apr. 13 S: Cavendish, Political Writings, “The Blazing World”.

N.B. The Liberal Arts College employs the following grading norms in all its courses:

A= Excellent work in both content and presentation. The work answers all components of a
question and/or fulfills all requirements set out in the instructions. It contains a clear and
persuasive argument, a well-written and well-structured text that features a solid
introduction and conclusion, and examples to illustrate the argument. Few, if any,
presentation errors appear. The grade A+ will be awarded rarely, and only for exceptional
work.
B= Solid in both content and presentation. The work is clear and well structured. Minor
components of the argument might be missing, and there may be fewer illustrations. Some
noticeable errors in presentation may have interfered with the general quality of the work.
C= Student demonstrates a limited understanding of the material. Ideas are presented in a style
that is at least somewhat coherent and orderly. Occasional examples are provided to
support the argument. Significant presentation errors affecting the quality of the work may
be present. Major components of the assignment may have been omitted in the response.

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D= Barely acceptable. Student has only a basic grasp of the material. Organization and
development are often lacking. Few, if any, examples are provided to illustrate the
argument. Major components of the assignment might have been neglected and major
presentation errors hamper the work.
F= Shows an inadequate grasp of the material. The work has major errors of presentation and
provides no supporting illustration for the argument. Ideas are not clear to the reader. The
work lacks structure and does not fulfill the requirements of the course.

Policy regarding Absences

Participation in seminar discussion is essential at the Liberal Arts College. Hence a pattern
of non-attendance in a course can result in a failing grade even if all papers and
assignments are completed. A pattern of non-attendance is hereby defined as four (4)
absences per semester for a course. Faculty members will determine whether a failing
grade should be awarded in a given case, taking relevant circumstances into account.
Students are expected to arrive on time and may be marked absent if they do not. Students
should also keep in mind that absences will affect their participation grade.

Policy regarding Late Work

A grade of “INC” (incomplete) will only be granted in exceptional circumstances,

including medical reasons. Permission to seek a grade of “INC” must be granted by the
faculty member. Any student with more than one “INC” in a semester will have to meet
with the Principal of the College.

All assignments submitted after the deadline will be penalized by a lower grade unless a
medical note is produced. Penalties for lateness will be explained by faculty members at
the beginning of the semester.