Tocqueville s Democracy in America Political Science 931 University of Wisconsin-Madison Fall 2013 Instructor: R. Avramenko Course: PS 931 Office: 201e, North Hall Location: White 4269 Office Hours: T 10:00 12:00 & by appointment Time: T 4:00 6:30 Objective: This course will offer students an opportunity to consider carefully Tocqueville s Democracy in America. Our analysis will consider, among other things: the relationship historical and logical between aristocracy and democracy; the instability of democracy; the institutional mechanisms that serve as antidotes to these instabilities; the significance of habit in Tocqueville s thought; the case for American Exceptionalism; the importance of religion for democracy; whether Tocqueville himself recognized the limits of his institutional political science; and finally, whether the problem of democracy is, in the final analysis, a psychological problem. The intention is less to defend what Tocqueville says than to begin to comprehend the way in which he thought through democracy and its problems. Required Texts: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, J.P. Mayer ed., New York: Harper & Row, 1969. Schleifer, James, The Making of Tocqueville's Democracy in America (Liberty Fund; 2000). Brown, Fred, Letters from America (Yale University Press: 2012). James, Henry. The American (W. W. Norton & Company, 1978). Students are required to purchase these particular translations and editions. This is a text-based course and full participation requires that we navigate and explore the text together that we be on the same page, so to speak. Recommended Readings: Boesche, Roger. The Strange Liberalism of Alexis de Tocqueville (Cornell U. Press, 1987). Goldstein, Doris. Trial of Faith: Religion and Politics in Tocqueville's Thought (Elsevier, 1975). Hartz, Louis, The Liberal Tradition in America (Harvest Books, 1991). Janara, Laura, Democracy Growing Up: Authority, Autonomy, and Passion in Tocqueville s Democracy in America (State University of New York Press, 2002). Lawler, Peter Augustine. The Restless Mind: Alexis de Tocqueville on the Origin and Perpetuation of Human Liberty (Roman & Littlefield, 1993) Lively, Jack., The Social and Political Thought of Alexis de Tocqueville (Clarendon Press, 1962) Manent, Pierre. Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1996). Mitchell, Joshua. The Fragility of Freedom: Tocqueville on Religion, Democracy, and the American Future (Chicago, 1999). 1
Pitts, Jennifer. A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France (Princeton, 2006) Zetterbaum, Marvin. Tocqueville and the Problem of Democracy (Stanford University Press, 1967). Requirements: Participation: 10% Book Reviews (3): 30% Syllabi (Graduate students only, due December 3) 10% Research Paper (December 23): 50% (60% for undergraduates) Participation: The course will proceed as a seminar. This means its effectiveness depends on two things: reading and participation. The grading schema is therefore designed to encourage both. The participation is based on attendance, preparedness, and participation in discussion. Carefully reading the assigned material which has been kept to a very reasonable level before each class will go far to ensuring a full participation grade. Book Reviews: Through the semester, each student will read (at least) three scholarly books on the thought of Tocqueville and provide the class with a reviews of each. The objective of these reviews is informative and critical. The 3-4 page review will inform the class of a) the general argument the author makes, b) where the book fits in Tocqueville scholarship and/or political theory as a discipline, and c) the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Students will disseminate this review to the class, via e-mail, by 9:00 pm on the Sunday preceding class. Syllabi: Near the end of the semester, graduate students will create two syllabi. These syllabi will demonstrate how they would teach a course on Tocqueville and/or Tocquevillean themes. One syllabus shall be for a graduate level class, the other for undergraduate. The syllabi should polished and complete, and ready for inclusion in your teaching portfolio. Research Paper: A final paper (20-25 pp) is due as specified in Requirements. The topic is open. Topics will emerge during the semester as students discover issues and themes of particular interest in the thought of Alexis de Tocqueville. All topics should be discussed with me well in advance of the end of the semester. Late papers will be penalized a half letter grade per day. Schedule: Volume I: September 3: Introduction September 10: 1. Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Author s Preface to the 12 th Edition, Author s Introduction 2. Schleifer, The Making of Tocqueville's Democracy in America (all) 2
3. Brown, Letters from America (all) September 17: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part I, Chs. 1-3 2. Ceaser, J. (1985). "Alexis de Tocqueville on Political Science, Political Culture, and the Role of the Intellectual." American Political Science Review 79 (3): 656-72. 3. Craiutu, Aurelian. (2009). What Kind of Social Scientist was Tocqueville? (pdf) 4. Mansfield, Harvey C., and Delba Wintrhop (2006). Tocqueville s New Political Science, in The Cambridge Companion to Tocqueville, pp. 81-107. September 24: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part I, Chs. 4-8 2. Avramenko, R. (2012). Tocqueville and the Religion of Democracy (Perspectives on Political Science, vol. 41:3. 3. Dzur, Albert W. (2010). Democracy s Free School : Tocqueville and Lieber on the Value of the Jury, Political Theory 38, 603-630. October 1: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part II, Chs. 1-6 2. Gannet, Robert T. Bowling Ninepins in Tocqueville's Township, American Political Science Review 97(1), 1-16. 3. Galston, William. (2000). Civil Society and the "Art of Association, Journal of Democracy 11(1), pp. 61-70. 4. Sabl, Andy. (2002). Community Organizing as Tocquevillean Politics: The Art, Practices, and Ethos of Association, American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Jan., 2002), pp. 1-19 October 8: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part II, Chs. 7-8. 2. Horwitz, M.J. (1966). Tocqueville and the Tyranny of the Majority, The Review of Politcs 28(3), pp. 293-307. 3. Maletz, Donald J. (2002). Tocqueville's Tyranny of the Majority Reconsidered, Journal of Politics 64(3), pp. 741-763. October 15: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part II, Ch. 9 2. Zuckert, Catherine. (1991). Not by Preaching: Tocqueville on the Role of Religion in American Democracy, The Review of Politics 43(2), pp. 259-280. 3. Kessler, Sanford. (1992). Tocqueville's Puritans: Christianity and the American Founding, Journal of Politics, 54(3), pp. 776-792. October 22: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part II, Ch. 10 (pp. 316-63). 2. Kohn, Margaret. (2002). The Other America: Tocqueville and Beaumont on Race and Slavery, Polity 35(2), pp. 169-194. 3
3. Winthrop, Delba. (1992). Race and Freedom in Tocqueville, in Tocqueville s Political Science, classic essays, ed. Peter Lawlor, pp. 171-196. October 29: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. I, Part II, Ch. 10 (pp. 363-407), Conclusion 2. Smith, Rogers. (1993). Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America, American Political Science Review 87(3), pp. 549-566. 3. Richardson, William D. (1991). Racial Equality in America, in Interpreting Tocqueville s Democracy in America, ed. Ken Masugi. (pdf). November 5: Henry James, The American (class location TBA) Volume II: November 12: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. II, Part I 2. Kummings, Donald D., (1994). The Poetry of Democracies: Tocqueville's Aristocratic View, Comparative Literature Studies 11(4), pp. 306-319. 3. Gisela Schlüter. (1992). Democratic Literature: Tocqueville s Poetological Reflections and Dreams, in Liberty, Equality, Democracy, ed. Nolla, Eduardo. Pp. 153-64. or 4. Avramenko s manuscript, on which he would welcome comments: The Grammar of Indifference: Tocqueville and the Language of Democracy November 19: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. II, Part II 2. Lawler, P.A.. (1995). Tocqueville on the Doctrine of Interest. Government and Opposition 30(2), pp. 221-239. 3. Villa, Dana. (2005). Hegel, Tocqueville, and Individualism, Review of Politics 67(4), pp. 659-686 November 26: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. II, Part II 2. Hinckley, Cynthia. (1990). Tocqueville on Religious Truth & Political Necessity, Polity 23(1), pp. 39-52. 3. Lawler, Peter. (2001). Tocqueville on Pantheism, Materialism, and Catholicism, Perspectives on Political Science (30:4), pp. 218-226. December 3: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. II, Part III 2. Wolfson, Dorothea Israel. 1996. "Tocqueville on Liberalism's Liberation of Women." Perspectives on Political Science 25 (4): 203-07. 3. Mathie, William. 1995. "God, Woman, and Morality: The Democratic Family in the New Political Science of Alexis de Tocqueville." Review of Politics 57 (1): 7-30. 4
December 10: 1. Democracy in America, Vol. II, Part IV 2. Pittz, Steven. 2011. "Providential Partners? Tocqueville's Take on Equality and Centralization." The Journal of Politics 73 (3): 797-807. 3. Avramenko, Richard and Gingerich, Robert. (2014). Democratic Dystopia: Tocqueville and the American Penitentiary System, Polity, forthcoming. Honor Code. This course, as all courses, demands adherence to a certain code of honor. If you plagiarize or cheat, you will receive an F for the course and be asked to leave the program. 5