Introduction to Political Philosophy What is politics and how should it be studied? Is there a best regime? A best way of life? How are these two things related, if at all?  Can we gain knowledge of such topics? We will examine these questions through a study of some or all of the following texts: Plato, Apology of Socrates, Republic; Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics; Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Summa Contra Gentiles; Machiavelli, The Prince; Hobbes, Leviathan; Locke, Second Treatise on Government; Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men; Marx, The Communist Manifesto, The German Ideology,  Capital; and Weber, Science as a Vocation.

Political Philosophies of Cosmopolitan and Nationalism Political communities unite and divide human beings into separate groups. Can anything justify or explain these divisions? Is there a form best suited to human flourishing and happiness? To the scope of our moral and political obligations? To our identities as co-nationals, compatriots, or cosmopolitans? We will focus on theorists of the late Enlightenment: Smith, Rousseau, Herder, Kant, Fichte, Tocqueville, Mill, Mazzini, Acton, and Weber. We will also read more recent works by Rawls, Walzer, Beitz, Nussbaum, Scruton, and Manent and selections from the ancient Stoic tradition. (PSCI 0101 Or PSCI 0204 Or PSCI 0262 Or PSCI 0317 Or PSCI 0318 Or PSCI 0414 or by waiver) 3 hrs sem.

How to Win the Argument: Rhetoric and Democracy Arguments shape the progress of free society. From "Four score and seven" to "never surrender," to "I have a dream," we celebrate the power of rhetoric to motivate political action. Yet rhetoric can mislead as well, and its techniques appear to involve a form of manipulation. In this class, we will examine the "arts" of rhetoric, and the philosophical debates surrounding the role of rhetoric in politics. Readings include political speeches (Lincoln, Churchill, King), plays (Aristophanes, Shakespeare), ancient philosophies of rhetoric (Plato, Aristotle), and modern theories of speech and "public reason" (Mill, Rawls). We will prepare and practice public speech-making in class, and we will compose and revise our own analytical and rhetorical prose.

Might and Right Among Nations What role does justice play in international politics? What role should it play? Does it pay to act justly in the conduct of foreign affairs? In this course, we will examine the place of ethical considerations in international politics. Drawing upon major works of political theory, we will pay special attention to the relationship between justice and necessity, the ethics of war and deception, and plans for perpetual peace. Authors will include Thucydides, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Kant, Weber, Woodrow Wilson, and Michael Walzer.

How to Win the Argument: Rhetoric and Democracy* Arguments shape the progress of free society. From "Four score and seven" to "never surrender," to "I have a dream," we celebrate the power of rhetoric to motivate political action. Yet rhetoric can mislead as well, and its techniques appear to involve a form of manipulation. In this class, we will examine the "arts" of rhetoric, and the philosophical debates surrounding the role of rhetoric in politics. Readings include political speeches (Lincoln, Churchill, King), plays (Aristophanes, Shakespeare), ancient philosophies of rhetoric (Plato, Aristotle), and modern theories of speech and "public reason" (Mill, Rawls). We will prepare and practice public speech-making in class, and we will compose and revise our own analytical and rhetorical prose.

Left, Right, and Center In this course, we shall examine liberalism, conservatism, socialism and their competing conceptions of freedom, equality, the individual, and community. We shall consider the origins of these ideologies in early modern political theory and shall afford special attention to the connection between thought and politics.  Authors may include John Locke, Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Rawls, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott, and Friedrich Hayek.

Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy We will study some classic works in ancient and medieval political philosophy: Plato (Laws, RepublicApology, Republic, Gorgias, Protagoras, Meno); Aristotle (Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric); Cicero (Republic, Laws), Maimonides (Guide to the Perplexed), Aquinas (Summa Theologica, Summa Contra Gentiles), Alfarabi (The Political Regime).

Daniel Fram

Reviews and ratings for Daniel Fram at Middlebury College.Daniel Fram teaches Intro to Political Philosophy, Cosmopolitanism & Nationalism, How to Win the Argument and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Daniel Fram good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

The course material is very interesting and covers a wide breadth, basically from the foundations of international relations to the modern era. However, there is a LOT of reading, sometimes a whole book is assigned within one or two classes. 

There was a lot of reading, but it feels like we didn’t really move forward. The materials were interesting, yet by the end, I wasn’t sure what the main takeaway was. It lost steam after a while and was just eh. 

I took this class because it was required for the major, not because I wanted to, and although it's about what you'd expect for an intro political philosophy course, I did generally enjoy the content and especially Professor Fram's consistent enthusiasm. The weekly discussions could have been organized a bit better, but I got a lot more out of this class than I originally expected. Lots of reading, but a lot of it can be skimmed. 