American Constitutional Law: The First Amendment This course focuses on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the first amendment freedoms of speech, press, and religion.  After starting with the philosophic foundations of these first amendment freedoms (Mill, Locke), students will read the major Supreme Court decisions concerning these rights.  Class assignments in the form of oral arguments and briefs and/or options will enable students to take the part of lawyers and judges.

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).

The American Political Regime This is a course in American political and constitutional thought. The theme, taken from de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, is the problem of freedom. The first half covers the American founding up through the Civil War and the "refounding." This includes de Tocqueville, Madison's Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention, the Federalist-Anti-Federalist ratification debate, Supreme Court decisions (Marbury, McCulloch), writings of Jefferson, Calhoun, and Lincoln. The second half considers basic problems in American politics, such as race, gender, foreign policy, and education. Readings include a novel, de Tocqueville, and Supreme Court decisions (Brown, Frontiero, Roe, Casey, Grutter, Lawrence).

Modern Political Philosophy In this course. we will study: Machiavelli (Prince, Discourses); Bacon  (Advancement of Learning); Hobbes (Leviathan); Locke (Second Treatise);  Spinoza (Theological-Political Treatise); Montesquieu (Spirit of the Laws);  Rousseau (Social Contract); Burke (Reflections); Kant (Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Perpetual Peace); Hegel (Introduction to Philosophy of History); Marx (Communist Manifesto, German Ideology, Capital); Nietzsche  (Beyond Good and Evil); Heidegger (Question Concerning Technology).   We will examine modernity's rejection of ancient thought, its later replacement of nature by history as the standard for right, and its subsequent rejection of any standard of right. Other topics include religion, freedom ofspeech, and the separation of powers. (PSCI 0101 or PSCI 0107 or PSCI 0317, or PSCI 0333, or waiver) 4.

On Tyranny In this course we will study tyranny, which has been called “a danger coeval with political life” (Leo Strauss). To understand that statement and how technology and ideology have changed tyranny, we will read classic works from political philosophy and literature (Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Republic VIII-IX and Charmides; Xenophon’s Hiero, or On Tyranny; Machiavelli’s Prince; and Shakespeare’s Macbeth) and modern works (Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political; Leo Strauss on Xenophon, followed by Alexander Kojeve’s Commentary and Strauss’s Restatement; Heidegger, “Question Concerning Technology”; Hannah Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism, vol. 3; and writing by one tyrant).

Love and Friendship in Philosophy and Literature This is a course for lovers of reading who wish to read great books on the subjects of love and friendship. We will start with Plato's two famous dialogues on love, the Phaedrus, and the Symposium, to learn about love (eros) and its relationship to speaking, writing, and philosophy, and his dialogue on friendship, Lysis. Then, we will read Aristotle's Ethics, which contains the definitive treatment of friendship. We will then read: a Shakespeare Sonnet; Montaigne's essay, Of Friendship; Bacon’s essay Of Friendship; Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. We will also study parts of The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric by Sister Miriam Joseph.

American Constitutional Law: The Federal System This course examines the development of American constitutionalism through study of Supreme Court decisions. Every major topic but the bill of rights (see PSCI 0306) is covered. Using the Sullivan and Gunther Constitutional Law casebook, we begin with judicial review and then study the development of legal doctrines surrounding the commerce clause, the due process and equal protection clauses of the fourteenth amendment, and the separation of powers. Recent cases focus on affirmative action and federal protection of civil rights. Interpretive books and essays are considered, as time permits. A mock court exercise is anticipated.

Reading Herodotus “Herodotus of Halicarnassus here displays his inquiry, so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvelous deeds—some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians—may not be without their glory; and especially to show  why the two peoples fought with each other.”  So begins Herodotus’ “Inquiries,” aka “Histories.”  Herodotus’ accounts of Egypt, Scythia, Lydia, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, and Libya (books I-IV) lay the foundation for his account of the Persian Wars (V-IX).  The relation between Greekness and human freedom emerges as the theme of that war.

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.

Basic Problems in Political Philosophy In this course we will focus on the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and Kant to examine different formulations of theory and practice.  We will read Plato’s Meno, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, and Sophist; from Aristotle’s Ethics, Physics and Metaphysics; Kant’s, Critique of Pure Reason, Foundations of the Metaphysics or Morals, and Perpetual Peace; concluding with parts of Rawls’ A Theory of Justice.  We will be examining the following questions: What can we know and how do we know it? How should we live and how is that related to what we can know? A previous course in political philosophy or philosophy is recommended. Students will write two short papers and a final essay on topics to be assigned.  A previous course in political philosophy or philosophy is recommended.

Love and Friendship in Literature and Philosophy  Love and friendship are important topics for understanding the best human life and its relationship to the best regime. We will study Plato’s Phaedrus and Symposium; Aristotle’s Ethics; essays on friendship by Montagne and Bacon; Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and another play; Rousseau’s Emile; a Jane Austen novel, and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. We will also watch two movies: The Philadelphia Story and Anna Karenina. (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1030) (Political Theory)/

American Autobiography: The Promise of America The promise of America, to paraphrase Tocqueville, may be said to involve securing equality in freedom and overcoming slavery and its legacy.  Jay Parini has called autobiography “the essential American genre,” because “the individual is not only valued but also preeminent and representative.”  Writers of this genre illuminate different aspects of the promise of America, depending on, among other things, when they lived, their background, their race and their gender.  To learn what we can about America from this genre, we will read: Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography; Frederick Douglass’ multiple autobiographies; The Education of Henry Adams; The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Pauli Murray’s, Song in a Weary Throat: Memoir of an American Pilgrimage; and Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father. Students will write short papers on four of these writers.

Murray Dry

Reviews and ratings for Murray Dry at Middlebury College.Murray Dry teaches American Constitutional Law, Ancient & Med. Pol. Philosophy, American Political Regime and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Murray Dry good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I could not recommend taking a class with Murray Dry more. He has an unmatched wealth of knowledge about the American Constitution and is clearly passionate about his job. If you are interested in going to law school, this class is a must. He is a tough teacher but you learn a lot and it is not possible to get a good grade.

Murray Dry is iconic and a world-class expert in this material. He is a Middlebury icon and you need to take a class with him if you are anywhere near the polisci realm for majors/interests and aren't trying to just skate through college. This class is the best of his that I have taken - my understanding of American government is so much deeper and while there is a lot of reading, it is not unmanageable.

Murray Dry is the goat. There are a lot of readings, including some very difficult philosophical materials, and he cold-calls in every class. But his lectures are incredibly clear and engaging, and he genuinely pushes students to think deeply rather than just memorize ideas. Even though the workload is heavy, you walk away from the course feeling that it was absolutely worth it.