America and the City of God: An Introduction to Political Philosophy
Taught by Mr. Gideon Lazar
2023-24
Contact: gideonjacoblazar@gmail.com
Sign up for Audited course here. :
Sign up for Graded course here:
Overview: This course is meant to introduce students to the principles of political philosophy. We will study the origins of western political philosophy, its development in scholastic and early modern philosophy, and its application to the American government. We will also discuss the social teaching of the Church on liberty, economics, and other issues. This course will serve as the perfect high school government course or the perfect way for adults who did not receive a classical education to learn political philosophy as well.
Teaching method: The course will consist primarily of primary source materials. Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted every Monday morning on Google Classroom. Students should read the assigned material once to get a general overview, taking notes along the way, watch the lecture, and then return to passages in the readings they did not understand at first to more deeply understand them. There will also be reading questions to complete each week.
Readings: Readings will be given online, but they should be printed, placed into a binder, and annotated. Students may also use other printed editions of the works, although the translation might vary from what is used in the lectures.
Grading: Students can either audit the course or take it for high school credit. If the course is taken for credit, all study questions, tests, and papers will be graded by the instructor. If audited, tests and papers may still be taken, but must be graded by a parent.
Note: Since St. Mary Queen of the Home Academy is not officially accredited, formal credit cannot be given. However, colleges do not care about this. I can provide grades and proof of the class to submit to colleges. Colleges with questions about the course can contact me.
Cost: $250 per semester audited ($500 total), $300 per semester graded ($600 total). Members of the Meaning of Catholic guild get 10% off. Semesters can be taken individually, but they build on each other so both are recommended. Additional private tutoring may be purchased by contacting the instructor. Contact the instructor to arrange tutoring. Since the course is asynchronous, auditing students can start at the beginning at any time. Graded students can have assignment due dates changed with permission.
First Semester: Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy
Note: Syllabus is subject to change during the semester
Unit 1 – Politics in the Classical World
Week 1 – 8/28 – Virtue and Justice
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, books 1, 5
Week 2 – 9/4 – Friendship
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, books 8-9
Week 3 – 9/11 – The City
Aristotle, Politics, books 1, 3
Week 4 – 9/18 – Constitutions and Revolutions
Aristotle, Politics, books 4-5
Week 5 – 9/25 – Democracies and the Best Regime
Aristotle, Politics, books 6-7.12
Week 6 – 10/2 – The Roman Constitution and Review of Classical Politics
Polybius, Histories (excerpt on Roman constitution)
Midterm exam on Aristotle and Polybius
Unit 2 – The Two Cities
Week 7 – 10/9 – The Errors of Rome
Augustine, City of God, selections from books 1-5
Week 8 – 10/16 – The Two Cities
Augustine, City of God, selections from books 11-18
Week 9 – 10/23 – Is Rome a Republic?
Augustine, City of God, selections from books 19-22
Gelasius, Duo Sunt
Paper comparing Aristotle and Augustine assigned
Unit 3 – Medieval Politics
Week 10 – 10/30 – Justice and Law
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II.90, II-II.57-58, 60, 80-81 (all Summa readings will be given in selections)
Week 11 – 11/6 – Natural and Eternal Law
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II 91-94
Week 12 – 11/13 – Human Law and Just War
Paper due
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II 95-97, II-II 29, 40
11/20 – Thanksgiving Break
Week 13 – 11/27 – The Law of Moses
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-I.98-99, 104-105
Week 14 – 12/4 – On Kingship
Aquinas, De Regno
Week 15 – 12/18 – Authority and Economic Justice
Scotus, Ordinatio, IV d. 16 q. 2
Week 16 – 12/18
Review for semester
Final exam
Second Semester: Modern Political Philosophy
Unit 4 – The Origin of Liberalism
Week 17 – 1/1 – The Authority of the Church
Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam
Luther, Speech to German Princes (selections)
Suarez, Defensio (selections)
Week 18 – 1/8 – Discovery of the Americas
Vitoria, De Indis
Week 19 – 1/15 – The Origin of States
Suarez, De Legibus, 3.1-4
Week 20 – 1/22 – Social Contract Theory
Hobbes, Leviathan (selections)
Locke, Second Treatise on Government (selections)
Paper on the origin of authority assigned
Unit 5 – The Constitution
Week 21 – 2/5 – Why the Constitution?
Declaration of Independence
Constitution, Preamble, Article 7
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 22 – 2/12 – Factionalism and Federalism
Constitution, Articles 4, 6
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 23 – 2/19 – Separation of Powers
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Anti-federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 24 – 2/26 – The Legislative Branch
Paper due
Constitution, Article 2
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Anti-federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 25 – 3/4 – The Executive Branch
Constitution, Article 1
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Anti-federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 26 – 3/11 – The Judiciary Branch and the Bill of Rights
Constitution, Articles 3, 5
Constitution, Amendments 1-10
Federalist papers (selections TBD)
Anti-federalist papers (selections TBD)
Week 27 – 3/18 – Remaining Amendments, Review
Constitution, Amendments 11-27
Review of American Constitution
Midterm exam
3/25,4/1 – Two Week Spring Break for Holy Week and Easter
Unit 6 – Catholic Social Teaching
Week 28 – 4/15 – Liberalism
Pius IX, Quanta Cura, Syllabus of Errors (all papal encyclical readings will be given in selections)
Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, Libertas, Au milieu des sollicitudes
Week 29 – 4/22 – Americanism
Leo XIII, Longinqua, Testem benevolentiae nostrae
Week 30 – 4/39 – Vatican II
Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, Dignitatis humanae
Paper on Americanism assigned
Week 31 – 5/6 – Early Papal Teaching on Economics
Benedict XIV, Vix pervenit
Leo XIII, Rerum novarum
Pius XI, Quadragesimo anno
Week 32 – 5/13 – John Paul II on Economics
John Paul II, Laborem exercens, Centesimus annus
Week 33 – 5/20 – The Blood of Abel
John Paul II, Evangelium vitae
Francis, Laudato si’
Week 34 – 5/27 – The Two Cities Reconsidered
Pius XI, Quas primas
Benedict XVI, Deus caritas est
Week 35 – 6/3
Review of semester
Final Exam
Mary, Destroyer of Heresy
Taught by Edmund J. Mazza, PhD.
America and the City of God: An Introduction to Political Philosophy
Taught by Mr. Gideon Lazar 2023-24
Internet Promise
- I will never speak a word on the Internet that is not in accord with truth and charity: truth, in that every word will accord with the thing as it is (as far as I know), and charity, in that it wills the good of my brother for the sake of God. As it is written, Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it on the day of judgment (Matt. xii. 36).
- I will always accept and welcome correction. As it is written, The way of life, to him that observeth correction: but he that forsaketh reproofs, goeth astray (Prov. x. 17).
- I will never say a dishonorable word regarding any superior whether ecclesiastical, natural or political: honor, as witnessing to the excellence of an office (ST II-II q103 a1). As it is written, The prince of thy people thou shalt not curse (Ex. xxii. 28).
- If I am constrained by truth and charity to speak of evil among my superiors, I will do so only out of necessity (that is, when the faith is endangered) while maintaining due honor to the office according to the Scripture, An ancient man rebuke not, but entreat him as a father (I Tim. v. 1).[1]
- I will never say anything profane or vulgar as it is written, But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth (Col. iii. 8).[2]
—
[1] ST II-II q33 a4: “It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence Paul, who was Peter’s subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Gal. 2:11, ‘Peter gave an example to superiors, that if at any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by their subjects.’”
[2] Profanity profanes what is a sacred, for example when men speak blithely of the action or place of God’s eternal justice. Vulgarity is against modesty by speaking of private or unclean things with vulgar words. For an explication of the Church’s moral doctrine on this matter, see Fr. Chad Ripperger, “Language.”
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