BMET 22A56 - Stasis: Civil War in Ancient and Modern Political Thought

This course traces the historical importance of stasis or civil war in political thought from ancient Greek policy to early modern political philosophy and concludes by investigating the resurgence of civil war as in contemporary political theory and the broader discourse. The course asks students to consider stasis relative to theories of state, sovereignty, democracy, conflict, and amnesty. The Greek word stasis is full of contradictions, evoking both stability and uprising. We will interrogate how stasis was conceived of by the Greeks, and how factionalism and the threat of civil war influenced the development of the institutions of the polis. We will also investigate the influence of civil war in Thomas Hobbes and John Locke’s theories of sovereignty and the social contract. Giorgio Agamben’s book Stasis: Civil War as Political Paradigm (2015) serves as a guide here, but we will also look directly at Greek source material, an Act of parliament, a tragedy (Aeschylus’ the Oresteia), and essays about political polarization today. We conclude by considering the value of a contemporary theory of civil war as a tool for political analysis alongside alternative accounts of today’s conflict zones. This course provides a strong foundation for further study in the adjoining fields of political theory and political philosophy.

At the end of the course, the student is expected to: 1°) have mastered theoretical concepts as they are developed and deployed in key texts of political philosophy; be able to compare, contrast and trace the evolution of political ideas from antiquity to modernity. 2°) (written expression) analyze and reconstruct a philosophical argument in an in-class essay concerning one or more of the texts studied on this course, from premise to conclusion. Demonstrate a capacity to explicate the relation of a particular concept or concepts relative to the account of stasis or civil war in the given text/s. 3°) (oral expression) present, alone or in a pair, upon the reading assigned to one of the course sessions, with the objective of generating an in-class discussion about a political concept relative to the course theme—stasis//civil war as it is conceived of in ancient and modern political thought. Please specify the different exercises and pedagogical formats you want to improve student’s learning (lecture, debate, group work, workshop…): Students will be asked to nominate a week for an oral presentation (using PowerPoint if they wish) in the form of a debate (with another student) or mini lecture (if presenting solo) on the relevant week’s reading material. The objective of the oral format is to generate discussion in class and raise important questions about the reading, such that students can form connections between various accounts of stasis/civil war in the readings and to contemporary issues. Students will be given an in-class exam at the end of semester in the form of an essay, with three or more prompts to choose from. Students will be asked about the account of stasis or civil war given by one or more of the readings and asked to identity and reconstruct the mode of argumentation in the relevant text. Students will be assessed on their demonstration of understanding of the mode of reasoning and argumentation as well as by their capacity to compare, contrast and/or synthesize ideas across multiple texts. Students are expected to come to class having read the assigned reading material, so that they are able to ask questions and contribute to a discussion following the week’s oral presentation and lecture. Further class participation may include reading and explication exercises, alone or in groups.

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments :

1°) in-class essay on lecture and reading material from the course, 50%

2°) oral presentation, in either a mini-lecture (solo) or debate (pair) format, with the aim of raising key questions and contractions about the relevant reading and generating in-class discussion, 30%

3°) in-class participation, which amounts to contributions in the form of asking and answering questions and preparedness to participate in discussions about assigned readings and texts 20%