Political Science | Development of American Political Thought
Y384 | 10661 | Hanson Y384 is the second course of a two-
semester sequence on American Political Ideas. The first course
is Y383, which is an independent unit; students may take either
Y383 or Y384, or both. Americans have distinctive ideas about
liberty, equality, popular sovereignty, and the limited role of
government (even a democratic one) in socioeconomic affairs.
These ideas set us apart from other peoples, who have very
different ideas about politics. Yet it is also true that
Americans disagree amongst themselves about the exact meaning of
the ideas we share. In this course we will discover the origin
of these disagreements, trace their evolution in time, and
witness their expression in contemporary political discourse. We
will also speculate on the future of these ideological
differences in American politics. Along the way we will read
selected Federalist and Antifederalist Papers, Henry David
Thoreau, slavery debates, post-Civil War amendm