Political Science 102B

Capitalism and Democracy

Monday and Wednesday 3-4, UC30 - UWO Winter Term 2005

Dr. Doug Mann – SSC 4140 & 5320

 

In this course we will examine the relationship between capitalism and modern democracy. Our basic question in the course will be a very simple one: are capitalism and democracy compatible? Were they ever? In answering this question, we’ll look not only at the history of capitalism and industrialism, but also at some of the theoretical ideas connecting capitalism to democracy and some contemporary debates about cultural and economic life. We’ll examine these and other important issues in class, and watch a few videos that should promote some lively debates in the following discussions.

 

Text

Capitalism and Democracy Reader, ed. Doug Mann.

 

Workload

Test 1 (50 minutes): 25%, February 9

Test 2 (50 minutes): 25%, March 9

Final Exam: 50%, in regular exam period

Note on the tests: these will take place in the regular class hour. They will consist of a number of multiple choice questions, along with either a single essay question or some short answer questions. The only legitimate reasons for missing a test are illness (bring me a doctor’s note as proof) or a family tragedy. Travel plans, social events, and work in other courses don’t count. If you miss a test for a legitimate reason, you’ll be asked to write a makeup essay of 5-7 pages on a topic I’ll give you based on course materials, including lectures. This essay will be graded AS an essay, with writing skills, grammar, and clarity being taken into account.

 

Schedule

Each number represents about a week of lecture, though there will be considerable overlap between weeks. Since this is the first time the course has been taught in this version, it’s something of an experiment, so I reserve the right to drop some of the later material if we get too far behind, or to add a video or two if something interesting comes to my attention.

 

1. Introduction. A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned – The Spirit of Early Capitalism

Reading: Max Weber, “Asceticism and the Spirit of Capitalism,” Chapter 5 of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Trans. Talcott Parsons, Second Roxbury Edition (Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing, 1998), pp. 155-183.

 

2. The Dark Satanic Mills – The Industrial Revolution (may leak over into week 3)

Reading: J. Bronowski and Bruce Mazlish, “The Industrial Revolution”, in their The Western Intellectual Tradition (New York: Harper, 1960), pp. 307-322.

Video: James Burke, “Credit Where it’s Due,” The Day the Universe Changed (BBC, 1985).    

 

3. The Fruits of our Labour – Locke on Property and Democracy

Reading: “John Locke and the Fruits of our Labor,” Philosophy: A New Introduction, eds. Douglas Mann and G. Elijah Dann (Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005), pp. 487-494.

 

4. The Tyranny of the Majority and Manufacturing Consent

Readings: “Mill on Liberty of Thought and Action,” Philosophy: A New Introduction, eds. Douglas Mann and G. Elijah Dann (Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005), pp. 513-520.

Edward S. Herman & Noam Chomsky, “A Propaganda Model,” The Manufacture of Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (New York: Pantheon Books, 1988), pp. 1-35.

 

5-6. All That’s Sacred Fades into Air – Marx’s Critique of Capitalism

Reading: “Historical Materialism and the Class Struggle,” Philosophy: A New Introduction, eds. Douglas Mann and G. Elijah Dann (Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005), pp. 495-512. 

Video: John Kenneth Galbraith, “Karl Marx, The Massive Dissent,” Episode 3 of The Age of Uncertainty (BBC, 1977).

 

7. A Sick Patient – The Corporation

Reading: Joel Bakan, “Democracy Ltd.”, The Corporation (NY: Free Press, 2004), pp. 85-110, 184-191. 

Video: Mark Achbar, Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott. The Corporation, Part I (2003).

 

8. Pirates off the Port Bow! - Popular Culture, Capitalism, and Freedom

Readings: Theodor Adorno, "Culture Industry Reconsidered", The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture, Ed. J. M. Bernstein (London: Routledge, 1991). pp. 85-92.

Lawrence Lessig, “Pirates” and “Piracy,” Free Culture (New York: Penguin, 2004), pp. 53-79.

 

9. The Triumph of the Group’s Will – Corporatism and the Decline of Dissent

Reading: John Ralston Saul, “The Great Leap Backwards,” The Unconscious Civilization (Concord: Anansi Press, 1995), pp. 1-9, 15-19, 26-37.

 

10. No Logo! Branding, Globalization and Democracy

Readings: Naomi Klein, Chapter 1, “New Brand World,” No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (New York: Picador, 1999), pp. 3-26.

George Ritzer, “Globalization,” The Globalization of Nothing (Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2003), pp. 71-96, 229-236.   

Video: No Logo: Brands, Globalization, Resistance (Media Education Foundation, 2003).

 

11. The Lesser of Two Evils – Democracy and Terrorism

Readings: Michael Ignatieff, “Democracy and the Lesser Evil,” The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in the Age of Terror (Princeton: Princeton University Press), pp. 1-24.

Jean Baudrillard, “The Spirit of Terrorism,” The Spirit of Terrorism, New Ed., Trans. Chris Turner (London: Verso, 2003), pp. 3-34.

 

12. A Vampire Sucking the Blood of Participation - The Society of the Spectacle

Readings: Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle (1967), selections.

Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America (New York: William Morrow, 1999), pp. xi-xvi, 99-109, 128-136. 

 

13. Cyberdemocracy or Data Trash?

Readings: David Shenk,  “10. A Nation of Lonely Molecules,” “11. Superdemocracy,” Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut (San Francisco: Harper Edge, 1997), pp. 123-137.

Arthur Kroker and Michael A. Weinstein,, “The Theory of the Virtual Class,” Data Trash: The Theory of the Virtual Class (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994), pp. 4-18.

 

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Policies

 

Designated Questioner Bonus

Each week on Wednesdays I will circle about six random names on the class list and announce them at the start of class as potential “designated questioners.” If you’re in class and your name is announced (and you want a shot at the bonus), reflect on that week’s lectures, think of a question for the class, type it out (make sure you include your name), and bring it to the following Monday class and pose it to your fellow students. The best 5 questions (based on student response, originality and thoughtfulness) will get a bonus of 3% added to their final grade, the next best 5 questions will get a bonus of 2%. It’s up to you to be around when I announce the names: they won’t be posted or emailed to you, so don’t ask! I reserve the right to cancel this program if after several weeks it’s not working.

 

Class Attendance and Behaviour

All announcements having to do with test and exam content and any changes in the course materials will be given during class. You’ll be tested in part on the lecture materials and class discussions. It’s up to you to make sure you keep up to date on such things by attending class - there won’t be any notes posted on the web or extensive end-of-class review to help out systematic truants. Please don’t ask me for copies of class notes for missed classes - find a friend to partner up with to cover these classes. If not having access to web-posted notes or attending class regularly is a problem for you, please drop this course. Also, please keep the background chatter down during lectures and presentations out of respect for both me and for those of your classmates who wish to listen to the lecture or participate in class discussions.

 

E-Mails

I would like to conduct as much of class business as possible in person to avoid misunderstandings and to reduce the ever-worsening problem of e-mail congestion. Please don’t email me complex questions about the content of the course, including details of missed lectures – it’s far more effective and pleasant if you come to speak to me in person about this sort of thing (you can e-mail me to make an appointment of course!). Also, I reserve the right to not reply to e-mail questions or complaints concerning grades or requests for extensions on assignments - once again, present these in person! The same standards of civility apply to electronic communication as apply to personal conversations or letters. If I receive a rude or impolite e-mail I will ignore it blacklist your e-mail address. In short, please don’t rely on e-mail for any communication you think is important - e-mails are often a poor replacement for direct verbal communication and can lead to serious miscommunication and bad feelings.