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US Conservatism Since 1945 SP14
US Conservatism Since 1945 SP14
Collège universitaire
Semestre de printemps
Syllabus
Course Description
What is the difference between a Neo-Liberal and a Neo-Con? How did American Evangelicals transition from
politically irrelevancy during the 1950s and 1960s into a political force to be reckoned with by the mid-1970s? And
what are the intellectual and political origins of the idea that liberal democratic regimes reserve the right to protect
civil and political freedoms by preemptively restricting the exercise of such freedoms? This course seeks to provide
answers to these and other related questions by offering a panoramic survey of American Conservatism since
World War II. It does so by looking at key concepts and ideas typically associated with the conservative movement. The
ultimate goal is to help you conceptualize the diversity of American conservatism and to provide you with an enriched
understanding of its recent developments and contemporary significance in the U.S. The success of this course depends
on you having reflected on the weekly reading assignments and your discussion of these texts in class. All of the readings
are accessible via PDFs made available to you as shared docs on Google Drive.
Class Schedule
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Liberty, "Why I Am Not a Conservative” (pdf); Milton Friedman, “Capitalism and Freedom,” in William F. Buckley
and Charles R. Kesler, eds., Keeping the Tablets (1988), pp. 125-137 (pdf); Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion:
Reinventing Markets Since the Great Depression (2012), selected chapters (pdf)
Week 6: Straussianism
Leo Strauss, Natural Right and History (1953), selections (pdf) ; Shadia Drury, Leo Strauss and the American Right
(1999), selected chapters (pdf); Mark Lilla, “The Closing of the Straussian Mind” New York Times Review of Books (2004)
<http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2004/nov/04/the-closing-of-the-straussian-mind/>
Week 7: Neoconservativism
Irving Kristol, “Urban Civilization and Its Discontents,” The Neocon Reader (pdf); Irving Kristol, “Corporate
Capitalism in America” (pdf); Tom Wolfe, “Radical Chic” (pdf); Adam Wolfson, “Conservatives and
Neoconservatives,” The Neoconservative (pdf)
Mark Lilla, “The Tea Party Jacobins,” New York Review of Books (May 27, 2010); Reihan Salam and Ross
Douthat, “The Party of Sam’s Club,” Weekly Standard (pdf); Francis Fukuyama, “The Neoconservative Legacy”
(pdf).
Course Requirements
The grade for this course consists of three components. Your participation in class is of utmost importance.
You should come to class prepared to discuss the required readings. At the beginning of each class I will
introduce the topic of discussion. My main aim, however, is to facilitate a discussion of the readings. Hence,
the success of the course depends significantly on your participation in class.
You will also be required to give a 10-15 minute presentation on one of the key topics of the course. You
will be provided with a list of presentation topics, however you are free to suggest a topic of your choosing – this does
necessarily mean it will be approved. Finally you be required to write and 8-10 page paper on a topic of your choice
related to the course. The papers will be due the final day of the course (TBA).
27, rue Saint-Guillaume 75007 Paris France T/ +33 (0)1 45 49 50 51 - F/ +33 (0)1 42 22 39 64 www.sciences-po.fr
Grade Breakdown
Participation: 20%
Presentation: 30%
Final Paper: 50%
Références bibliographiques :
All required readings will be made available via shared PDF documents on Google Drive.
The following book are recommended – but not required – standard texts on US. Conservatism.
27, rue Saint-Guillaume 75007 Paris France T/ +33 (0)1 45 49 50 51 - F/ +33 (0)1 42 22 39 64 www.sciences-po.fr