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Politics of Fear

Brooklyn College, Spring 2019

Course Overview: Emotional states have decisive political force, perhaps none greater than fear. Fear’s precise role in political life has long been disputed, with formative theorists understanding it variously as a potent tool of governance, as an affective state governments should assuage, even as the very basis of civil society itself. Debates over the legitimacy of certain forms and means of inciting political fear reach back centuries. Over the course of this semester, we will examine a variety of theoretical approaches to understanding fear as a political idea, drawing on foundational texts from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

We begin the semester with Renaissance and Enlightenment theories of fear as it applies to politics and governance (Machiavelli, Spinoza, Hobbes). Following this, we move on to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century treatments of fear and related concepts (Burke, Hegel, Kierkegaard). These serve as a bridge to contemporary discussions of political violence (Furet, Walzer, Asad). Later weeks of the course examine experiences of fear in settings of mass atrocity and state repression (Arendt, Brecht, Barnes). The course concludes with reflections on efforts to attenuate or routinize fear as a political force (Foucault, Shklar).

Texts: I am asking you to purchase (or borrow) three books for this course, selected for their significance to the political theory of fear, as well as the abundance of cheap used copies. They are listed for sale in the online bookstore. If you obtain the books elsewhere, please try to get the specific editions listed here; discussion will run most smoothly if we're all following the same page numbers.

• Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, ed. Edwin Curley, Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.
• Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, New York: Penguin, 2006.
• Julian Barnes, The Noise of Time, New York: Vintage, 2017.

All other readings will be available in PDF on Blackboard. If you have trouble accessing or obtaining the reading materials, please let me know as soon as possible.

Requirements and Grading: This course will involve some lecture when necessary, but it is constructed primarily around seminar-style discussion. Hence, it is absolutely critical that you come to class having completed and prepared to discuss the assigned readings. Formal requirements are as follows:

• You will be graded on participation. Grading on participation is not black and white, but if you do not consistently come to class prepared with the assigned readings, your participation grade will suffer. Your participation grade will also suffer if you routinely have your phone out, or if you are generally disruptive in discussion. Your overall participation grade, out of twenty points, is awarded at the end of the semester.
• You will be expected to give a short presentation on a course reading. Starting on February 8, each class session will begin with an oral presentation by one or two students on one of the readings for that day. Presentations should present the core argument of the reading and its implications for the themes of the course. They should not simply summarize the argument beat-by-beat, but highlight parts of the argument the student finds particularly significant or interesting. Presentation days are assigned in the first two weeks of class on a first-come, first-served basis. Presentations are graded out of twenty points in accordance with the rubric on Blackboard.
• You will be expected to write a critical response paper. This is not a research paper (you are not required to bring in outside sources), but an extended reflection on the themes of the course. Writing it will be a multi-stage process. A short proposal (maximum two pages) explaining the paper’s topic and prospective argument is due on March 1. A rough draft (approximately 4-6 pages) developing the argument further is due March 29. The final paper (approximately 8-10 pages) is due on our final class meeting day, May 10. The paper proposal is worth ten points, the rough draft worth twenty, and the final draft thirty. Rubrics for each component of the paper-writing process are available on Blackboard.

Here's a breakdown of how grading for this course adds up overall:

Since the course as a whole is graded out of 100 points, your raw score at the end of the semester is also your percentage score in the course. I assign letter grades by the usual scale: 93–100 is an A, 90–92 is an A-minus, 87–89 is a B-plus, 83–86 is a B, 80–82 is a B-minus, and so on. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns about grading over the course of the semester.

General Class Guidelines: While I do not grade on attendance specifically, you are nonetheless expected to attend class regularly having completed and prepared to discuss the required reading. As not just quantity but also quality of participation is important, I strongly recommend that you stay on topic during class discussions.
 
I do not permit cellphone use during class, and I encourage you to avoid using other electronics as well, if possible. If you use a laptop or tablet in class, please only use it for purposes related to the course (taking notes, consulting readings, e.g.). You are encouraged to print out PDF readings for in-class use.

Academic Integrity: For the paper(s), you may cite relevant sources in APA, MLA, or Chicago format (Chicago being the general standard in Political Science). The format of citations is less important than their accuracy and consistency. As long as you provide a complete bibliography and in-text citations for direct quotes and close paraphrases, you may use whichever citation style you’re most comfortable with.
 
Consistent, complete, and accurate citations are essential for avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism is any act of presenting someone else’s words and/or ideas as your own. Each student is responsible for knowing what constitutes plagiarism and avoiding it. If you are unsure, the full CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for its implementation is available online here. If a faculty member confirms a violation of academic integrity, they are required to report it. Familiarize yourself with CUNY’s Academic Integrity Policy and avoid violating it.

Accessibility: In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS). Students with a documented disability, or who suspect they may have one, are encouraged to set up an appointment with the Director of Student Disability Services by calling (718) 951-5538. If you have already registered with the CSDS, please provide me with the appropriate documentation and discuss your specific needs with me, and I will provide any necessary accommodations.

Course Schedule

• January 25: Introductions, syllabus overview.
   
• February 1: Reason, Imagination, Passions
  • Baruch Spinoza, Ethics: Part III, Preface, General Definition; Part IV, Preface
  • Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chs. 1–7
     
• February 8: Fear and Governance
  • Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Chs. 1–3, 8, 12–17
  • Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chs. 13–16
     
• February 15: Fear and Faith
  • Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chs. 12, 35–38
     
• February 22: Fear and Faith, ctd.
  • Edmund Burke, An Inquiry into the Origins of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful, Part II
  • Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling: "Eulogy on Abraham," "Problema I"
     
• March 1: Terror — Paper proposal due
  • François Furet and Mona Ozouf, "Terror," from A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution
  • G. W. F. Hegel, "Absolute Freedom and Terror," from The Phenomenology of Spirit
     
• March 8: Terrorism
  • Michael Walzer, "Terrorism and Just War"
  • Talal Asad, "Horror at Suicide Terrorism," from On Suicide Bombing
     
• March 15: Atrocity
  • Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, Chs. 1–3
     
• March 22: Atrocity, ctd.
  • Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, Chs. 5–8
     
• March 29: Atrocity, ctd. — Rough draft due
  • Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, Chs. 13–15, Epilogue
     
• April 5: Repression
  • Bertolt Brecht, "Five Difficulties in Writing the Truth"
  • Julian Barnes, The Noise of Time, Part I
     
• April 12: Repression, ctd.
  • Julian Barnes, The Noise of Time, Parts II and III

Spring recess begins April 19.

• May 3: Liberalism and Danger
  • Michel Foucault, 24 Jan. 1979 lecture from The Birth of Biopolitics.
  • Judith Shklar, "The Liberalism of Fear"
     
• May 10: Final Paper Roundtable — Final paper due

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