Laurie M. Johnson - Political Thought: A Guide to the Classics

Professors whoteach political thought have a particularly difficult time finding textbooks tosuit their needs. Typically, they want to use original works in their classesand they approach these texts idiosyncratically. They do not want to be boxedinto the generic approach of many introductory textbooks. Often, suchprofessors either do not use a textbook or, when they do, supplement it withmaterials that reflect their own approach that goes beyond the textbook. Ifthey do without a textbook entirely, they face yet another, growing, problem.Students are often discouraged when they try to read the classics of politicalthought because their education has focused on the present. Understandably,they have difficulty approaching classic works replete with unfamiliar words,styles, and historical references. Sometimes students simply give up or refuseto read the assignments and rely on their professors lectures to help themunderstand the material.

For studentsanalyzing the classics of political thought, a textbook that gives themhistorical context is useful but does not raise their understanding to a levelat which they can truly appreciate what they are reading. They need to learnthe idiosyncrasies of particular philosophers and how to read carefully authorswhose writings are often multifaceted. They need to learn how to interpolate,to ask questions of the author while reading, and to look for answers. Thisbook is intended for those professors who want to give their students thisextra help- not a way out of reading the great works of political thought, buta way to access them.

Theintroduction that follows outlines the features of this book. My purpose is toprovide a vehicle that can be used in different ways and in different situationsfor classes large and small. This book can serve as an introductory textbook ora resource for upper-level courses in political thought and philosophy. The Guidefeature if particularly flexible. A professor can give a writing assignmentbased on a guide to one of the classics (particularly valuable if the class issmall and/or at the upper level), or can simply recommend that the students usethe guides to prepare for their exams (especially useful in larger andintroductory courses). A professor can also use the guides to generatequestions and discussion. He or she can emphasize historical context byfocusing on the background feature, or stress hermeneutics through the carefulreading feature.