{"id":23,"date":"2020-06-10T18:07:02","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T22:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2020-08-06T16:12:33","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T20:12:33","slug":"modern-nation-state","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/modern-nation-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Nation-State"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WORLD POLITICS: PART I<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
\n

We begin!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

What does it mean to say that we are at a critical juncture in history?\u00a0 And if we are at this point, how can we study it while we are living it?<\/p>\n

To get our bearings, let us look back on roughly the last two centuries.\u00a0 Over this period, multiple generations grew accustomed to living in the era of the Modern Nation-State<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 In this opening section of our course, I shall outline the defining aspects of this unique human invention. I shall also outline the characteristics of the particular expression of this state that we have known best and from which we have profited immensely: Liberal Democracy<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0I will draw a \u00a0connection between two perspectives we all share in common: \u00a0\u201cmodernity\u201d and \u201cliberalism.\u201d At this early point in the semester, we will deal with several abstract concepts.\u00a0 In the coming weeks, these abstractions will begin to become real to you when we consider the origins and evolution of the Liberal Nation-State<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

My personal guarantee: \u00a0By the end of this course, you will see how my abstractions fit together into one dynamic story.\u00a0 You should also have a sense for what it means to live in a time of radical uncertainty. I am telling a story with no clear ending. This is a good academic story. More importantly, it is your<\/em> story, too.<\/p>\n


\n1. LECTURE:\u00a0 Monday, August 10,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on the evolution of political institutions: The making of the\u00a0Modern Nation-State<\/strong>\u00a0and the indeterminate nature of human history<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: The\u00a0Modern Nation-State<\/strong><\/em> is distinguished by the underlying idea that one can bring together different peoples and contending identities under the rubric of a common community. \u00a0This state form represents a novel way of organizing human beings. \u00a0To be clear, not all states are Nation-States<\/em><\/strong>. And, not all peoples want to live together.\u00a0 Just look at the disastrous consequences of our experiments in nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq!<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0 Watch the video below and reflect upon the issue of historical change. Also, look ahead to your Friday discussion section.\u00a0 You will have a paragraph assignment<\/p>\n

The nature of historical change as seen by a paleontologist<\/em>.\u00a0 Stephen Jay Gould\u00a0talks about the approach to studying fundamental change that I find totally convincing\u2014the theory of evolution.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"Watch at least the first 6 minutes of this stimulating video: WATCH<\/a>\u00a0 As you listen to Gould, ask yourself how his arguments about both human evolution, \u201cpunctuated equilibrium\u201d (what does this concept mean?), and the extinction of dinosaurs can be applied to the evolution of political ideas and institutions.<\/p>\n

Perhaps we are currently living in a state of punctuated equilibrium?<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Wednesday, August 12<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on what it means for citizens of the United States to live\u00a0in\u00a0modern times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>: \u00a0We are all\u00a0Modern<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0By this statement, I mean that we share conceptions of truth and ideas about how to organize our lives which differ fundamentally from those held by other societies in the world.<\/p>\n

An essential part of being modern is agreement on facts.\u00a0 Thanks to our capacity to reason, we pursue factual knowledge and build theories by using the scientific method (even though we don\u2019t always recognize that this is what we are doing).\u00a0 The acceptance of a factual claim (e.g., a heliocentric model of our solar system) does not prevent us from holding a religious faith (e.g., the existence of God).\u00a0 The believer\u2019s faith in God may be just as true as factual knowledge.\u00a0 For example, facts cannot tell us how to act.\u00a0 In contrast, religious faiths can do so.\u00a0 For this reason, I believe that certain aspects of my personal faith–especially the obligation to treat people as having intrinsic dignity–are no less true than the claim that the earth rotates around the sun.\u00a0 No matter what any non-religious person says, they are not simply my opinion.<\/p>\n

Throughout much of its modern history, the Catholic Church has maintained that there is no contradiction between the acceptance of factual knowledge (reason) and faith\u2014these truth claims are simply different forms of knowing.<\/p>\n

Ray Bradbury,\u00a0Fahrenheit 451<\/em>. \u00a0Start reading this book now and finish it as soon as possible. What would it be like to live in a world where humans were prevented from seeking truth through facts?<\/p>\n

Jen Christensen, \u201cThe Most Accurate Clock in the World is Redefining the Second\u201d\u00a0READ<\/a>\u00a0What can a mechanical clock tell you about modern society?<\/p>\n

Oprah Winfrey on pursuing the truth:\u00a0\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Alan Burdick, \u201cSome Good News, and a Hard Truth about Science,\u201d\u00a0New York Times<\/em>, November 18, 2018\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

NOTE<\/strong>: At the bottom of your assigned readings for our first discussion section on Friday, there is a writing assignment.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Friday,\u00a0 August 14\u00a0 Discussion Section<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is your discussion theme:\u00a0 \u201cWhat does it mean to be a real American?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

How do we decide who\u00a0belongs\u00a0<\/em>in the United States? How do we decide who does not? Assuming you are an American citizen, how did you acquire this title? Should every American do more to reasonably be called a citizen? If so, what?\u00a0 Finally, how are Americans doing with their fellow citizens?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trigger Warning<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0Liberals!<\/strong> \u00a0Many of these readings come from conservative sites and\/or conservative writers.\u00a0 Pay particular attention to the two primary readings:<\/p>\n

Primary Reading #1:\u00a0 Samuel Huntington, \u201cThe Hispanic Challenge\u201d (Foreign Policy): PRINT AND READ<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

Huntington was a preeminent political scientist. \u00a0Note his incredible prediction on p. 14.<\/p>\n

Primary Reading #2:\u00a0 “Remarks by President Donald Trump at Mt. Rushmore”\u00a0 PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Emma Lazarus, \u201cThe New Colossus<\/a>,\u201d a plaque on America\u2019s Statue of Liberty:\u00a0\u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Edward Hudgins, \u201cWhat is an American?\u201d (the libertarian Cato Institute) READ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAlan Dershowitz, \u201cBirthright Citizenship is Bizarre\u201d (the Alt-Right Breitbart News) READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Christopher Manion (PhD, Political Science, Notre Dame), \u201cThe Catholic Bishops and Immigration Reform\u201d (the traditionalist Catholic magazine,\u00a0Crisis<\/em>): READ<\/a>\u00a0 Note his defense of Huntington’s position.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to these views on what it means to be an American, ask yourself this question:\u00a0 What is an American Car? READ<\/a>\u00a0 Why on earth would I pose this question?<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/strong><\/em>: Write a\u00a0one-paragraph<\/em>\u00a0(no more!) response to the following question:\u00a0 \u201cIn your opinion, what is the single, most important requirement for being a \u2018true American\u2019.\u201d \u00a0You may only choose one requirement. \u00a0The point of your paragraph is to persuade the reader why it is the single, most important factor.<\/p>\n

You should send your TA one-paragraph response by 5:00 pm on the Thursday preceding every Friday discussion section. All paragraphs should be typed and double-spaced (12 point font).\u00a0 Google documents are preferable.<\/p>\n

Your TA will be happy to talk with you about this assignment or any future assignments.<\/p>\n

4. LECTURE:\u00a0 Monday, August 17\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reflections on a political invention, the\u00a0Liberal Nation-state<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Liberalism<\/strong>\u00a0is a specific set of principles according to which some human beings have organized their relations in modern times. However, it is not the only expression of modern politics. As we shall see later in this course, Fascism<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Leninism\u00a0<\/strong>are also forms of modern politics. As we look into the future , there will be seemingly self-evident political identities that are not liberal at all. I think we are experiencing elements of these\u00a0post-liberal<\/strong><\/em> identities right now.<\/p>\n

\n

Abraham Lincoln invents<\/strong> the liberal nation-state:\u00a0\u00a0READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Assumption<\/em>:\u00a0 We are all\u00a0Liberals!<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 (Sorry, Steve Bannon, but it\u2019s true.)\"\"\u00a0\u00a0However, this is no cause for alarm for political conservatives.\u00a0 In making this claim, I do not mean that we are \u201cliberals\u201d in terms of our political affiliation.\u00a0 Rather, I am referring to classical\u00a0Liberalism<\/strong><\/em>, a conception of political order that was invented\u2013not<\/em>\u00a0discovered\u2013by people\u00a0 like Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/em>:\u00a0 Read Chapter II, \u201cOn the Liberty of Thought and Discussion,\u201d in John Stuart Mill,\u00a0On Liberty\u00a0<\/em>(1869): \u00a0PRINT AND READ<\/a><\/p>\n

Then, listen to musician Frank Zappa talk about freedom of speech\u00a0HERE<\/a>\u00a0 Do you agree with Mr. Zappa?\u00a0 If not, where should we draw the line between legitimate and illegitimate free speech in a Liberal<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0society?\u00a0 Or should there be a dividing line at all?<\/p>\n

The Nazis march on Charlottesville in 2017.\u00a0 Consider these contrasting views on free speech:<\/p>\n

Anthony Romero, ACLU Executive Director, \u201cEquality, Justice and the First Amendment\u201d READ<\/a><\/p>\n

K-Sue Park, \u201cThe ACLU needs to rethink Free Speech\u201d READ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WORLD POLITICS: PART I We begin! What does it mean to say that we are at a critical juncture in history?\u00a0 And if we are at this point, how can we study it while we are living it? To get our bearings, let us look back on roughly the last two centuries.\u00a0 Over this period, … Continue reading “Modern Nation-State”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":484,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/world-politics-fall-2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}