Instructor: Richard Lichty
Office: SBE 165/177
Office Hour: 9:00 - 10:00 MWF
and by appointment
Phone: 726-7342
Instructor's Email: rlichty@d.umn.edu
There will be no class outline for this course. Nor will there be a formal text. Lectures will be provided on this web site and will be assigned as we go. There is no definite place we have to be at any particular time. Discussion and lectures will revolve around radical theory and current events.
I grade on a point basis, with guarantees. If you receive 90% of the possible points, you will receive an A, no matter what the curve. 80% is a guaranteed B, 70% a guaranteed C, and so on. If you get less than 50%, you can bet you won't be too happy with the final grade.
There will be a mid-term for 100 points. A final for 150 points, most of them on the second half of the course, but some from the first half as well. 40 additional points will be assigned to a short papers and presentations. Up to 60 additional points will be offered for class assignments and short examinations. The total points are, therefore, between 290 and 400. Because of the size of the class, exams will have to be multiple choice.
Extra Note ------- This is my last semester teaching. I will be retiring right after the finals are graded. My wife and I will be traveling after that, so there will be no way to make up anything after the end of final week. If you need a make-up, this would be the week to do it.
This is really more than a class on radicals. It is actually a debate between radical, liberal, and conservative theories and policy suggestions, with an emphasis on the radical view. Please feel very free to argue for your own views on the subjects we cover. I will take the opposite side of whatever view you have. That makes this, in part, a class in critical thinking.
You will have some required readings attached to this site, you will have the possibility of additional readings outside of this site. Finally, you will need to look up readings in relation to your class assignments.
Argue, argue, and argue. Discuss, discuss and discuss. While I will lecture, this class must be participatory or it won't work. I will call on you if you don't volunteer, but I would prefer that we have voluntary discussions based on your passions concerning various philosophies. A student once told me all he got out of this class was confusion as to what is right or wrong. I would consider that a success.
Marx and the Neoclassicals - a better write-up