2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper Ideology vs. Social Identity: Partisan Identification of Latinos
Seung-Jin Jang, Columbia University
Overview: In Latino partisan identification, liberal-conservative
ideology and ethnic identity play distinct roles: ideology affects
the choice between the two parties, while social identity as ethnic
group concerns the probability of opting for Independency.
Disc. Vincent Hutchings, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
31-2 RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS OF POLITICAL
THEORY
Room Dearborn 1, 7 th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Joseph Cobetto, University of Missouri, Columbia
Paper The Political Thought of Lactantius
Joseph S. Kochanek, Harvard University
Overview: This paper is an exposition of the political thought of
Lactantius, treating the character of Christian political thought
before the Roman Empire established Christianity as the state
religion, emphasizing war and pacifism.
Paper Should Tolerance Extend to the Intolerant?
Katherine M. Gott, University of Minnesota
Overview: Mozert v. Hawkins, Rawlsian Deliberation, the reach
of liberal civic education, and what Saint Augustine can teach us
about tolerance in a religiously diverse society.
Paper Humility in the Monastic Polis: The Rule of St. Benedict
Mary M. Keys, University of Notre Dame
Overview: Against a backdrop of modern philosophic claims that
humility is a "monkish virtue" or even a vice, this paper examines
humility and its civic implications in a classic founding document
of Western monasticism, the 6th century RULE OF ST.
BENEDICT.
Paper The Unarmed Prophet's Weapon: Civil Religion in the
Thought of Savonarola
Rebecca J. McCumbers, University of Notre Dame
Overview: This paper will examine Girolamo Savonarola’s
“Treatise on the Rule and Government of the City of Florence”
and his sermons on Haggai in an attempt to understand his views
concerning the proper role for religion in the political sphere.
Paper Marsilius of Padua’s Forgotten Discourse
Gerson Moreno-Riaño, Regent University
Overview: An investigation into the purpose of the oft forgotten
Discourse III of the Defensor Pacis. Consideration is given to
whether or not Discourse III merely summarizes Marsilius’
conclusions within Defensor Pacis or suggests new theoretical
insights.
Disc. Cary Nederman, Texas A&M University
32-9 ROUSSEAUAN REVERIES
Room Clark 3, 7 th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Sarah Jordan, Hong Kong University
Paper The Natural Education of Citizens in Rousseau's Emile
Pablo Kalmanovitz, Columbia University
Overview: There is a tension between the ideals of self-sufficiency
and republicanism in Rousseau’s Emile. Emile proposes a
synthesis and not a dilemma between men or citizens, and pictures
the sort of citizen that can make political life good
Paper Freedom's Paradox: A Rousseauan Commentary on Anarcho-
Primitivism
Elric M. Kline, Rutgers University
Overview: John Zerzan's primitivist philosophy resonates with
anti-globalization activists, but fails to attract an academic
audience. Using a definition of "nature" developed through
Rousseau's "Emile," the critical and theoretically relevant Zerzan
is saved.
Paper Divorcing Wisdom: On the Sequel to Rousseau's Emile
J. Harvey Lomax, University of Memphis
Overview: A lengthy, very close study of "Emile and Sophie" puts
Rousseau's Emile into a significantly different light. The short
text has important implications, largely neglected, for family life
and for politics.
Paper Walking With Rousseau and Thoreau: On Nature and
Liberalism
Mina Suk, Johns Hopkins University
Overview: This paper analyzes Rousseau's "Reveries of a Solitary
Walker" and Thoreau's "Walking" and their reflections on
individuality, freedom, embodiment, and movement by comparing
four literary tropes in each text--walks, woods, words, and the
wild.
Paper Platonism in Rousseau's Reveries
David L. Williams, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Overview: Rousseau's Reveries of a Solitary Walker reveals a
deep commitment to Platonism in multiple respects, including his
understanding of human nature, metaphysics, ontology, and
epistemology.
Disc. Jonathan Marks, Ursinus College
32-22 DEMOCRACY AND ITS CRITICS
Room LaSalle 1, 7 th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Joseph P. Lampert, Yale University
Paper The Contested Legitimacy of Majoritarian Democracy in 19th
C. Thought
Amel F. Ahmed, Swarthmore College
Overview: I examine the contested legitimacy of majoritarian
democracy in 19th century thought through the works of J.S Mill,
François Guizot, and John C. Calhoun. I explore their
justifications for elite governance and the impact it has had on
democratic discourse.
Paper On Power and Technology: A Critique of Arendt and
Foucault
Xavier Marquez, University of Notre Dame
Overview: I examine and critique Arendt and Foucault's views of
power and technology, using this examination as an occasion to
theorize the technological sources of the power of the modern
state.
Paper Detractors and Apologists: Anti-Liberalism and the Carl
Schmitt Debate
Christopher A. McKoy, University of California, Santa Barbara
Overview: This paper proposes an interpretation of the
significance of Carl Schmitt’s Weimar political thought. I argue
for a ‘weak detractor’ position that takes Schmitt’s anti-liberalism
seriously but rejects the claim that he inevitably became a Nazi.
Paper The Democracy of the Common Man: Revisiting Dewey’s
Political Thought
Thamy Pogrebinschi, Instituto Universitário de Pesquisas do
Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ)
Overview: This paper analyses Dewey’s approach to democracy in
order to reactivate his claim that democracy should be grounded
on human experience rather than on political institutions.
Disc. Gerald Doppelt, University of California, San Diego
33-8 USES AND ABUSES OF EXECUTIVE POWER
Room Dearborn 2, 7 th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Timothy O. Lenz, Florida Atlantic University
Paper Executive Power and the Rule of Law
Jeffrey A. Becker, University of the Pacific
Overview: This essay argues that acts of executive power are
essential for maintaining and preserving the rule of law in
American democratic politics.
Paper Conservative Theory and Executive Power
Timothy O. Lenz, Florida Atlantic University
Kevin M. Wagner, Florida Atlantic University
Overview: The nature and scope of presidential power is
controversial because it is hard to reconcile with the rule of law.
This paper examines the tradition of support for executive
governance in conservative political philosophy.
Paper Bureaucratic Liberalism
Roger M. Michalski, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Overview: This paper explores a neglected brand of continental
liberalism that I call ‘bureaucratic liberalism.’ It serves as a useful
site to explore contemporary concerns with establishing liberal
institutions in weak or failing states.
Page | 203