HON351, American Ideals in Global Perspective
Spring Semester 2008
Study Guide
Conservatism
Reading Assignment:
Ball and Dagger, ch. 4
John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, "Introduction" to The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America,
Penguin, 2004 (electronic reserves)
David Brooks, "The Republican Collapse," New York Times, October 5, 2007
Websites (optional):
Republican Party (Statement of Principles)
Other articles (optional):
Jay Dixit, "The Ideological Animal," Psychology Today, January-February, 2007, pp. 81-86
"Neoconservatism," Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Ezra Klein, "Rise of Republicrats," The American Prospect, September 2006, pp. 40-43
"New Quest in British Politics: Public Happiness," Christian Science Monitor," January 17, 2007
Questions to think about as you read Ball and Dagger, chapter 4
1. What is common to the various streams of conservative thought?
2. What are the key ideas in the philosophy of the noted British theorist Edmund Burke?
3. In what ways did conservatism follow different paths in the Britain and the United States beginning in the 19th century?
4. In what ways are conservatism and liberalism opposing and/or compatible ideologies?
5. To what extent is conservative thought consistent with democratic theory?
6. Be prepared to differentiate the following forms of conservative thought? In what ways is each represented in contemporary American politics (including the Republican Party)?
-traditional
-individualist
-neo-conservatism
-religious right
Questions to read while reading Micklethwait/Wooldridge "Introduction"
7. In what ways do the authors suggest the America is very different from most rich countries?
8. What have the historical tends been in the strength of liberalism and conservatism in the United States over the past half century?
9. What to the authors suggest are the basic tenets of conservativism in the United States? How do they differ from those of European conservatives?
10. How do to the beliefs of American conservatives compare to those of conservative philosopher Edmund Burke?
11. Is America's swing in the "conservative" direction likely to continue? Or is the pendulum likely to swing back to the left?
12. What reaction do you have to the final paragraph in the chapter?