HR 2800 - Honors Seminar Fall 2024
Instructor: Bonnie Wilson, Associate Professor of Economics
Email: bonnie.wilson@slu.edu
Office: DS 369b
In-person office hours when classes are in session: Thursdays, 12:30 - 2:00
Virtual office hours: Book an appointment here; Zoom link
TA: Yennhi Phan
Email: yennhi.phan@slu.edu
Office hours: Mondays, 9:00 - 10:00 am, VH 117
Class Schedule and Materials
PART I
Class preparation and discussion guidance
What is the common good? (weeks 1 and 2)
Plato (Justice in State and Individual, from The Republic) and Aristotle (Book 3:6-12 in Politics); 08.22
Maritain (The Person and Society, in The Person and the Common Good) and The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (paragraphs 164-170); 08.27
Reich (What is the Common Good?, in The Common Good); 08.29
Who is the common good for? (weeks 3 and 4)
Plato (Status of Women, from The Republic) and Aristotle (Book 3:1-5 in Politics); 09.03
Appiah (Introduction and chapter 6, in Cosmopolitanism) and Wadell (Exploring the Mysteries of Intimacy, in Becoming Friends); 09.05
Powell (podcast episode, On Being with Krista Tippett) and Wilkerson (America's Enduring Caste System, in NYTimes Magazine); 09.10
Advising - Valerie Shor (advising sheet); 09.12
Essay #1 due before 09.16 (15%)
Where is the common good enacted? (weeks 5 and 6)
Orr (The Coming Biophilia Revolution and A World That Takes Its Environment Seriously, in Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect); 09.17
Francis (Chapter four - Integral Ecology, in Laudato Si); 09.19
Desmond (Epilogue: Home and Hope, in Evicted); 09.24
Butler and Diaz (Third places as community builders, Brookings) and Montgomery (Epilogue: The Beginning, in Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design); 09.26
Place reflection #1 due before 9.30 (5%)
How is the common good enacted? Why does it matter? (weeks 7 and 8)
Wells (Rethinking Service); 10.01
Mohrmann (Vocation Is Responsibility); 10.03
Nussbaum (What makes life good?) and Isasi-Diaz (Un Poquito de Justicia); 10.08
Wadell (Reimagining the World); 10.10
Essay #2 due before 10.14 (15%)
Stuff (week 9)
Scholarships and fellowships (slides) - Rebecca Muich; 10.15
Place as text walkabout - instructions and submission form; link to images;10.17
Place reflection #2 due before 10.22 (5%)
PART II
The common good and the economic order/capitalism vs. socialism (weeks 10-15)
Class preparation and discussion guidance (II)
Reminder: You need to acquire the Cohen (Why Not Socialism?) and Brennan (Why Not Capitalism?) books.
What is economics? Wilkinson (The Great Enrichment) and Horwitz (Peaceful human cooperation and progress); 10.22
Otteson (An introduction to capitalism vs socialism) and Fraser Institute video on polling data; 10.29
Capitalism: Centesimus Annus [intro + any three (of six) sections]; 10.31
Socialism: Boettke, Zhukov, Mitchell (An Economic History of Poland, ch 2); 11.05
Exchange and justice: Munger (Euvoluntary or not, exchange is just); 11.07
Emergent order: Storr and Storr (On perverse emergent orders); 11.12
Inequality and redistribution: Sacks, E of F with Acemoglu, and Hancox-Li; 11.14
Interview report/reflection due before 11.18 (5%)
Cohen (parts I and II); 11.19
College Prep content questions (in case you find them helpful)
Cohen (parts III - V); 11.21
College Prep content questions (in case you find them helpful)
Project proposal due before 11.26 (5%)
Brennan (parts 1 and 2); 11.26
College Prep content questions (in case you find them helpful)
Brennan (parts 3 and 4); 12.03
Wrap-up; 12.05
Reminder: Our last day together is a vital experiential learning exercise in the common good - a party! [I.e., we're all piling over to my house for dinner. I'll send the address via email and we'll take a few minutes in class on 12.03 to coordinate rides. I have class until 3:30 and will then head home. I'll try to have dinner ready by 5:00 though that may be a bit of a stretch. Come over anytime. If you can't make it, you can read and write a bit about the essay below by Jenn Frey.]
Project due before 12.11 (15%)
Spreadsheet
As I record scores, I will post updated versions of the course spreadsheet. Scores are listed the by last four digits of your ID, and sorted numerically by ID. If you have questions or concerns, and especially if you spot any recording errors, please let me know.
Spreadsheet, updated 12.17
Follow-ups
08.22
US Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All; see paragraphs 69-71 for three types of basic justice
Madison, Federalist #10
What is the purpose/role of the state? What is justice? What does this have to do with the common good? What do these readings tell us about how Plato and Aristotle conceive of or define the common good? The ancients did not have the idea of human rights. What is the idea of human rights? Does this idea play a role in our response/reaction to Plato/Aristotle? What role does an understanding of the nature of the human person play in ideas about the purpose/role of the state/justice/common good? What does "good" mean in common good? What does "common" mean in common good?
She Rises Up (film)
08.27
SLU baccalaureate vision statement
08.29
Shkreli and the restricted distribution regulatory loophole
Baumol on Entrepreneurship: Productive, Unproductive, and Destructive
Paul Crider on Ayn Rand as heterodox conservative
Michael Strong on evolutionary mismatch as a causal factor for adolescent dysfunction and mental illness.
Yuval Levin - A Time to Build; American Covenant (EconTalk podcast episodes March 2020, June 2024)
09.05
Jenn Frey lecture on Aquinas and happiness (happiness is a common good)
09.10
Martin and Storr on perverse emergent orders
09.24
10.10
Other