SPRING 2024

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14-Week Session

Fridays, 1:45 - 2:50 PM (EST)

Online | Zoom

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January 5 - April 12, 2024

(no class March 29)

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$325 | Student 

$265 | Auditor

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Multi-class discounts available (see "Course Levels").

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

We live in a time where there is a good deal of confusion about what conservatives and progressives actually believe. Conservatives tend to have predictable opinions about marriage, guns, taxes, and morality, but what philosophical convictions underwrite these opinions? What philosophical convictions underwrite progressive opinions on these matters? What does it mean for a man to consistently reason and act according to conservative principles?

 

In order to answer these questions, one must go back to the beginning of the debate between conservatives and progressives. In Foundations of Modern Politics, Joshua Gibbs leads students through three works of modern political philosophy which have deeply shaped contemporary political discourse: Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract, Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolutions in France, and Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto. In reading these books, students will not simply find lists of issues about which either party feels strongly. Rather, students will encounter the divide between liberals and conservatives which originates in disagreements about time, nature, and pleasure.

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Foundations of Modern Politics will prove a helpful class for parents whose children have lately begun inquiring about the news, about fashionable political movements, and about the concepts of justice and injustice. Students will be given the tools and perspective they need to see beyond the surface of contemporary news stories to the theological convictions which drive modern men and women.

 

BOOK LIST

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

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Links will be provided for the editions students need to purchase. The entirety of the assigned works by Rousseau, Burke, and Marx will covered.

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COURSE DATES

14 sessions on Friday afternoons from 1:45 - 2:50 PM EST

January 5 – April 12

(NOTE: Class will not meet on 3/29)

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COURSE LEVELS

Gibbs Classical courses are offered at two different levels: Student and Auditor.

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Student Level | Students will have entry into Friday Zoom classes, as well as access to recordings of class videos and the class Canvas page, where students may ask questions (of one another or Mr. Gibbs) and carry on discussions about the reading.

 

Students will be assigned two essays, one in the middle of the semester and the other at the end of the semester. Students are not required to complete the essays but may do so if they choose. The essays should be a minimum of 1200 words long and will receive written feedback which will be returned to students and parents. Students have the option to resubmit their work for additional feedback.

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Student Level Pricing is as follows: 

1 class - $325

2 classes - $625

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Auditor Level | Auditors will receive recordings of the class videos delivered by email every Saturday. The Auditor Level does not come with a Canvas login. It is ideal for anyone whose schedule does not allow attendance on Friday afternoons and who does not plan on doing any written work for the class. During the14-week session, Joshua will offer two hour-long open Zoom sessions for auditors only on a weekday evening (dates will be provided by email at the beginning of the course). During these optional session, auditors are invited to discuss the reading or ask questions. 

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Auditor Level Pricing is as follows: ​

1 class - $265

2 classes - $510

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CLASS POLICIES

• Gibbs Classical courses are open to students aged 15 and above. Adults and college students are welcome. 

• No make-up sessions will be given in the event of a student absence, but recordings of the class will be available for all students. 

• Class will begin each Friday with the assumption that students have already done the reading which is being discussed.  

• All emails exchanged between students and Mr. Gibbs should be copied to a parent. All emails sent from Mr. Gibbs to individual students will be copied to parents. No private conversations between underage students and Mr. Gibbs will take place. 

• Students are expected to use their real names and unmodified backgrounds when in class Zoom sessions. 

• Students will be clearly informed of due dates for the two papers. It is the responsibility of the student to turn in work. If a student does not turn in work, Mr. Gibbs will not remind or hound the student to do so, neither will parents be notified. 

• Students are expected to be courteous and polite to one another in class. They are also expected to represent and defend their opinions with dignity and common sense. Disagreement between students will happen, but this is simply part of discussing politics and philosophy like mature adults. If one student’s feelings are hurt by another student, it does not necessarily mean anyone has been mistreated or that an apology is warranted. 

• Refund policy: A full refund is offered for anyone who decides to drop the class before the start date. A 50% refund is offered for anyone who drops the class before the second class meeting.

• Late start policy: If there is space available, students and auditors may join the class after the start date but will not receive a discounted rate.

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