The events of September 11, and the “war against terrorism” that has
followed, have had a profound impact on public discourse and public
policy, in the U.S. but in many other parts of the world as well.
This seminar will examine the way a number of prominent intellectuals
and political theorists have commented on these developments. The
course will be framed around two arguments: (1) the view, put forth
by William Bennett and other conservative writers, that after 9-11
intellectuals need to reassert American patriotism, and (2) the view,
put forth in different ways by Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, and many
others, that after 9-11 what we need is deep criticism of what the
U.S. represents in the world, and of what liberalism means more
generally. The seminar will discuss a range of prominent
commentaries, including writings by Bennett, Chomsky, Butler, Jean
Baudrillard, Sheldon Wolin, Mary Kaldor, Agnes Heller, and others.
And it will use these discussions to raise a deeper question about
the validity and significance of liberalism in the twenty-first
century.  Here the key text will be John Gray’s Two Faces of
Liberalism, though other works of contemporary liberalism will also
be discussed.
One purpose of this seminar is to familiarize students with the way
in which alternative theoretical perspectives—conservative, radical,
postmodern, cosmopolitan, liberal—shed light or fail to shed light on
public life in the wake of 9-11.  Another purpose is to raise
questions about the responsibilities of public intellectuals.  A
third is, quite simply, to enact a kind of public intellectualism, by
using texts to understand and argue about public controversies, and
using public controversies to understand and argue about texts.
While there are no prerequisites for this seminar, the course does
presume that students are interested in a robust engagement with
these issues, and that they are inclined to share their thoughts and
opinions and to listen and learn from—as well as to contest—the
thoughts and opinions of others. The course will be conducted at a
high scholarly level. But one of its goals is very much to promote a
certain style of political argument.

Readings:
William Bennett, Why We Fight.  Doubleday. ISBN: 0385506805
Noam Chomsky, 9-11. Seven Stories Press. ISBN:  1-58322-489-0 (paper)
Theory and Event 5.4 : “Reflections on September 11,” with essays by
Judith Butler, Sheldon Wolin, et al
Craig Calhoun, ed., Understanding September 11. New Press. 1-56584-
774-1
John Gray, Two Faces of Liberalism. New Press. ISBN: 1-56584-678-8
(paper).
Ira Katznelson, Liberalism’s Crooked Circle. Princeton. ISBN:
0691004471
Michael Ignatieff, Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (Princeton)
ISBN: 0-691-08893-4