Paul D. Schumaker
Professor
Department of Political Science
Contact Information
Office phone number(s): 785-864-9038
Office: 522 Blake
Office Hours: Sabbatical
Email Address: schu@ku.edu
| Mailing Address: | Department of Political Science |
| Lawrence, KS 66044-3177 |
Vita:
http://www2.ku.edu/~kups/people/vitae/Schumaker_vita_Aug10.pdf
Background
Educational Background
Graduated from: University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ph.D., 1973
Beloit College, 1968
First Appointed at KU: 1972
Paul Schumaker’s role in Political Science
My role in Political Science has evolved during my 40 years at KU. Initially, I taught courses dealing with empirical theory and research and my publications focused on providing quantitative assessments of the conditions under which American cities performed well (and poorly) in terms of achieving various democratic goals. Overtime, my interests turned toward more normative issues, as did my teaching role.
Currently I am responsible for teaching POLS301, Introduction to Political Theory, which is required of all majors. It focuses on the great or “perennial” issues of politics: people’s identities with various political communities; the rights and responsibilities of citizenship; how communities should be structured; the distribution of power within communities; the autonomy of individuals and the authority of governments; the just distribution of benefits and burdens; and the means of bringing about political change. Also addressed are the philosophical foundations that influence people’s receptivity to alternative principles on these big issues: ontological and epistemological beliefs and assumptions about human nature and society. A wide variety of ideological perspectives are used when considering these questions, in other to get students to “step outside of their own shoes” and understand diverse political understandings. While I ask students to develop and defend their own political philosophy, I also ask them to think about a more general public philosophy – the areas of agreement among all “friends of pluralism” – that can serve to moderate ideological polarization. In the last few years, I have written a textbook and developed a reader addressing these concerns, and these are the main texts for POLS301.
For our undergraduate major, I also now regularly teach courses on theories of justice (POLS501), democratic theory (POLS603), and American political ideas (POLS602). In POLS501, we begin by considering John Rawls’ seminal Theory of Justice, but then move toward a more multifaceted and pluralistic conception of justice that incorporates concerns of libertarians, communitarians, feminists, and others. In POLS603, we focus on the principles of liberal democracy, both in America and around the world, but continuously debate whether the “thin” Schumpeterian conception of liberal democracy that dominates the discipline (having fair competitive elections) is sufficient, or whether “thicker” conceptions involving such matters as extensive citizen participation, greater inclusion of marginalized populations, and more deliberative processes employing “public reason” are also essential to effective democracy. In POLS602, we consider the evolution of American public philosophies from colonial times and the creation of the American federal system up through the present.
Graduate students interested in these topics can usually enroll in POLS709 or POLS710, attend classes that meet simultaneously with the undergraduate versions, and supplement the undergraduate experience with additional requirements and opportunities for exploring these topics in more depth with other graduate students and myself.
My research focuses on matters I address in class. For example, I have been concerned with the democratic deficiencies in our Electoral College system and how alternatives can better correspond to democratic ideals. But most of my more empirical research on American politics has focused on democratic processes at the local level. Currently, I am finishing several articles exploring how 95 officials in 12 cities bring their various justice (and other ethical) principles to bear on policymaking.
However, my major current concern is with the development of pluralist political theory, as I am working on two book-length manuscripts that together provide what William Connolly calls a “bicameral” orientation enabling people to negotiate a world where people must interact (and compromise) with others having different political commitments while still having a firm foundation upon which to stand. The first book is an attempt to provide a comprehensive account of the consensual ideas that are shared by all “friends of pluralism” such as mainstream conservatives and liberals in America who are normally described as highly polarized; the working title of this project is Principled Pluralism, and it is an attempt to contribute to the revision of pluralism from its earlier “power-centered” emphasis. The second book, with a working title of Progressive Pluralism is an attempt to synthesize the ideals and beliefs of several left-of-center “friends of pluralism” and defend this perspective as superior to the right-of-center perspective (global neoliberalism) that currently is the governing ideology in much of the world. While the first project is inspired by Rawls’ Political Liberalism (especially its focus on “an overlapping consensus), the second project is inspired by Rawls’ Theory of Justice (especially his analytical techniques to provide an inter-subjective defense of egalitarian liberal ideals).
top