Content
Week 1 (Jan. 28 – 30)
Week 1: Introduction — Core Ideas
- Topics
- Introductions and icebreaker activity
- Key concepts related to Machiavelli and organized crime, including their historical context and myths
- The inspiration for this class
- The class wiki
- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1513-32): Chapter 17
- A Bronx Tale (1993; dir. Chazz Palminteri)
Week 2 (Feb. 4 – 6)
Week 2: Machiavellian Schema — “A Bronx Tale”
- Topics
- Machiavellian Leadership: A Model/Schema
- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1513-32): Chapters 6-7
- A Bronx Tale (1993; dir. Chazz Palminteri)
Week 3 (Feb. 11 – 13)
Week 3: Cesare Borgia — “Little Caesar”
- Topics
- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1513-32): Chapters 8, 15-18
- Little Caesar (1931; dir. Mervyn LeRoy)
Week 4 (Feb. 18 – 20)
Week 4: Machiavellian Necessity and Circumstances — “Scarface” (1932)
- Topics
- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1513-32): Chapters 19-21, 25-26
- Scarface (1932; dir. Howard Hawks)
For reference: The Hitch-Hiker (1953; dir. Ida Lupino)
Week 5 (Feb. 25 – 27)
Week 5: Puzo, “The Godfather” (1969) — From Freak to Slick: Criminals in Films (1953, 1960, 1968)
- Topics
- Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1969)
- Ocean’s 11 (1960; dir. Lewis Milestone)
- For reference: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968; dir. Norman Jewison)
Week 6 (Mar. 4 – 6)
Week 6: Puzo, “The Godfather” (1969) — “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” (1967)