This course is an introduction to political theory, the academic study of political ideas and values. Students will be invited to study and debate the central interpretive problems and foundational concepts of political theory such as the state, citizenship, authority, liberty, equality, and justice. Students will be encouraged consider how political theorists have historically attempted to classify and defend different forms of political rule (such as monarchies, republics, and democracies). The course will also introduce students to selected excerpts in major texts in the history of political thought, such as Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Mill’s On Liberty, as well as ongoing problems in contemporary political theory such as global justice and the politics of race, gender, culture, and the environment.
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